SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT MINISTER PARTICIPATES IN THE SECOND WORLD SUMMIT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

By Staff writer.

•  ⁠South Africa is represented at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar, sharing best practices on a global platform.
• The summit aims to renew the global commitments to inclusion, dignity, and social justice that came out of the first summit held in 1995 in Denmark.
• ⁠Minister of Social Development, Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe, shared how South Africa’s National Development Plan (Vision 2030) recognises that linking grants to employment and job opportunities is the best form of social protection.

Minister Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe is taking part in the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar, sharing South Africa’s social development practices internationally.

Minister Tolashe is part of the South African delegation led by the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa, and including the Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth.

Leaders, policymakers, and civil society representatives have gathered in Doha to renew global commitments to inclusion, dignity, and social justice, reaffirming that progress must be people-centred, based on global solidarity, universal social protections, and rights-based policies to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality, and ensure that no one is left behind.

The gathering is part of the United Nations’ programme of ensuring member states can realise the Millennium Development Goals that were agreed during the September 2000 and 2001 Heads of States United Nations General Assembly.

The Millennium Development Goals were the result of streamlining the long list of developmental goals set at the end of the first World Summit on Social Development, held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The goals were articulated in the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development.

The United Nations simplified these goals into eight monitorable international development goals:
•⁠ ⁠Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger;
•⁠ ⁠Achieve universal primary education;
•⁠ ⁠Promote gender equality and empower women;
•⁠ ⁠Reduce child mortality;
•⁠ ⁠Improve maternal health;
•⁠ ⁠Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases;
•⁠ ⁠Ensure environmental sustainability; and
•⁠ ⁠Develop a global partnership for development.

The summit started on 4 November 2025, with the minister participating in a number of engagements, including the opening ceremony, which adopted the Doha Political Declaration, a renewed pledge to confront poverty, inequality, and social exclusion amid mounting geopolitical and economic challenges.

The summit is led by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the President of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock.

It comes 30 years after the first summit, building on the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration, and including the added challenges of climate change, technological disruption, and demographic shifts.

Minister Tolashe also attended the high-level panel that looked at strengthening the three pillars of social development-poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and social inclusion.

She attended and delivered remarks on the session, finding solutions to ensure a just energy transition in practice: finding equitable solutions to renewable energy projects.

On 6 November 2025, Minister Tolashe is attending and delivering remarks on linking social protection with labour market programmes.

“We recognise that social grants are not a silver bullet. Our own National Development Plan (Vision 2030) recognises that linking grants to employment and job opportunities is the best form of social protection.

“For this reason, we are using social grants to generate better livelihoods that empower and transform beneficiaries’ lives.”

Minister Tolashe added: “Our greatest asset in South Africa is our youth. Yet too many remain trapped in cycles of poverty and unemployment. We are reimaging our social assistance programme to activate youth participation in the economy by connecting grant recipients to the labour market”.

This engagement is one of the ways South Africa maintains its standing and relevance in the international space, ensuring the services provided to citizens are among the best practices in the world.

The return on investment is the marketing of South Africa to the world, encouraging other countries and international organisations to travel to South Africa for work and study tours, which, in turn, boost business-linked tourism.