Every year on 20 February, the world marks the World Day of Social Justice. It is a moment to reflect on inequality, exclusion, and what people need to live with dignity. The UN General Assembly established the day on 26 November 2007. The UN theme in 2026 is “Strengthening a just transition for a sustainable future”. The theme directly speaks to one of today’s biggest challenges: how to shift to low-carbon economies without worsening social injustice. 

A just transition raises a simple but important question: who pays the price of change and who benefits from it?  Moving away from fossil fuels is not only an environmental or technical shift. It is also a social and economic shift. It affects jobs, incomes, local communities, and access to opportunities. If this shift comes without careful planning, transition policies can intensify existing disadvantages and inequalities. 

According to the social justice perspective, climate action can be meaningful only when inclusion is part of it. This perspective requires investment in reskilling and upskilling, creating decent work environments, and strengthening social protection for people facing economic difficulties. This perspective also opens a space for active participation of affected communities in decision-making. 

Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash

This approach has strong institutional foundations. The ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalisation (2008) reaffirmed that global economic change should be guided by rights, fairness and the Decent Work Agenda. The message remains highly relevant after 18 years. Transitions are stronger and more sustainable when labour rights, social dialogue and equity are treated as essential. We cannot achieve the needed transition if we perceive them as extras. 

The UN’s social justice framework also reminds us that peace, security, and development are deeply interconnected. In this light, the World Day of Social Justice is more than a symbolic observance. It is a policy reminder that sustainability must bring together environmental responsibility and social equity. For public institutions, educators, civil society organisations, and media initiatives, the practical priorities are clear:

• connect climate policy with anti-poverty and anti-inequality goals;
• protect workers and households during major economic transitions;
• support locally grounded, community-informed transition plans;
• ensure that “green growth” is matched by fair access to opportunity.

A transition is truly sustainable only if it is socially just. The future will be shaped not only by how quickly we decarbonise, but by how fairly we reorganise our economies and societies along the way.