Podcast alkire tomei 4rd cut.mp3

Social development: progress made and promises to be fulfilled. With Sabina Alkire and Manuela Tomei

ILO at the Second World Summit for Social Development 2025

Second World Summit for Social Development

Eradicating poverty effectively: concise, strategic data to tackle the greatest global challenge

UN CDP Policy Brief - Author: Sabina Alkire (2025)

The global Multidimensional Poverty Index

Ahead of the World Summit for Social Development, the ILO is launching a special podcast series. In this first episode, Sabina Alkire of Oxford University and ILO’s Manuela Tomei discuss progress and gaps since the 1995 commitment to advance social development for all.

Sabina Alkire

Sabina Alkire is the Professor of Poverty and Human Development and directs the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford.

Manuela Tomei

Manuela Tomei, Assistant Director-General for Governance, Right and Dialogue at the ILO. 

Zeina Awad

Zeina Awad is the Head of News and Media in the ILO's Department of Communication.

This is the first episode in the ILO’s special podcast series ahead of the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) in Doha, Qatar. We explore the state of social development since the first World Summit for Social Development was held in 1995 in Copenhagen. At the time, global leaders committed to eradicating poverty, promoting full and productive employment, and fostering social inclusion. 

Oxford University professor Sabina Alkire and ILO Assistant Director-General for Governance, Rights and Dialogue, Manuela Tomei, assess what has been achieved, what still needs to be done, and what the Summit in Doha must deliver to close persistent gaps and fulfil the commitments made three decades ago.

Social development: progress made and promises to be fulfilled

FoW Podcast  employment and social trends EN MASTER.mp3

Employment and Social Trends 2026 report 

In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, we unpack the ILO’s new Employment and Social Trends 2026 report with its lead author, Stefan Kühn, and ILO trade expert Marva Corley. Together, they explore why labour markets look stable yet remain fragile – and what this means for job quality, inequality, and the future of work.

Marva Corley-Coulibaly

Marva Corley-Coulibaly is a Senior economist at the ILO and Chief of its Globalization, Competitiveness and Labour Standards Unit in the Research Department.

Stefan Kühn

Stefan Kühn is a Senior economist in the ILO’s Research department.

Ibon Villelabeitia

Ibon Villelabeitia is a Communication and Public Information Officer at the ILO in Geneva.

As global labour markets navigate technological change, demographic shifts, and rising uncertainty, the ILO’s new Employment and Social Trends 2026 report offers a clear look at the current state and future prospects of work. 

In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, report author Stefan Kühn and ILO trade expert Marva Corley explain why labour-market stability remains fragile despite steady unemployment. They discuss stalled progress on job quality, persistent inequalities, youth employment pressures and shifting trade dynamics, and explore how coordinated action and stronger institutions can advance decent work and social justice in a rapidly changing world.

Global employment in 2026: A fragile stability

2025 podcast WSSD closing 1.mp3

Social Summit for Development: What It Means for the World of Work

Doha: World Summit opens with pledge to speed social progress 

The Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI)

World Summit for Social Development 1995, Copenhagen, Denmark

This episode of the ILO Future of Work’s special series on the Second World Summit for Social Development examines the implications of the Summit’s renewed commitment to eradicating poverty, promoting decent work, and social inclusion, on the world work, with guests Juan Somavia, Sabina Alkire and Manuela Tomei.

Juan Somavia

Juan Somavia is a Chilean diplomat and former Director-General of the ILO from 1999 to 2012. He was the Permanent Representative of Chile to the UN and President of the Preparatory Committee of the Copenhagen Summit.

Isabel Piquer

Isabel Piquer is a Communication and Public Information Officer at the ILO in Geneva and a former journalist.

In this final episode of the ILO Future of Work’s special series on the Second World Summit for Social Development podcast, we explore the outcomes of this landmark global meeting Doha in November 2025, and their implications on social justice and the world of work. 

The episode features insights from Juan Somavia, former ILO Director-General; Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative; and Manuela Tomei, ILO Assistant Director-General of the ILO.

Social Summit for Development: What it means for the world of work

WSSD Claire Courteille  ENGLISH .mp3

Can the World Summit for Social Development in Doha revive global social justice?

In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, the ILO's Claire Courteille-Mulder explains why the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha matters, and what’s at stake for social development, multilateralism, and the ILO’s mission to advance social justice.

Claire Courteille-Mulder

Claire Courteille-Mulder is a Senior Adviser on the Second World Summit for Social Development in the ILO's Partnerships department.

Thirty years after the first World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, the second World Social Summit in Doha will bring together global leaders to redefine how we think about progress, equity, and cooperation. 

In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, Claire Courteille-Mulder, Senior Adviser in the ILO’s Partnerships department, discusses why this Summit comes at such a critical moment, what it means for global cooperation and social development, and how the ILO, through its mandate to promote social justice and decent work, is helping to shape the conversation and drive real action.

Can the Doha Summit revive global social justice?

FoW Podcast - Social justice report EN v.1.mp3

In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, ILO Research and Publications Director Caroline Fredrickson explains what the ILO’s new report on social justice reveals about global progress, the challenges that remain, and how leaders can build fairer and more resilient societies.

Caroline Fredrickson

Caroline Fredrickson is the Director of the Research and Publications department at the International Labour Organization.

Ahead of the 2nd World Summit for Social Development in Doha this November, the ILO’s flagship report "The State of Social Justice 2025" gives the most complete picture yet of progress in reducing poverty, child labour and inequality — and where advances have slowed.

In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ILO’s Research and Publications department, highlights the report’s key findings, the challenges that remain, and why advancing social justice is essential for both fairness and stronger, more resilient economies.

How advancing social justice can shape the future of work

FoW Podcast -  Paternity leave EN.mp3

Closing the gender gap in paid parental leaves: Better parental leaves for a more caring world of work

Resolution concerning decent work and the care economy

Follow-up to the resolution concerning decent work and the care economy

The impact of care responsibilities on women’s labour force participation

The benefits of investing in transformative childcare policy packages towards gender equality and social justice

Employment-intensive investments for advancing decent work in the care economy

Investing in Care Leave and Services for a More Gender Equal World of Work 

Companion Regional Report for the Middle East and North Africa

Extending Social Protection to migrant workers and their families in the South Asia-Gulf Corridor

In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, the ILO’s Laura Addati and Omani representative Khadija Al Mawali explain the impact of the parental leave gap between mothers and fathers, and show how Oman is bridging that gap.

Laura Addati

Laura Addati is a Maternity Protection and Work Family Specialist in the Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Branch (GEDI) of the ILO Conditions of Work and Equality Department. 

Khadija Al Mawali

Khadija Nasser Ali Al Mawali is an Employment security and leave insurance specialist in the Pension Directorate at the Social Protection Fund of the Sultanate of Oman. 

Khadija Youssouf-Diallo

Khadija Youssouf-Diallo is a Communication and Public Information Officer at the ILO.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the ILO Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183), the ILO has published a new report, "Closing the Gender Gap in Paid Parental Leaves", which reveals that globally, women receive an average of five months more paid parental leave than men. Closing this gap is critical for achieving gender equality in the workplace, ensuring both parents share caregiving responsibilities at home and maximizing productivity at work.

This episode of the ILO’s Future of Work podcast analyses the impact of the parental leave gap on various regions of the world. It also explores Oman’s pioneering role in addressing this gap through the first-ever paternity leave entitlement in the Arab States and the adoption of an innovative financing model to support paternity leave for all. ILO maternity protection expert Laura Addati and Omani government representative Khadija Al Mawali unpack what this means for families, workplaces and societies, and why fairer parental leave policies can lead to more productive and inclusive economies worldwide.

Why paternity leave matters: lessons from Oman and beyond

FoW Podcast Europe ageing demographics EN V1.mp3

Demographic change in Europe and Central Asia: Addressing the issue of a shrinking and ageing labour force

1 October - International Day of Older Persons

In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, ILO economists Sabrina de Gobbi and Stefan Kühn explore what a shrinking European labour force means for the future of work, and the policies that can help labour markets adapt.

Maria Sabrina de Gobbi

Maria Sabrina de Gobbi is a Senior economist in the ILO's Regional office for Europe and Central Asia.

Sandra Kuchen

Sandra Kuchen is a Multimedia communication and publication information officer in the ILO's Department of Communication. 

By 2050, Europe and Central Asia will have around 10 million fewer workers, as populations age, fertility rates stay low, and fewer young people enter the labour market. What will this demographic shift mean for economies, labour markets, and societies?

In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, ILO economists Sabrina de Gobbi and Stefan Kühn — co-authors of a new working paper on Europe’s ageing workforce — unpack the scale of the challenge and the policies that can make a difference. From empowering women, young people, persons with disabilities, and migrants, to encouraging older workers to stay active longer, they explore how the right investments in care systems, lifelong learning, and inclusive labour markets can help Europe adapt to demographic change in ways that are both sustainable and fair.

Insights and ideas shaping the future of work

The Future of Work Podcast

Social development: progress made and promises to be fulfilled

Global employment in 2026: A fragile stability

Social Summit for Development: What it means for the world of work

Can the Doha Summit revive global social justice?

How advancing social justice can shape the future of work

Why paternity leave matters: lessons from Oman and beyond

How Europe can adapt to an ageing population

Social development: progress made and promises to be fulfilled

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ILO at the Second World Summit for Social Development 2025

Second World Summit for Social Development

Eradicating poverty effectively: concise, strategic data to tackle the greatest global challenge

The global Multidimensional Poverty Index