World Day of Social Justice
February 20, 2025
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World Day of Social Justice was initiated by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2007 to encourage support for international efforts in poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment, gender equity and justice for all. The 2025 theme, "Empowering Inclusion: Bridging Gaps for Social Justice," underscores the importance of inclusive policies, lifelong learning, and social protections to combat systemic inequality. Placing social justice at the centre of international, national and regional policy agendas is crucial to achieving this goal.
Students and teachers are encouraged to think about social justice issues and consider how gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, sexuality, disability and economic status create barriers and privileges that impact our community.

Why Care About Social Justice:
- Social justice is an underlying principle for the peaceful and prosperous coexistence of all, yet poverty, inequality & conflict within and among nations continue to grow.
- Over 60 per cent of all workers lack any kind of employment contract. (UN)
- By 2019, more than 212 million people were out of work, up from 201 million in previous years. (UN)
- Close to 2.4 billion women of working age aren’t getting equal economic opportunities and 95 countries don’t ensure equal pay for equal work. (World Bank 2022)
- Fewer than 45 per cent of wage and salaried workers are employed on a full-time, permanent basis, and even that share is declining.
- Over 1.5 million children under the age of 5 die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases. (WHO)
- The tuberculosis rate among Canada’s First Nations ranges from 10 to 30 times
- Universality, which ensures everyone has access to all the healthcare they need without financial hardship, is one of the most urgent social justice issues. (WHO 2022)
- There are currently more than 800 million people who do not have access to safe drinking water. (UNESCO)
- Eighty-two million girls now aged 10 to 17 will be married before their 18th birthday (UNFP).
- Currently armed forces in 20 countries are recruiting child soldiers under the age of 18. (Child Soldiers International)
- Stereotyping based on preconceived notions and generalizations causing prejudice and discrimination towards marginalized groups and individuals has become a pervasive social justice issue. It influences how we perceive people, often leading to unfair treatment and unequal opportunities.
- Indigenous people continue to face systemic discrimination and over-representation in the criminal justice system. (Canada.ca)
- The tuberculosis rate among Canada’s First Nations ranges from 10 to 30 times higher than that of the population as a whole. (CBC)
- The environmental and health consequences of climate change disproportionately affect low-income countries and poor people in high-income countries.
Resources 4 Rethinking encourages students and teachers to participate in World Day of Social Justice. Top R4R Picks will connect you to some excellent resources to support these efforts.
For More Information visit World Day of Social Justice.