February 20, 2020: World Day of Social Justice
The United Nations World Day of Social Justice is observed annually to encourage people to look at how social justice affects the eradication of poverty. It also focuses on the goal of achieving full employment and support for social integration. The theme for 2020 is “Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice.”
According to the United Nations, by 2019, more than 212 million people worldwide were out of work, up from 210 million in prior years. 600 million new jobs need to be created by 2030 just to keep pace with the growth of the population of working age.
The United Nations states, “Social justice is an underlying principal for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principals of social justice when we promote gender equality, or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.”
The United Nations General Assembly declared in 2007 that February 20 will be celebrated annually as World Day of Social Justice. International Days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems.
