Li Zou, an ICSD individual member whose institution, the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, is also an institutional member of ICSD, joined the ICSD delegation at the 64th session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development (CSocD64) in New York in February 2026. For this newsletter, she has brought together her reflections on ICSD’s participation, the Civil Society Forum, and the broader significance of civil society engagement in moving the Doha agenda toward implementation.
I had the honour of representing ICSD at the 64th session of the Commission for Social Development. The session took place at a pivotal moment, just three months after world leaders adopted the Doha Political Declaration at the Second World Summit for Social Development in November 2025. Against this backdrop, discussions at CSocD64 focused on a central question: How can we translate ambitious global commitments into coordinated and concrete action?
For me, one of the highlights of the week was ICSD’s inaugural side event, which brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers for dialogue on cross-sector collaboration and integrated approaches to implementing the Doha Declaration. The conversations reinforced my conviction that social protection, financial inclusion, and asset building can serve as mutually reinforcing pillars of sustainable development.
In addition, I was honoured to moderate the opening panel of the Civil Society Forum on February 6, 2026, at UN Headquarters. The Forum convened as delegates to CSocD64 considered pathways for advancing social development and social justice through coordinated, equitable, and inclusive policies. In opening the discussion, I emphasised the need to translate Doha’s global promises into concrete, coordinated action. The panel brought together Lok Bahadur Thapa, president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, deputy permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations and chair of the Bureau of the Commission for Social Development; Bjørg Sandkjær, assistant secretary-general for policy coordination at ECOSOC ; and Gillian D’Souza-Nazareth, chair of the United Nations NGO Committee for Social Development.
The discussion underscored the essential role of civil society organisations in moving from commitments to implementation. As ECOSOC President Thapa noted, civil society can serve as “the bridge between global advocacy and local outcomes.” Moderating this panel reinforced for me the importance of the Civil Society Forum as a space where grassroots perspectives meet global policy frameworks.
Across CSocD64, ICSD’s participation pointed to important opportunities for strengthening the organisation’s contribution to global social development debates. ICSD brings together evidence-based research, interdisciplinary knowledge, and networks of scholars, practitioners, institutions, and students. As implementation of the Doha Declaration moves forward, ICSD is well positioned to support dialogue that links policy commitments with local practice and community-level experience.
Reflecting on the session, I came away with a renewed sense of the importance of civil society organisations such as ICSD in helping to move from words to action. ICSD’s participation at CSocD64 highlighted not only its growing presence in UN spaces, but also the wider importance of civil society partnerships in shaping a more coordinated, inclusive, and accountable implementation agenda.
Li Zou, International Director at the Center for Social Development, Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, and ICSD member.