The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) proclaimed 20 February as World Day of Social Justice in 2007, inviting Member States to devote the day to promoting national activities in accordance with the objectives and goals of the World Summit for Social Development and the 24th session of the General Assembly.
Observance of World Day of Social Justice should support efforts of the international community in poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.
The principles of social justice are upheld when one promotes gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants.
Social justice is advanced when barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability are removed.
For the UN, the pursuit of social justice for all is at the core of the organization's global mission to promote human 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.
That Declaration focuses on guaranteeing fair outcomes for all through employment, social protection, social dialogue, and fundamental principles and rights at work.
"Country Sint Maarten is committed to social justice in poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.
"The Millennium Development Goals (MDG), for example, deal with eight internationally-agreed targets aimed at reducing poverty and hunger, maternal and child deaths, diseases, inadequate shelter, gender inequality and environmental degradation by 2015.
"Last year February, just over a year ago, this Government presented its first MDG Report for Sint Maarten to a number of stakeholders. The MDG report aims to capture our country's progress towards these goals while at the same time highlighting the challenges and strategic policy interventions needed to meet them on or before 2015.
"We are committed and are working diligently to collectively build awareness, set policies and plan around the MDGs," Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams said on Monday.
