On the Second World Summit for Social Development

B100408/2025

European Parliament resolution on the Second World Summit for Social Development

(2025/2654(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Treaty on European Union (TEU), in particular Article 3 thereof,

– having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in particular Articles 9, 10, 19, 45-48 and 145-161 thereof,

– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

– having regard to the European Social Charter,

– having regard to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,

– having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) proclaimed and signed by the Council, Parliament and the Commission on 17 November 2017,

– having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan and its 2030 headline targets,

– having regard to the La Hulpe Declaration on the Future of the European Pillar of Social Rights signed by Parliament, the Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Council on 16 April 2024,

– having regard to the European Child Guarantee,

– having regard to the European Gender Equality Strategy and the Roadmap for Women’s Rights,

– having regard to the European Strategy for the Rights of People with Disabilities,

– having regard to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular goals 1, 2, 8 and 10,

– having regard to the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development of 14 March 1995,

– having regard to the core conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO),

– having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 78/318 of 16 July 2024 on the Modalities of the ‘World Social Summit’ under the title ‘the Second World Summit for Social Development’,

– having regard to the Pact for the Future agreed at the UN Summit of September 2024,

– having regard to the Political Declaration adopted at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, under the auspices of the UN General Assembly in September 2023,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the motion for a resolution of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs,

A. whereas sustainable development is a core principle of the TEU; whereas the 17 SDGs lie at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all UN member states in 2015; whereas the EU’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda was translated into a set of transformative EU policies;

B. whereas across the EU, significant inequalities between people and regions persist, particularly income and gender inequalities, while inflation and the rising cost of living disproportionately affect low-income and vulnerable households; whereas the housing crisis remains a significant challenge throughout the EU, leading to housing exclusion, housing insecurity, increased housing costs and housing inadequacy; whereas these issues negatively affect social cohesion, upward social convergence and the social well-being of people living in the EU; whereas some studies suggest that in Europe the wealthiest 10 % on the continent own a staggering 67 % of its wealth, while the bottom half of adults possess only 1.2 % of it; whereas in 2023, the Gini coefficient for the EU27 was 29.6 %, trending slightly downwards since 2014 with 13 Member States above this average;

C. whereas the EU has committed in the EPSR Action Plan to reducing the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion by at least 15 million by 2030, including at least five million children; whereas in nearly half of the Member States, data indicates a regrettable reversal of progress on poverty reduction; whereas one child in five in the EU is still at risk of poverty and social exclusion; whereas if the current trend continues, the EU will fall short of its 2030 target; whereas, in addition, energy poverty is affecting more than one in ten Europeans, exacerbating inequality; whereas the situation globally is even worse, with almost 700 million people living in extreme poverty and a further 2.8 billion people living between the extreme poverty line and the USD 6.85 a day standard, and up to 35 % of people who exited poverty in the past three decades subsequently relapsed;

D. whereas progress has been made towards achieving the EU’s employment target, namely that at least 78 % of people aged 20 to 64 should be in employment by 2030; whereas, according to the Commission’s 2024 autumn economic forecast, EU employment has reached a rate of 75.8 %; whereas in two thirds of the Member States, employment growth in 2023 was on track to reach the national 2030 target; whereas significant challenges nevertheless persist, such as the gender employment gap and high unemployment rates in some Member States, persistent labour market segmentation, gaps in social protection, a high incidence of precarious and non-standard work, and continued disparities in access to quality employment between sectors and regions; whereas 66.6 % of unemployed people and 10.9 % of employed people were at risk of poverty in 2024;

E. whereas underachievement in basic skills such as reading, mathematics and science is rising in the EU, particularly among disadvantaged learners; whereas this educational inequality undermines equal access to further education, training opportunities and quality employment, and contributes to the persistence of social and labour market exclusion;

F. whereas the EU has adopted the target that at least 60 % of adults should participate in training every year by 2030; whereas the Member States have committed themselves to national targets in order to achieve this headline goal and whereas the current level of participation in the Member States is only 39.5 %;

G. whereas demographic challenges, including an ageing population, low birth rates and rural depopulation, with young people in particular moving to urban areas, could worsen economic inequalities and harm social progress and the attractiveness of EU regions, labour markets, public infrastructure and, consequently, the sustainability of welfare systems, and further aggravate the regional disparities in the EU; whereas these challenges hence represent a structural challenge for the EU economy; whereas the integration of migrants into the labour market can alleviate labour market shortages; whereas a lack of universal public access to childcare (ages 0-3) and to tertiary education, a lack of affordable housing, non-existent or insufficient child allowances and insufficient paid parental leave, are among the factors significantly contributing to low birth rates;

H. whereas labour and skills shortages are increasing across the EU and are driven by demographic change, the green and digital transition and by demand for new skills; whereas poor working conditions and skills mismatches in certain sectors directly limit the EU’s capacity to attract and retain talent, both from third-countries and within the EU; whereas quality employment, with higher wages and job stability, as well as the integration of third-country nationals in labour markets can help address these challenges;

I. whereas Eurofound’s 2024 report shows suicide rates have been creeping up since 2021, after decades of decline; whereas more needs to be done to address causes of mental health disorders in working and living conditions;

J. whereas the social economy, including social enterprises, encompasses diverse types of private entities that are independent of the public authorities, such as cooperatives, mutual benefit societies, associations (including charities), foundations,(including work integration social enterprises and other legal forms depending on each EU Member State); notes that this diversity of enterprises and organisations, which operate in all areas of activity, share a strong identity based on shared values and characteristics such as gender equality, local and regional responsibility, sensitivity to climate and environmental challenges, inclusion and democratic governance and placing individuals and social purpose above capital, such that most profits are reinvested – limiting distributions to members or shareholders – in order to achieve the organisation’s objectives for sustainable development or to serve the collective and public interest;

K. whereas against the backdrop of a stubbornly slow narrowing of the gender pay gap, Eurofound’s research shows that many Member States have not implemented any pay transparency measures to date, and most national instruments currently in place do not yet require all work to be valued equally;

L. whereas fair labour mobility is enshrined in the Treaties and offers opportunities for companies and workers and should be promoted among workers within the EU as well as those from third countries, while ensuring full respect for and enforcement of labour and social rights, including for third country nationals through legal migration pathways, as well as equal treatment and non-discrimination, and combating undeclared work;

M. whereas the ILO’s tripartite structure and broad membership marks it as a leader in global labour standards; whereas in the context of the ILO’s mission to foster social justice, its fundamental principles and rights at work centre on ensuring a fair and decent working environment for all, including freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour, the effective abolition of child labour, the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation, and the right to a safe and healthy working environment; whereas in the context of the EU, those rights are protected by the EU Treaties, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU labour law acquis; whereas some Member States face challenges in the implementation and enforcement of these obligations;

N. whereas social partners and civil society organisations play a pivotal role in ensuring decent working conditions and promoting social justice and equality; whereas according to research, industrial democracy is closely correlated with the quality of work and employment and industrial competitiveness;

1. Considers that the Commission and the Member States should step up their efforts to implement the EPSR, in line with the La Hulpe Declaration and through an ambitious update of the Action Plan, to achieve the 2030 headline targets; calls on the Commission, as part of the updated Action Plan, to complement the current headline targets, as appropriate, as well as put forward legislative initiatives for the full implementation of the EPSR;

2. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to cooperate with Parliament on developing a new European Social Deal for the Future with clear commitments and investments in the following areas: reducing the risk of poverty and social exclusion in the EU and achieving net-zero emissions in the EU by 2050;

3. Acknowledges the continued relevance and importance – and the interrelated and mutually reinforcing nature – of the three core themes of the 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, considered to be the three pillars of social development, namely poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, as well as social inclusion;

4. Stresses the importance of using the Social Scoreboard and the Social Convergence Framework to identify risks and to track progress towards achieving upward social convergence, reducing inequalities, strengthening social protection systems and promoting decent working conditions and supportive measures to ensure fairness in the transitions; stresses that, in this regard, it is necessary to ensure a sustainable, socially just and inclusive Europe where social rights are fully protected and safeguarded; recalls that EU citizens identify a social Europe as one of their priorities; highlights therefore the need for the Commission to bring forward as a matter of urgency a quality jobs package, including the necessary legislative initiatives and investments to ensure quality jobs;

5. Urges the Commission and the Member States to foster democracy at work, social dialogue and collective bargaining and the protection of workers’ rights, particularly in the context of the green and digital transitions; highlights the need to keep allocating sufficient resources in the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) to support social dialogue and collective bargaining, and strengthen capacity building for social partners; calls for further efforts to ensure equal pay for equal work done by men and women, enhance pay transparency and address gender-based inequality to close the gender pay, pension and employment gaps in the EU; calls on the Commission and the Member States to apply gender mainstreaming across all policy areas and pieces of legislation;

6. Calls for efforts to combat violence, discrimination and harassment in the world of work to be stepped up; stresses the importance of preventive and protective workplace measures to protect workers’ well-being and physical and mental health; notes the rise in work-related psychological distress, linked to new forms of work organisation, constant connectivity and digital surveillance;

7. Recalls that the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and related goals recognise that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, and that no one should be left behind and the furthest behind should be reached first; therefore calls for a holistic view on poverty eradication, social protection and inclusion and for an ambitious strategy to be proposed, accompanied by sufficient support in the next MFF, based on the upcoming Parliament own-initiative report on the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy and an ambitious affordable housing plan to address the housing crisis and combat homelessness; stresses that these new initiatives must complement other related EU strategies in order to ensure a multidimensional approach to tackling poverty; recalls that already in 2020, the Commission estimated social investment to be EUR 192 billion a year less than required to meet citizens’ needs; underlines, in this regard, the role of the relevant European funds in combating poverty and social exclusion and stresses the need to maintain strong stand-alone instruments to combat poverty and social exclusion in the next MFF;

8. Further recalls the role the EU plays in the social development of third countries, including through funds such as Global Europe; strongly regrets the withdrawal of funding for development, including social development, by a number of countries, which has devastating consequences for people’s lives and livelihoods; urges the EU to continue its strong commitment to supporting social development overseas in the current and next MFF to ensure stability and stable funding and to engage with all relevant actors to ensure a continued commitment to social development objectives globally;

9. Urges all Member States to make further efforts to address child poverty by implementing their national action plan on the European Child Guarantee and calls on the Commission to ensure it has a dedicated budget for this of at least EUR 20 billion in the next MFF;

10. Welcomes the recent adoption of the Platform Work Directive as a landmark step towards protecting workers in the digital economy; emphasises the need to extend the same protection to workers in all sectors affected by AI, ensuring that the ‘human in control’ principle becomes a binding standard, and reiterates the call for new legal initiatives on AI and algorithmic management in the workplace, as well as on the right to disconnect; recalls that the deployment of AI systems should be in line with the green transition and climate targets; highlights the need to create sustainable quality jobs in sectors that are developing or which have been transformed in the course of the twin transition and to strengthen the legal framework for managing and anticipating the transitions, while promoting the role and participation of social partners and promoting inclusive labour market policies;

11. Highlights the need to further ensure the provision of, and universal access to, quality public education free of charge, quality training policies and lifelong learning leading to quality jobs ensuring decent wages; notes that strategic upskilling, reskilling and training programmes must be available for all workers, including those with disabilities, combined with training allowances, ,and should also be adapted to workers’ needs and capabilities; calls therefore for the introduction of an individual right to training and upskilling for workers at EU level;

12. Stresses that, in view of the climate and biodiversity crises and the economic and demographic challenges, no generation or region within the EU – whether now or in the future – should be left behind and that there should be universal access to a just transition for all; calls for initiatives to be presented to support both young and old people and people with disabilities, as well as measures for regions facing depopulation, such as improved and barrier-free access to infrastructure, including public transport, digital connectivity and affordable housing, public services, healthcare, long-term and early childhood care and education, as well as investing in better job opportunities to prevent depopulation; calls on the Member States to guarantee universal rights-based access to high-quality public services and invest in them; also calls on the Commission and the Member States to fully implement the European Care Strategy ensuring quality, affordable and accessible care services across the EU;

13. Urges the EU and its Member States to ensure that the green transition is socially just, with specific support for workers, households, regions and enterprises affected by structural changes and new labour market demands; notes that climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, if carefully designed through robust social dialogue, can generate resilient economic ecosystems, quality jobs, sustainable enterprises and more inclusive societies, leaving no one behind; calls on the Commission to propose a directive on a just transition in the world of work to ensure these principles are safeguarded at EU level;

14. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to build upon the Social Climate Fund and lay the foundations for the adaptation and strengthening of social protection systems at national level with EU support, in order to ensure social resilience against the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on jobs and living conditions and to make sure the communities affected are fully prepared for a new labour market;

15. Calls for further support for third-country nationals to integrate into the EU labour market and to use their talents to their full potential, with high-quality jobs and working conditions reinforced by an effective integration policy, in full complementarity with harnessing talents from within the EU;

16. Calls for close monitoring of active labour market measures, as well as adequate income support, access to decent and affordable housing and universal social security provision to ensure equal participation of those furthest from the labour market, in particular women, people with disabilities, migrants, people in the LGBTIQ+ community, young people entering the labour market, older people, people in rural and remote areas, people in long-term unemployment, and Roma and other minorities; also stresses the need for proper social protection and support for self-employed people; recalls, in this context, that levels of minimum income benefits are mostly well below national poverty thresholds in the EU; urges the Member States to fully implement the Council Recommendation on adequate minimum income; recalls the important role that minimum income schemes play globally to help lift people out of poverty;

17. Recalls Parliament’s call for a binding EU framework for adequate minimum income schemes;

18. Considers that the social economy is an essential driver for the implementation of the EPSR and its targets, often providing employment to vulnerable and excluded groups and upskilling them; calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen their support for all social economy enterprises in order to promote quality, decent and inclusive work; highlights that social economy projects generally require a close partnership with public entities, and calls therefore on the Commission and the Member States to develop a framework for cooperation between public authorities and social economy organisations;

19. Emphasises that achieving the 2030 SDGs also requires applying good governance principles based on the rule of law, responsible institutions, effective implementation, monitoring and enforcement and avoiding legal uncertainty, including for countries applying for EU membership; calls for the Political Declaration resulting from the Second World Summit to include meaningful commitments on advancing the SDGs and addressing persistent gaps in social development, as well as strong monitoring and review mechanisms; highlights the need to proceed to a thorough review process on a regular basis, including biennial ministerial declarations; supports the revitalisation of the UN Commission for Social Development and greater involvement of labour ministries and social partners, and calls on the ILO to act as the primary follow-up body;

20. Recalls that peace and global cooperation are the fundamental conditions for achieving sustainable development, in Europe and globally; highlights that the EU must play a leading role in the field of international human rights by fully and effectively implementing international human rights instruments; notes that global commitment to human rights instruments must also be strengthened through the use of diplomatic and economic opportunities, as well as through enabling others – such as non-governmental organisations and trade unions – to work freely towards the promotion of human rights and social standards throughout the world; urges the UN member states to support and promote the role of social partners and civil society organisations within their territories and to ensure their meaningful inclusion in the preparation and follow up of the summit; highlights that strong multi-stakeholder engagement in policymaking and effective collective bargaining can contribute substantially to progress towards the objectives of social development; recalls that human rights and social rights can only be credibly promoted by countries which themselves comply with their obligations;

21. Calls on the UN and all participating countries, and particularly the host countries of the Social Summit, to fully uphold labour and social rights, including by ratifying the ILO core conventions and committing to the values of the Social Declaration; highlights the importance of the EPSR, as well as the La Hulpe Declaration, in order to build a strong social Europe; stresses the need for a renewed commitment to achieving both the EU’s social targets and the SDGs by 2030, in Europe and worldwide;

22. Notes with concern the slow progress on achieving the SDGs across the EU, with the pace of advancement from 2020 to 2023 being less than half of that in the 2016-2019 period; expresses its concern that the SDGs were not mentioned explicitly in the Political Guidelines of the current President of the European Commission; stresses the importance of strengthening the EU’s commitment towards social progress and the achievement of the SDGs; calls on the Commission and the Member States to honour their commitment to the EU’s common goals and especially Article 3 TEU; calls, in this regard, for the EU to engage constructively in the adoption of the UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights in order to regulate the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises, to uphold fair wage practices beyond the EU and to allow victims of unfair wage practices to seek redress;

23. Calls for the EU to support the global transition from informal to formal employment, in line with ILO Recommendation 204, by promoting fair labour standards, decent work, and access to social protection; encourages the integration of this goal into EU development, trade and external action policies;

24. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.