
The World Summit for Social Development: Thirty Years Later... The Need for a New Approach Based on Justice and Equality - Ziad Abdel Samad
The World Summit for Social Development: Thirty Years Later...
The Need for a New Approach Based on Justice and Equality - Ziad Abdel Samad
Thirty years after the first World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995, world leaders are meeting again to discuss the state of social development in a world that has changed greatly, indeed, it could be said that it has turned against itself in terms of concepts, priorities, and paths. The past three decades have witnessed profound structural transformations in the international system, accompanied by successive crises and intertwined challenges that have affected all aspects of political, economic, social, and environmental life.
Since the 1990s, humanity has moved from a period of optimism about building a more just and stable global order, to a period in which the gaps between North and South, between the rich and the poor, and between those who possess power, technology, and knowledge and those who are excluded from them are deepening. Instead of embodying the goals of the first summit in eradicating poverty, promoting social justice, and expanding participation and equality of opportunity, people have found themselves facing a reality that perpetuates further inequality, exclusion, and marginalization. Over these three decades, major crises have transformed the world: wars under the banner of "fighting terrorism," devastating armed conflicts, recurring global economic and financial crises, the worsening climate and food crises, and the shrinking role of international institutions that were supposed to constitute frameworks for good governance and global solidarity. These transformations have contributed to transforming development paths from a comprehensive humanitarian goal to a tool subject to the balance of power and the geopolitical and economic interests of major powers.
Perhaps one of the most prominent changes in the development process over the past decade is artificial intelligence. This technology holds tremendous potential to accelerate progress in education, health, management, production, but at the same time, it poses serious challenges related to sovereignty, privacy, and justice. While advanced industrialized countries possess the capacity to develop and invest in these technologies, developing countries find themselves in a position of technological dependency, threatening to establish a new type of digital dominance that deepens the development gap rather than bridging it. Artificial intelligence is no longer just a tool for economic development or scientific research; it has also become a weapon used in conflicts and wars, as we see today through its use in smart targeting systems, drones, and combat robots. Herein lies the greatest danger: that technology, which was supposed to be harnessed to serve humanity and enhance human dignity, will transform into a means of mass murder and deepen insecurity and criminality. Therefore, it has become imperative to include the governance of artificial intelligence among the priorities of the next summit, by establishing strict international rules to ensure the ethical use of technology, protect personal data, and prevent its exploitation for purposes of control or oppression.
Recovering the spirit of the first summit also calls for a critical review of the development approach that has prevailed over the past decades. The approaches adopted by international institutions have focused excessively on economic aspects, growth indicators, and national income, neglecting the fact that development is not merely an increase in production or gross domestic product (GDP), but rather a process of liberating people from poverty, marginalization, and exploitation, and ensuring that every individual enjoys their economic, social, cultural, and political rights without discrimination. Experience has shown that relying solely on a purely economic approach leads to counterproductive results: increased inequality, concentration of wealth, and a collapse of trust between citizens and the state. Economic growth, in and of itself, does not achieve social justice unless it is accompanied by a fair distribution of wealth and equal opportunities in education, employment, and basic services. Neoliberal policies promoted in the name of "economic reforms" have contributed to the weakening of social safety nets, the erosion of the middle class, and the dismantling of social solidarity.
Hence, the need for a new approach to development emerges, based on a rights-based approach that links the various political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental dimensions within an integrated and comprehensive framework. This approach does not consider people merely as tools of production or consumers in the market, but rather as the ultimate goal and foundation of development. It is an approach that places justice and equality at the heart of public policy and holds the state and the international community responsible for achieving them. The rights-based approach to development recognizes that poverty is not merely an economic phenomenon but a violation of human rights. It recognizes that gender inequality is not a fate, but rather the result of policies and institutionalized discrimination that can be changed. It also recognizes that the right to health, education, housing, and decent work must be treated as a fundamental right, not a privilege or a service conditional on an individual's ability to pay. This approach also requires engaging citizens and civil society in decision-making, promoting transparency and accountability in the management of public resources, including combating corruption and reforming the tax system to ensure fiscal justice.
Social development cannot be separated from the environmental dimension, as climate justice has become an integral part of social justice. Poor peoples are the most affected by climate change, despite having contributed the least to its causes. Therefore, achieving equitable sustainable development requires that industrialized countries fulfill their historical responsibilities in financing the green transformation, transferring technology, and alleviating debt for developing countries.
The World Summit for Social Development, thirty years on, should not be an occasion to celebrate what has been achieved, but rather a moment to correct the course. The world today stands at a crossroads: either continue toward greater division and inequality, or establish a new global social contract based on human solidarity, justice, equal opportunity, and respect for human dignity everywhere.
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