World Day of Social Justice

Poverty, social exclusion and unemployment — World Day of Social Justice is an opportunity to promote action to reduce them. What steps can we take today to support social justice?

The idea of promoting efforts to reduce poverty, social exclusion and unemployment is more evident today than it was three decades ago, when World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen Key development goals were discussed. Thanks to numerous resolutions and the support of these values, including by the European Union, our perspective on social justice has evolved, which is reflected in the policies that pursue it.

However, despite these ambitious assumptions, there are still many unresolved problems related to economic inequality, labour market and social exclusion. World Day of Social Justice is therefore a good opportunity to reflect on why it is worth celebrating and what actions can contribute to building a more just society.

World Day of Social Justice

United Nations General Assembly In 2007, it unanimously adopted a resolution establishing February 20 as World Day of Social Justice. The United Nations has confirmed that the day should be dedicated Promoting action at national level, consistent with the objectives World Summit for Social Development and 24th Session of the General Assembly, held under the slogan: The World Summit for Social Development and the years ahead: achieving social development for all people in the world in the age of globalization.

World Day of Social Justice: History, Significance and Challenges in the Context of History

The development goals discussed at the United Nations in 2007 have their origins in the 1995 resolutions during the World Summit for Social Development, during which the foundations of social justice were laid. The development goals that were set at that time were: justice, social integration, solidarity, harmony and equality in every country and in interstate relations. At that time, social justice and equality were recognized as essential values of any society, which were to form the basis of the functioning of the community. During that period, States committed themselves to creating framework action plans to promote social justice at national, regional and international levels. How it was supposed to go implementation of the principle of social justice? For example, through the promotion of equality, the equitable distribution of national income and greater access to resources and resources. The realization of social justice was to strive to eliminate the phenomena of social exclusion, inequality, poverty.

An important aspect of the UN General Assembly was the concept of economic growth, which many of us associate with financial and material profit, production and capitalist development. However, the debate highlighted the important issue of growth: development should not only promote social justice, but also Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. In other words, development that is based only on materially conceived notions will be anti-development and a negation of everything that democratic societies strive for. The concept developed at the UN General Assembly was to “further consolidate the efforts of the international community to eradicate poverty, promote full employment and fair work, equality between men and women, and social well-being and justice for all people.

In 2000, the United Nations recognized Elimination of extreme poverty and hunger as a key target among the eight The Millennium Development Goals. It soon became a priority. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At that time, UN experts adopted an optimistic assumption that by 2030 the problem of hunger will be completely eliminated. Everyone, even in the poorest regions of the world, should be provided with adequate food.

Thanks to the actions taken The global poverty rate has fallen by 35%, but remains a major challenge. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed this positive trend. In 2000, the world hunger rate was 28.2, which meant a serious situation; now it has fallen to 18.2, which indicates some improvement. The greatest difficulties in combating hunger are in countries with slow economic growth rates and deep income inequalities.

What does World Social Justice Day remind us of?

February 20 is above all a day that is an opportunity to look at how we understand concepts. What is social justice for us today, the protection of social rights, human rights and how do we perceive a just world? For lofty slogans are not enough for us if we do not understand them and do not know how to act in favor of these assumptions.

The development of the idea of social justice dates back to antiquity, which we can read about, for example, in The State Plato, or Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle, both works show the importance of a fair distribution of goods and duties in society, but much closer associations will certainly be those related to the events of the 20th century, which caused much of social justice to change with its institutionalization. Starting from the creation International Labour Organization (ILO), which, as an organization, was engaged in the protection of the rights of workers (1919)by creating a fundamental document which is Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) to arise War Crimes Settlement Process after World War II (Nuremberg Trials convicting Nazis in 1945-46).

Today, the topic of social justice is associated mainly with actions European Unionwhich from the very beginning was guided the idea of peace, reconciliation, democracy, the rule of law, freedom, human rights, equality, social justice and solidarity. The Union has put in place a number of actions that are based on these values and aim to integrate Member States that share similar ideas. The European Union contains many documents and legal acts in its policies, which refer, for example, to economic issues related to social justice. Such documents are, for example: Treaty on European Union (TEU)which underlines the EU's commitment to”a highly competitive social market economy aiming at full employment and social progress” and Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU guaranteeing social rights, including the right to decent work, equality, social protection and education.

World Day of Social Justice reminds us that economic development should not jeopardize overriding values such as respect for human dignity, equality, justice and the law. These concepts refer to market regulation, healthy working environment, employee welfare, occupational safety and securitywhich constitute pillars of a healthy, modern society.

Message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the occasion of the World Day of Social Justice on 20 February 2010

During the celebration of the World Day of Social Justice in 2010, the Secretary-General of the United Nations referred to The Global Financial Crisis (2007-2010) which has affected most countries and has resulted in: high unemployment, indebtedness of some countries in the euro area, increased social inequality. His message was related to the promotion of values that counteract the deepening of these phenomena.

Why We Celebrate World Social Justice Day

Social justice is not just an abstract idea enshrined in acts, documents and resolutions - It is a need that comes from people; it is justified by various fields of science such as philosophy, psychology and sociology. The need for normative and regulatory structures for human relations and the need to create laws is the result of the fact that as human beings we are dependent on each other and the importance of social justice is of great value to us. We all want to have decent working conditions and to be aware that if our rights are violated, we can apply to the appropriate institution that will protect us and fight for justice. Celebrating Social Justice Day, we also fight for gender equality, the fight against unemployment, poverty and social security.

It is worth adding that the need for social justice arises both from psychological conditioning (neurobiology shows us today that the brain, together with its reward system, feels satisfaction from feeling fair treatment) and from moral beliefs that have been formed for centuries within the framework of the development of society.

How can you get involved in the World Day of Social Justice?

20 February is an occasion for both symbolic and practical celebration of the Day of Social Justice. We can both focus on analyzing what we currently have in law and how it shapes our social lives, and actively engage in actions to promote social justice.

Article 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland

The Republic of Poland is a democratic state with the rule of law, implementing the principles of social justice.

Bearing in mind that social justice is enshrined in our Constitution, we may feel obliged to act for its protection and promotion. Examples of actions for the protection of social rights and social inclusion are, for example, inclusion in professional activation programs (co-financing of courses, traineeships and training for the long-term unemployed), support Equal Opportunity Policy (action for gender equality, adaptation of workplaces for people with disabilities and prevention of discrimination), developing access to care and health benefits, whether support construction of social housing in times of housing crisis.

summary

The World Day of Social Justice, celebrated on 20 February, reminds us of the need to take action to reduce poverty, social exclusion and unemployment. Despite progress in these areas, there are still many unresolved issues, making this day an opportunity to reflect on the next steps in building a more just society.

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