World Social Justice Day 2021: Know this year's theme, significance

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA) recognises that social development cannot be ensured in the absence of social justice. On November 26, 2007, the GA declared that February 20 will be celebrated annually as the World Day of Social Justice. The purpose of this day is to recognise in letter and spirit that even though the world is moving ahead through cooperation and innovation, social inequality still persists.

India itself is no stranger to the concept of social justice. BR Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution, believed that without ensuring social justice, a society cannot ensure political justice to all its citizens.

The theme of this year’s World Social Justice Day is social justice in the digital economy. The advancements in technology made over the past decade have helped human beings traverse the tricky landscape of a world wrecked by Covid-19. Workers were able to take their work home because of what the UN calls ‘digital labour platforms’ which provided “workers with income-generating opportunities and benefits from flexible work arrangements”. However, this has also exacerbated issues of the regularity of work and income, the right to form or join trade unions, and hampered skill utilization.

The UN estimates that the consequences of the pandemic are going to affect the economy for years to come and since digital labour platforms are not restricted by borders and operate across multiple jurisdictions, there is an ardent need for international policy dialogue and coordination. The UN has chosen this year’s Social Justice Day to shed some light on the basic rights of workers who have now shifted to digital platforms, especially of those in the global South, whose lives are impacted by a lack of proper digital infrastructure too.