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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. This year’s theme, "strengthening a just transition for a sustainable future " weaves together, social justice and environmental sustainability in an effort to make sure that our move toward low-carbon economies benefits everyone.  It will require that decarbonization and economic transformation be guided by policies that fight poverty, reduce inequality and provide opportunities for all. 

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.
• Currently, the economic, environmental and health consequences of climate change disproportionately affect low-income countries and poor people in high-income countries.
• Globally, informal work and working poverty have returned to pre-pandemic levels, and low income countries face the most difficulties in creating decent jobs. (UN 2024)
• While globalization and interdependence have opened new opportunities for growth of the world economy and improved living standards around the world, poverty and inequality exclude full participation for developing countries and marginalized populations. (UN 2025)
•  Over 60 per cent of all workers lack any kind of employment contract. (UN 2019)
• 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)
• Youth unemployment is showing little improvement, remaining high at 12.6 per cent. (UN 2024)
• 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 higher than that of the population as a whole. (CBC)
• Universality, which ensures everyone has access to all the healthcare they need without financial hardship, is one of today’s 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)
• Indigenous people continue to face systemic discrimination and overrepresentation in the criminal justice system. (Canada.ca)
• 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.