FIINOVATION OBSERVES – WORLD SOCIAL JUSTICE DAY

World Social Justice Day is observed annually on 20^th February for promoting efforts to tackle global issues such as poverty, unemployment, gender equality and exclusion to create an equitable society for all. It promotes social justice, solidarity, harmony & equality for marginalised communities, women and immigrants. The theme of World Justice Day in 2017 is “Preventing conflict and sustaining peace through decent work”. On this day many organisations including the United Nations and International Labour Organisation present plans and issue statements regarding the promotion of social justice. Additionally, campaign groups, trade unions and volunteers are also invited to mark their support on this day.

In 2007, the World Day of Social Justice was introduced in the UN agenda. It urged governments to focus on three important aspects;

a) reaffirmation of commitments made in Geneva Development Summit 1995,

b) recalling the commitment to promote national and global economic systems based on the principles of justice, equity, democracy participation, transparency, accountability and inclusion and

c) reaffirming the commitment made in the 2005 World Summit Outcome to full and productive employment and decent work for all, including for women and young people.

Keeping focus on these aspects will remove the barriers that people face because of their gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.

Equality is the basic fundamental right of every society and in order to achieve the same, governments have created a framework for action to promote social justice at national, regional and international levels. The governments accept the fact that holistic economic growth can be achieved only by promoting equitable distribution of income, resources and providing everyone an equal opportunity for growth and development irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, culture or disability. They promote the belief that only social justice can help in achieving the peaceful coexistence within and among the nations.

United Nations also promotes social justice as part of their global mission to achieve equality for all. The recent adoption of the Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization by the International Labour Organisation is one example of the UN system’s commitment to social justice. The Declaration focuses on guaranteeing fair outcomes for all through employment, social protection, social dialogue, fundamental principles and rights at work.

Fiinovation through its association with corporations for CSR and Sustainability initiatives, have always promoted social justice. It believes that there are serious challenges in front of us, including financial crises, insecurity, poverty, exclusion and inequality within and among societies and considerable bottlenecks to further social integration and full participation in the economy. The road ahead would be to incorporate social integration activities within the social development programmes to boost equitable growth in the country.

“With exclusion and inequality on the rise, we must step up efforts to ensure that all people, without discrimination, are able to access opportunities to improve their lives and those of others.” – Former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

By Manisha Bhatia

Media & Communications, Fiinovation

World Day of Social Justice – Fiinovation

The disparity between the rich and poor is growing day by day. A lot of work needs to be done to empower people, protect them and ensure their voices are heard. When we talk about social justice we actually mean promotion of gender equality and rights of people in distress. According to Fiinovation, social justice is when there is peaceful and prosperous co-existence within and among the  countries. Social justice can be achieved only when we overcome the bottlenecks related to gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability. 20th February is observed as the World Social Justice Day to promote social justice through employment and honourable livelihood, gender equity, fundamental rights and access to social well-being and justice for all.

It is important to recognize that inclusive development is a prerequisite while looking at maintaining international relations. As the world adopted the Millennium Development Goals there have been significant efforts in the areas of health and gender equality, including steady progress towards equal access of girls and boys to primary education. Fiinovation, have been working with various development agencies, donors & NGOs across India that have been implementing social development programmes of similar nature.

The team at Fiinovation understands the relevance of looking beyond 2015 and focusing on global sustainable development agenda. That would entail targeting poverty with the support of government and NGOs, private sector and other stakeholders like academicians and scientists through a systematic approach and in depth research. Together we have to set up new target indicators for social empowerment, which look at social determinants of health and  other sectors addressing the needs of the community. Our next development agenda should include empowerment and social justice as important factors that can be measured with set targets.

There is need to serve the vulnerable and harness their potential. We should work towards enhancing the capacities of women and children in the developing and underdeveloped countries. As we put our efforts together, we can hope that a sustainable and equal future lies ahead of us.

‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.’ -Margaret Mead

Fiinovation