Every year on February 20, the United Nations (UN) observes World Social Justice Day. This day emphasizes the significance of social justice, which includes efforts to eradicate poverty, ensure full employment, and promote social inclusion. Various organizations, including the UN and the International Labour Organization (ILO), share their ideas and strategies to advance social justice on this day. The theme for 2025 is “Empowering Inclusion: Bridging the Gap for Social Justice.”
While World Social Justice Day is not a public holiday, it is recognized globally and was first celebrated in 2009. The World Social Development Summit, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1995, focused on addressing poverty and striving for full employment. This summit resulted in the adoption of the Copenhagen Declaration and Action Plan.
In 2005, UN member countries reviewed the declaration in New York and reaffirmed their dedication to promoting social development. As a result, on November 26, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated February 20 as the annual “World Day of Social Justice.” The day has been consistently observed since 2009.
The International Labour Organization (ILO), established on October 29, 1919, is the first specialized agency of the United Nations. On June 10, 2008, during its International Labour Conference, the ILO adopted the “ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalisation,” which further reinforced the purpose of this day.
This ILO initiative draws inspiration from the Philadelphia Declaration of 1944 and the Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work from 1998. The 2008 Declaration updates the ILO’s mission in the context of globalization and the free market economy.
The primary goal of social justice is to create inclusive societies that prioritize equality, unity, and inclusion. On Social Justice Day, governments and organizations are urged to take meaningful actions to tackle issues like poverty, social and economic exclusion, and unemployment.
Since 2008, the global employment growth rate has been a mere 0.1%, compared to 0.9% from 2000 to 2007.
Over 60% of workers lack a formal employment contract.
Fewer than 45% of salaried and wage workers hold permanent full-time positions.
As of 2019, more than 212 million individuals were unemployed.
By 2030, an estimated 600 million new jobs will be necessary to support the increasing working-age population.
World Day of Social Justice 2025 Theme
The theme for 2025 is “Empowering Inclusion: Bridging the Gap for Social Justice.” This theme emphasizes the importance of inclusiveness, ensuring that no one faces discrimination based on caste, gender, religion, physical ability, or social background.
World Social Justice Day 2025 serves as a crucial reminder that social justice should be more than just an ideal; it must be a tangible reality. The day motivates us to strive for a society that is inclusive, just, and rooted in equality. The essence of social justice will remain unfulfilled unless every individual enjoys equal rights and opportunities.
Explore World Day of Social Justice 2025 theme, quotes, images, messages, posters, banners, and captions for awareness and advocacy.
Best World Day of Social Justice Quotes, Images and Messages
“Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create.” – Pope John Paul II
“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, neither persons nor property will be safe.” – Frederick Douglass
“If you want peace, work for justice.” – Pope Paul VI
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Until we are all free, we are none of us free.” – Emma Lazarus
“It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity, it is an act of justice.” – Nelson Mandela
“We must speak up for those who have no voice.” – Malala Yousafzai
“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Best Posters, Banners and Captions
“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” – Malala Yousafzai
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Desmond Tutu
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
“A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” – Nelson Mandela
“History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children.” – Nelson Mandela
“Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.” – Maggie Kuhn
“Change is never easy, but always possible.” – Barack Obama
“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.” – Nelson Mandela
“A just society is that society in which ascending sense of reverence and descending sense of contempt is dissolved into the creation of a compassionate world.” – B.R. Ambedkar
