World Social Report 2024: A Call for Global Action - Press Conference | United Nations
A summary of the World Social Report 2024: A Call for Global Action:
Converging Crises and Long-term Impacts: The report outlines the severe, lasting effects of recent global crises (e.g., pandemic, inflation, climate shocks) on poverty, inequality, and employment, especially impacting low-income countries and vulnerable groups (01:18).
Global Output Loss: A projected $50 trillion in global output loss from 2020 to 2030 could have supported poverty reduction and social development, highlighting the missed opportunities for social investments in low-income and developing countries (01:55).
Widening Inequality: Inequality between countries has spiked since 2020, exacerbating challenges for poorer nations to catch up economically, with debt servicing now exceeding public spending on health and education in many of the poorest countries (02:35).
Persistent Poverty and Employment Gaps: Poverty rates and unemployment remain elevated in the poorest nations, while the world as a whole is seeing slight improvements, underscoring the uneven recovery and its impact on social development (03:47).
Education and Long-term Development: Prolonged school closures during crises have disproportionately affected children in lower-income countries, with long-lasting impacts on learning outcomes and future workforce potential (04:28).
Increased Climate Vulnerability: Climate change and rising CO2 levels are intensifying the risk of simultaneous food production shocks worldwide, particularly impacting countries reliant on a few major food exporters (06:47).
Global Preparedness Gaps: Despite recent crises, global readiness to address health emergencies has declined since 2015. Social protection coverage remains weak, with 85% of people in low-income countries still without basic social protection (07:24).
Call for Coordinated National and Global Action: The report recommends both national reforms (like expanding social protections) and international efforts (like debt relief) to improve resilience against future crises (08:35).
Upcoming Social Development Summit: The 2025 World Social Summit is seen as an opportunity to establish a renewed global consensus on social policy, aiming to advance the 2030 Agenda and address longstanding issues like poverty and inequality (10:25).
Restoring Public Trust and Cohesion: With rising public insecurity and diminishing trust in governments (56% of people report little or no trust), the report stresses the need for governments to build trust through inclusive policies that address poverty and inequality (13:21).
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Reflective Question: Given the unequal social protections globally, what immediate actions could be taken to ensure that the most vulnerable populations are better supported in times of crisis?