64TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Interactive Dialogue with the United Nations System
Theme:
United for Inclusion: Leveraging the UN System for Transformative Social Development
Video Statement
By
Mr. Claver Gatete
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and
Executive Secretary of ECA
New York, USA
2-10 February, 2026
Excellencies,
Distinguished Colleagues,
I am pleased to address you through this video message under the theme: “united for inclusion: leveraging the United Nations system for transformative social development.”
We meet at a time when the world is asking a difficult but necessary question:
How do we build societies that are not only wealthier, but more inclusive and treated with fairness?
Across regions, familiar fault lines from poverty, widening inequality, fragile labour markets, deepening digital divides to the accelerating impacts of climate change and conflict, are straining social cohesion and slowing progress.
It is precisely for this reason that the Doha Political Declaration of the Second World Summit for Social Development reaffirmed a simple truth: social development and social justice demand coordinated, equitable and inclusive policies – backed by delivery.
Declarations by themselves do not change lives.
Implementation, integration and impact do.
This is especially urgent for Africa, where structural constraints remain despite resilience and progress.
Most jobs remain informal.
Youth unemployment is high.
Gender gaps remain high and participation and access to finance remain constrained.
Moreover, climate shocks increasingly threaten livelihoods and social stability.
If current trends continue, many countries will struggle to fully achieve the SDGs by 2030.
But there is reason for optimism.
Allow me, therefore, to outline three integrated priorities to deliver real change.
First, we must transition from informality to decent work through skills acquisition, digitalization and policy coherence.
Informality continues to trap millions, especially women and young people, in low paying jobs with limited protection.
At the same time, digitalization and artificial intelligence are reshaping the future of work, creating new possibilities, while also widening skills gaps.
It is therefore imperative that we equip our people to seize these opportunities.
In this regard, ECA is supporting countries to upgrade skills, expand technical and vocational education, strengthen labour-market data and better align education systems with market demand.
But this requires deliberate action: policies must be aligned across education, employment and social protection, and investments must be guided by data that reaches rural communities, women and fragile contexts, not only urban elites.
Second, we must build resilient societies by integrating social protection, health, education and sustainable financing.
While coverage has expanded, Africa’s social protection systems remain fragmented and underfunded.
Informal workers, persons with disabilities, and climate-vulnerable communities are too often left behind.
Our societies cannot remain stable when protection is partial and opportunity uneven.
In response to these, ECA is working with Member States to scale shock-responsive, digitally enabled social protection, strengthen universal health coverage and reform education systems for future-ready skills.
Additionally, resilience demands stronger institutions and sustainable financing.
As such, we must mobilize domestic resources, leverage remittances and blended finance, and build robust data systems that ensure accountability.
Third, we must turn Africa’s youth bulge into a demographic dividend through jobs, inclusion and regional coherence.
It requires sustained investment in human capital, accelerated job creation in green and digital economies, and genuine access to finance and skills, especially for young women and the vulnerable.
Equally important, national efforts must be reinforced by regional action.
Through platforms such as the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, ECA is strengthening peer learning, regional follow-up and a common African voice in global processes.
This is essential to ensure that youth employment, inclusion and skills development are aligned with both regional priorities and global commitments.
Excellencies,
The Doha Declaration gives us a roadmap. But delivery is what ultimately matters.
Africa is ready to do its part.
At ECA, we stand ready to work with Member States, the UN system and all partners to turn this new social compact into tangible progress – for Africa, and for the world.
I thank you.