[JURIST] UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official profile] on Thursday called for [text] a worldwide end to all forms of human exploitation. The message, released as part of the UN’s World Day of Social Justice [UN report] set for February 20, 2015, calls for a worldwide effort to “not leave behind those who are socially and economically exploited.” Begun in 2007, World Day of Social Justice is meant to “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.” As part of the effort, the International Labour Organization [official website] (ILO) convened a panel discussion on Thursday on modern forced labor, human trafficking and worker exploitation. The ILO, a driving force behind the World Day of Social Justice, adopted the Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization [text, PDF] in 2008, is a specialized UN agency that works to promote worker rights and opportunities, and social welfare in their 185 member nations. The ILO reaffirmed their commitment to fight forced labor in 2014, adopting a Protocol and a Recommendation [text] to supplement the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 [text].

The UN has long been concerned with human rights and the development of social justice. Last month Ban presented a report [JURIST report] to the UN General Assembly proposing a new development agenda and calling 2015 a “time for global action.” The Secretary-General said this year could see major advances in development, peace and human rights. Later that month, in his address to the Indian Council of World Affairs [official website], Ban called on [JURIST report] India to be a world leader in peace, human rights and sustainable development. Also in January the UN General Assembly held a daylong informal meeting [JURIST report] devoted to anti-Semitism in response to a global increase in violence against Jews. In early February UN officials called for [JURIST report] an end to female genital mutilation [WHO backgrounder], including the medicalization of the practice. Also this month, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein [official profile] on Tuesday condemned extremists [JURIST report] for the beheading of 21 Coptic Christian men in Libya, characterizing the acts as “vile crime[s] targeting people on the basis of their religion.” Yesterday two UN human rights experts urged the government [JURIST report] of Iran to halt the execution of Saman Naseem, a juvenile offender scheduled to be executed Thursday.