Turning Declarations into Change Through Meaningful Participation of People in Poverty
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
From Copenhagen to Doha
In 1995, ATD Fourth World attended the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen. For the first time in history, at the invitation of the United Nations, […] heads of State and Government [gathered] to recognize the significance of social development and human well-being for all and to give to these goals the highest priority both now and into the twenty-first century1. The gathering concluded with the adoption of the Copenhagen Declaration.
In recent years, early optimism has gradually given way to skepticism. Multiple crises have hit humanity: the climate crisis, COVID-19, and numerous armed conflicts worldwide. The World Bank estimates that 808 million people still live in extreme poverty. Moreover, 3.8 billion people lack social protection coverage.
On November 4 to 6, 2025 — 30 years later — the United Nations organized the Second Summit for Social Development in Doha. Delegates from around the world gathered to consider whether the promises made in Copenhagen fulfill at least some of the goals set in Agenda 2030. Members of ATD Fourth World asked: “What impact do these international treaties have on the work to overcome poverty, and how do they change, in a meaningful way, the lives of those the furthest behind?”
From pledges to action
The World Social Summit in Doha gathered nearly 14,000 participants, including over 40 Heads of State and Government and more than 230 ministers and senior officials. Attendees also included representatives from civil society organizations, trade unions, businesses, and community and youth leaders.
The Doha Political Declaration, the main document issued on the occasion of the Summit, reaffirmed the three commitments made by the signatories in the Copenhagen Declaration: the eradication of poverty, social inclusion, and full and productive employment and decent work for all. These urgent priorities have now been expanded to include: food security and health; digital transformation and artificial intelligence; climate and resilience; gender equality; and the financing of social development.
Progress in social development should not stop at the adoption of the Political Declaration. For this reason, the gathering concluded with a call to turn social pledges into concrete results. A special solution platform was created, enabling the transformation of these commitments into action by providing concrete initiatives to help accelerate the progress of Agenda 2030. The President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock said, Copenhagen taught us 30 years ago that social development and inclusion are essential for strong societies. We promised to leave no one behind. Social development is not a ‘nice to have’ nor an act of charity. It is in the self-interest of every country.
A human rights approach to end poverty in all its forms
ATD’s World Social Summit steering group, comprising delegates from international institutions and allies with advocacy experience, responded to the DOHA Political Declaration by issuing a position paper. This document underscores that all efforts toward social development and human progress should be based on a human rights approach. Emphasis should be placed on the commitment to “leave no one behind,” using it as a guide and compass for all initiatives aimed at eradicating poverty in all its dimensions and forms.
The position paper focuses on three priorities:
- – The multidimensionality of poverty — poverty goes far beyond material deprivation. It affects many dimensions in life, including social and institutional maltreatment, experiences of socioeconomic discrimination, and a lack of recognition of one’s contribution to society. Antipoverty strategies must take into account this broader definition of poverty and address all dimensions simultaneously.
- – The meaningful participation of people in poverty — eradicating extreme poverty, requires the expertise and knowledge of people who are directly affected by it. To ensure genuine participation in deliberative processes, it is essential to provide tools that account for power imbalances and varying levels of influence among the parties. The IDEEP tool is a response to this challenge.
- – The right to legal identity — the authors of the position paper have remarked that there is no mention of this fundamental right for each human being. Yet, it affects an estimated 850 million people, including more than 200 million children under 5 years old. The document calls foruniversal birth registration by 2030 and for all governments of the world to guarantee that every human being in their territories has the right to a legal identity.
From rhetoric and symbolism to meaningful participation
As part of the World Social Summit, the International Movement ATD Fourth World, in partnership with the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), also organized a webinar on November 5 entitled:
“Beyond symbolism and rhetoric: ensuring meaningful participation and partnerships with the most marginalized populations.”
This side event aimed to promote the IDEEP tool, developed to help institutions and public authorities ensure the participation of people with experience of poverty in the decisions that affect them. Roberto Bissio, member of the International Committee for October 17 and Coordinator of the International Secretariat of Social Watch, moderated the webinar.
The panel featured Asha Athumani Mohamed, an ATD Fourth World Activist from Tanzania, and a participant in the Hidden Dimensions of Poverty research project; Beatriz Monje, ATD Fourth World’s IDEEP Program Coordinator; and Xavier Godinot, Coordinator of Research on the Hidden Dimensions of Poverty and co-creator of the IDEEP tool. Gabriele Koehler, a Development Economist and Senior Researcher at UNRISD, also spoke on the panel. Although unable to attend the webinar, Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, contributed via a video in which he described the development of the IDEEP tool in collaboration with ATD. He also emphasized its importance in ensuring strong participation in the design, implementation, and assessment of projects and policies that affect people in poverty.
A call to action
Despite many years of international efforts, extreme poverty persists, and progress remains insufficient. Too often, public policies fail because they exclude the voices of people who live in persistent poverty. Their lack of participation in decisions that concern them leads to unsatisfactory outcomes. The adoption of the IDEEP tool would help address this shortcoming, as all the speakers reaffirmed.
Asha Athumani stated that people living in poverty are fully aware of the causes of poverty and its impact on their lives. She stressed the need to directly involve people with firsthand knowledge of poverty in the search for solutions. Asha Athumani added that although people often lack self-confidence due to limited education, active participation helps restore their confidence and recognize their capacity to contribute to policy development at both national and international levels.
In conclusion, the work to overcome poverty requires addressing it in all its dimensions. In this context, the speakers recalled the findings in the Hidden Dimensions of Poverty research, which highlight several often-overlooked dimensions, including discrimination, institutional and social maltreatment, and long-term disempowerment.
ATD Fourth World and UNRISD emphasized the importance of using the IDEEP tool effectively to ensure that input from people in poverty is included in all United Nations monitoring and assessment systems. In particular, they highlighted IDEEP’s relevance in Universal Periodic Reviews and reports submitted by Member States on progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. The tool could also be applied to discussions and projects relating to poverty eradication at the local or national level.