The purpose of the day is to enforce equal rights and opportunities within a nation and between nations.
The UN defines social justice as including the issues of poverty, unemployment and unfair exclusion that result in social harm. By definition, unfair exclusion involves prejudicial treatment based on gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.
2019’s theme is ‘If you want peace and development, work for social justice,’ which focuses on job creation, better quality jobs, and better access to jobs for the bottom 40 per cent.
In 1995, the World Summit for Social Development was held in Copenhagen, Denmark and resulted in the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action.
Nearly 10 years later, the UN's member states reviewed the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action and subsequently agreed to commit to advance social development. Thus, World Day of Social Justice was born.
Many schools, colleges and universities around the world organise activities and events to raise awareness of the various issues surrounding World Day of Social Justice.
To learn more about World Day of Social Justice, including how you can get involved, you can visit the United Nations’ website.