No light can compare with the light of justice. The establishment of order in the world and
the tranquillity of the nations depend upon it.

~ Bahá’í holy writings

Every individual longs to live in a society that is just—in which the dignity inherent to all is fully realized and respected. At the heart of so much unrest in the world today are questions of justice and conditions of injustice faced by multitudes. Growing numbers, from backgrounds of all kinds, express frustration that some are advantaged unfairly at the expense of others, that rules are applied inconsistently and arbitrarily, that “the system is rigged” and cannot be trusted. Never has it been more clear that the pursuit of justice and commitment to its principles are critical to the stability, cohesion, and progress of society.   

Women have long suffered numerous forms of injustice as a result of gender-based prejudice, from workplace discrimination and domestic abuse to economic exploitation and exclusion from leadership, among many other examples. As such, the focus of this year’s Commission on the Status of Women, on ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, remains a pressing priority. Progress toward this end includes specific, often technical advances in areas such as those mentioned in the Commission’s priority theme or in the CEDAW general recommendation¹on the topic. Many countries have, for example, introduced or strengthened laws that criminalize domestic violence and provide protection to survivors. Momentum has built for the repeal of discriminatory policies in areas such as labor force participation, entrepreneurship, inheritance, and land tenure. The number of women in judicial roles has steadily increased in both international and national courts.

Unfortunately any gains made have been inconsistent in reach and implementation, and are under increasing threat around the world today. Many advances have also been primarily statutory in nature, and thus need to be translated into tangible improvements in the lived realities of women and girls. Justice, after all, is not limited to the judicial system alone, and legislation, no matter how well-conceived, is only as beneficial as the actions taken to implement it. Experience has shown that if people are not personally committed to the principles of justice and gender equality, then laws meant to uphold them are continually in danger of being subverted or ignored. Change is needed at the level of individual hearts and minds, as well as within the collective culture of any given population. The fundamental task before the Commission, therefore, is both broad and profound: the construction of just societies that are fair and equitable for all, regardless of gender or any other characteristic.

Advancing toward such a vision involves formal judicial institutions themselves but also local communities and individual people as they work to foster just relationships in their immediate environment. Movement in this direction includes conventional theories of justice but also more extended conceptions that promote healing and the restoration of social ties—for example, justice as a means to determine the truth of given circumstances through fair-minded assessment, or justice as a community’s freedom to conceive and pursue its own path of development. Ultimately, what will be required is a thorough reconceptualization of what justice is and how a just society functions. For it is one thing to acknowledge a value such as justice in principle; it is quite another to embrace it wholeheartedly in one’s personal conduct, and more challenging still to refashion social norms and institutions in ways that give collective expression to it. 

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Learning how just societies can be built in every region and locality is a central concern of the worldwide Bahá’í community. Toward that end, one Bahá’í-inspired initiative in Brazil has drawn together hundreds of participants—many focused on issues of gender equality and human rights—from academia, municipal government, civil society, and faith communities to explore how conceptions of justice might be deepened and expanded to more effectively advance aims of equality, unity, and peace. 

Structured as an ongoing series of discussions around the theme “Building a Perspective for a Fairer Society,”² the initiative recognizes that genuine social transformation demands deep exploration of underlying values that either foster or hinder the expression of justice. Qualities such as cooperation, mutual care, and unity in diversity are regularly stressed by participants as indispensable tools in the work of addressing structural injustices such as inequality, racism, and sexism.

These forums also examine how prevalent societal tendencies—such as excessive consumption, self-gratification, and competition—can perpetuate divisions and hinder genuine collective progress. By critically assessing such tendencies and the values that underlie them, participants have often developed new perspectives on common ideas that shape social relationships; for example, how human dignity extends beyond individual rights to encompass collective responsibility and interconnectedness. “True dignity cannot be fully realized in isolation,” one passage from the discussion materials elaborates, “but through meaningful participation in the community, where each individual contributes to and benefits from the collective well-being.”

A central concern of the initiative has been ensuring that conceptual exploration is closely tied to concrete action and the emergence of new patterns of behavior—particularly in how justice itself is promoted. The effort began with the observation that while numerous initiatives in Brazil strive to advance social justice aims, conventional structures for engagement often place organizations in competition with one another for space, prominence, and resources. In response, organizers structured the forums to assist participants to step away from patterns of thought and behavior that tend to divide them, and focus instead on the deeper purpose that inspires all their work—the construction of just societies.

The result has been both greater clarity and focus around participants’ objectives, and closer bonds of mutual support and assistance between them. “What specifically changes in my work is a greater clarity about the need to create spaces for dialogue and cooperation,” observed one participant in the series. “This not only enables common aims but also allows us to speak the same language, adopt shared strategies, and support each other to achieve effective gains in rights.” 

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The advances that the “Fairer Society” initiative has been able to achieve, in terms of both more efficient processes and more effective outcomes, provide a model that could be creatively adapted to the international stage. The Commission on the Status of Women could, for example, convene similar spaces dedicated to deep and sustained exploration of the foundations of justice and its impacts on, and contributions from, women and girls. It could gather a broad range of diverse stakeholders in ways that minimize competition, de-emphasize institutional affiliation, promote shared commitment to moral principle, build unity of vision, and foster collaborative action. And by taking such steps, it could inform other initiatives that recognize the pressing need for creative reform in the multilateral system, such as the UN80³ Initiative and the revitalization process of the Commission itself. 

It is an unfortunate reality today that social currents across the world reveal growing willingness to set aside qualities of justice and equity, truthfulness, and integrity in the pursuit of self-interest or the struggle for power. Arguments against such foundational principles, including against gender equality itself, are resurgent and increasingly aggressive at various levels of public discourse. And yet the turmoil and confusion, anger and indifference, breakdown and disagreement also seen on so many sides clearly demonstrate that high-minded qualities cannot be set aside indefinitely; indeed, they are the indispensable foundation for stable societies. A social order that is built on justice—in policy and legislation, in culture and practice—is one that ultimately benefits every one of its members, men as well as women, boys as well as girls. Reimagining and strengthening the societal foundations of justice is therefore an urgent need for all alike. Let all who support the principle of gender equality, whether within the framework of the Commission or beyond, arise to advance this vital work. 

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1.  Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, General recommendation No. 33 on women’s access to justice, https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/807253?ln=en&v=pdf
2.  For more information, see “National initiative harmonizes diverse perspectives on social justice,” https://news.bahai.org/story/1790/brazil-national-initiative-harmonizes-...
3.  In March 2025, the UN Secretary-General launched the UN80 Initiative to transform how the UN works—-- - identifying efficiencies, reviewing how mandates are implemented, and examining potential structural changes and program realignment within the United Nations system.