Pushing Forward Social Justice Meaningfully among Black Canadians with World Day of Social Justice and Black History Month
By Harrish Thirukumaran
Now with the second month of 2020 in February now upon us, it is a timely reminder of Black History Month here in Canada. Not only does it celebrate the achievements of Black Canadian communities throughout history in Canada, but also shines a light on the ongoing struggle of Black Canadians to achieve social justice. In a sense, this motivation, I believe, ties in perfectly with the importance of World Day of Social Justice.
World Day of Social Justice is commemorated annually on February 20 through the United Nations. Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality, or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.
For the United Nations, the pursuit of social justice for all is at the core of its global mission to promote development and human dignity. The adoption by the International Labour Organization of the Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization is just one recent 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, and fundamental principles and rights at work. On November 26 2007, the General Assembly declared that, starting from the sixty-third session of the General Assembly, 20 February will be celebrated annually as the World Day of Social Justice.
In terms of the background, the International Labour Organization unanimously adopted the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization on 10 June 2008. This is the third major statement of principles and policies adopted by the International Labour Conference since the ILO’s Constitution of 1919. It builds on the Philadelphia Declaration of 1944 and the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of 1998. The 2008 Declaration expresses the contemporary vision of the ILO’s mandate in the era of globalization.
The General Assembly recognizes that social development and social justice are indispensable for the achievement and maintenance of peace and security within and among nations and that, in turn, social development and social justice cannot be attained in the absence of peace and security, or in the absence of respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The theme for this year’s commemoration of World Day of Social Justice is “Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice.” Accordingly, 1 in 5 workers still live in moderate or extreme poverty, geographical disparities impede access to decent work, many workers face stagnant wages, gender inequality prevails and people are not benefitting equally from economic growth. Inequalities between and among countries are weakening social cohesion, preventing people from achieving their full potential and burdening economies. It is time to reduce inequalities globally.
I had the opportunity to learn about current issues and policy approaches that include Black communities at the 2019 Toronto Black Policy Conference. I call on the readers of the Monsoon Journal to engage with Black Canadians to address inequalities that still exist for them to push forward social justice meaningfully this Black History Month and World Day of Social Justice.
