Today marks the fifth annual observance of World Day of Social Justice, an opportunity for the international community to collectively recognize the ongoing need for social development and social justice amid rising inequality in the world. By establishing a day devoted to the promotion of social justice, the United Nations created a platform to “support efforts of the international community in poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.” [UN]
World Day of Social Justice
In 2007, the UN General Assembly declared February 20 the annual World Day of Social Justice, inviting all UN Member States to promote national activities that further equality and shared prosperity in keeping with the goals and objectives of the 1995 World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly, held in 2000. UN G.A. Res. 62/10, World Day of Social Justice, A/RES/62/10, 26 November 2007, paras. 5-6.
The 1995 World Summit for Social Development resulted in the adoption of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, a progressive set of goals for the eradication of profound social problems such as poverty, unemployment and social exclusion. UN, Report of the World Summit for Social Development, UN Doc. A/CONF.166/9, 19 April 1995. In 2000, the UN General Assembly evaluated the outcomes from the World Summit for Social Development and agreed on additional initiatives to reduce poverty and unemployment, including with regard to the role of international financial and trade institutions. [DESA]
Each year on World Day of Social Justice, the international community has an opportunity to commemorate these accomplishments and promote collective action to achieve social development and social justice objectives. The UN sees this commemorative day as a reflection of an ongoing commitment within the United Nations system to support organizations and programs dedicated to these ideals. For the UN, the “pursuit of social justice for all is at the core of [its] global mission to promote development and human dignity.” [UN]
Social Justice Worldwide
Social justice is defined as the realization of “equality of rights for all peoples and the possibility for all human beings without discrimination, to benefit from economic and social progress everywhere.” ILO, The International Labor Organization and Social Justice (2011). A report by the UN Department of Economic & Social Affairs (DESA) explains the international framework for measuring social justice and the important roles of human rights. See DESA, The International Forum for Social Development: Social Justice in an Open World – The Role of the United Nations (2006).
At the international level, the most widely-recognized indicators related to development may be the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), although they do not specifically address social and economic inequality within societies. As the 2015 deadline for achieving the MDGs approaches, the international community’s focus has turned to the post-2015 development agenda, which increasingly includes discussion of fostering equality and social inclusion. [UN; OHCHR] See Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights & Center for Economic and Social Rights, Who Will Be Accountable?: Human Rights and the Post-2015 Development Agenda (2013).
Although a number of institutions work on issues related to the achievement of social justice, the International Labor Organization (ILO) has taken a particularly active role in this area. See ILO, The International Labor Organization and Social Justice (2011). The ILO, a specialized UN agency, is committed to “promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, pursuing its founding mission that labour peace is essential to prosperity.” [ILO] The adoption of the Declaration on Social Justice for Fair Globalization in 2008 reaffirms its dedication to achieving these aims. ILO, Declaration on Social Justice for Fair Globalization (adopted by the International Labour Conference on 10 June 2008), Preamble.
The continuing harm caused by poverty, gender inequality, unemployment, social exclusion and many other critical problems demonstrates the need for international commitment to social justice and social development. UN G.A. Res. 62/10, World Day of Social Justice, A/RES/62/10, 26 November 2007, paras. 3-4. DESA reviews the global state of social justice in its recent publication, Inequality Matters: Report on the World Social Situation 2013 (2013). See also UN Development Programme, Humanity Divided: Confronting Inequality in Developing Countries (2013).