Delivered by: Ms. Fatema Yousuf Acting Deputy Permanent Representative New York 11 February 2025
Madam President,
At the outset, please allow me to express the United Arab Emirates’ appreciation for the valuable efforts of Poland, the Chair of the Committee for Social Development, for ensuring a successful outcome of this year’s session.
There is no doubt that this year’s theme, which focuses on strengthening solidarity and supporting inclusion and social cohesion in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, could not be more relevant in light of the complex challenges facing our world today, from growing inequalities and persistent poverty to the devastating impacts of climate change. To face this reality, we must continue our inclusive development efforts and draw from national experiences in achieving social development at the national and international levels. In this regard, I am pleased to share the following recommendations:
First, we need to develop effective policies that promote inclusion and social cohesion as a basis for achieving sustainable development. In this regard, the UAE modified the mandate of its Ministry of Community Empowerment to strengthen the empowerment and social support system through improving access to social services and expanding their scope to include the whole society. The Ministry of Family was also established to advance community stability through supporting families, enhancing parenting skills, and achieving work-life balance. The declaration of 2025 as the “Year of the Community” in the UAE is call from His Highness, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to build “Hand in Hand” a cohesive and prosperous society, and strengthen ties within families and society through enhancing relationships between generations and enshrining collaboration and sense of community.
Second, we must encourage the building of strong and sustainable cooperatives. The cooperatives sector plays an important and positive role in developing national economies, creating job opportunities, empowering marginalized communities, and supporting sustainable development. In this regard, we welcome the General Assembly’s adoption of 2025 as the “International Year of Cooperatives”. The UAE attaches special importance to developing this sector through supporting innovation and advancing economic and social empowerment of individuals. As part of the UAE Centennial Plan 2071, a plan was developed to increase the share of the cooperatives sector in the non-oil GDP to 5% by the year 2031.
Third, we need to strengthen international cooperation on social development. This includes expanding the scope of partnerships aimed at achieving fair and sustainable development for all. For example, as one of the UAE’s initiatives to support inclusive development efforts for the benefit of individuals and communities, the UAE partnered with UNDP to launch the AI4SD platform. AI4SD provides open-source AI models, datasets, and training resources that enable collaboration and the exchange of ideas on achieving the SDGs related to inequality, poverty, social cohesion, climate action, environmental protection, water resource management, sustainable energy, and food security.
Finally, the UAE stresses that building strong, inclusive, and socially cohesive communities requires the continued support of women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation at all levels. This includes empowering youth and increasing their role in building societies. It also requires promoting the values of coexistence and tolerance, as emphasized in Security Council Resolution 2686 on Tolerance, Peace, and Security. This resolution was co-penned by the UAE during its term in the Security Council, and in line with the UAE’s vision that tolerance and peace are key pillars of sustainable development.
In conclusion, Madam President, the UAE looks forward to participating in the Second World Summit for Social Development, to be held next November, which will focus on bridging the gap in implementing the principles of Copenhagen Declaration and its Programme of Action on Social Development. We hope this summit will provide an opportunity to evaluate the current approach, advance the implementation of our commitments, and strengthen international cooperation strategies in tackling common challenges.
Thank you, Madam President.