Kathmandu: Ambassador Md. Golam Sarwar, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), participated in the Second World Summit for Social Development, held from 4–6 November 2025 in Doha, Qatar.
The World Social Summit 2025 brought together over 8,000 participants, including Heads of State, UN representatives, civil society members, academia, private sector leaders, and youth delegates.
Secretary General Sarwar delivered a statement at the high-level Round Table discussion titled “Assessing progress and addressing gaps and challenges in the implementation of the commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and its Program of Action and giving momentum towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
In his remarks, he highlighted SAARC’s Plan of Action on the 2030 Agenda, which aligns regional priorities with global goals. He emphasized the role of SAARC’s specialized Centres and Working Groups in promoting data sharing, policy dialogue, and capacity building among Member States. He also underlined SAARC’s close collaboration with UN agencies, including UNDP, FAO, WHO, UNFPA, and UNICEF, to advance evidence-based policymaking and strengthen regional cooperation mechanisms.
Secretary General Sarwar stated, “The people of South Asia—one-fourth of humanity—stand united in this vision. Through SAARC, we reaffirm our determination to build a region where every child is nourished, every adolescent is empowered, every woman is respected, and every individual can live with equality and hope.”
On the sidelines of the Summit, the Secretary General is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the Heads of Delegation from UNICEF and Plan International Asia Pacific.
