World Day of Social Justice – proclaimed by the UN General Assembly and celebrated annually on 20 February.

The first celebration took place in 2009. The decision was made on 26 November 2007 at the 62nd session of the Assembly.
The idea behind this day is to promote efforts to reduce poverty, social exclusion and unemployment.

The 192-member Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution calling on member states to devote this day to promoting initiatives that support the implementation of the goals and objectives adopted at the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995) and at the 24th Special Session of the General Assembly in Geneva, entitled ‘World Summit for Social Development and the Years Ahead: Achieving Social Development for All in a Globalising World’ (Social Summit + 5).

The governments that met at the Summit committed themselves to supporting the fight against poverty, the pursuit of full employment and social integration through the implementation of overarching development goals.

While working on the concept of World Day of Social Justice, the Assembly ‘recognised the need to consolidate further action by the international community in the fight against poverty, the promotion of full and decent employment, gender equality, access to social benefits and justice for all citizens’.