International Anti-Corruption Day 2023 - Part II

                           This post is a summary of two articles. The first was published at    https://www.transparency.org.nz/blog/anti-corruption-day-2023. The second was published at   https://ritusacademy.com/international-anti-corruption-day-2023/

                                The 2023 International Anti-Corruption Day seeks to highlight the link between anti-corruption and peace, security, and development. Corruption not only follows conflict, but is also frequently one of its root causes. It fuels conflict and inhibits peace processes by undermining rule of law, worsening poverty, and providing financing for armed conflict. Tackling corruption is the right and responsibility of everyone, and only through cooperation and the involvement of every person and institution can we build peace, security and development. This day is a celebration of the progress in the fight against corruption since it was initiated, and a reminder that there is still a lot of work to be done.                                                                                                                                             The theme of International Anti-Corruption Day 2023 is 'Uniting the World Against Corruption.' This theme celebrates the 20th anniversary of the U.N. Convention against corruption and highlight the crucial link between anti-corruption and achieving peace, security and development. The theme emphasizes several key points: 1) Celebrating the achievements of U.N. Convention Anti-Corruption (UNCAC). 2) Recognizing the ongoing challenges. 3) Calling for collective action. Addressing corruption requires a united approach that involves governments, civil society, private sector and individuals. 4) Focusing on the links between anti-corruption and peace, security and development.    Corruption manifests in various forms, from bribery to frauds. Its impact is felt across sectors, impeding economic growth, hindering sustainable development and exacerbating inequality. Developing nations often bear the brunt of corruption, with resources intended for public welfare diverted into the pockets of the corrupt few. Transparent and accountable governance is pivotal, and institutions must be equipped to investigate and prosecute corrupt practices. In the digital age, tech plays a crucial role in anti-corruption initiatives. Blockchain, A.I. and open data platforms have the potential to enhance transparency, making it more difficult for corrupt practices to go unnoticed. Despite progress, challenges persist in the fight against corruption. Weak institutions, lack of enforcement and a culture of impunity pose hurdles. Efforts such as the UNCAC and the work of organizations like Transparency International serve as beacons in the global fight against corruption. Education and awareness are key components of anti-corruption strategies. Empowering people with  knowledge and tools to combat corruption is crucial for building societies based on integrity and ethical principles.  Social media platforms have become powerful tools for citizens to expose corruption and mobilize public support for anti-corruption initiatives. Ethical leadership, both in the public and private sectors, sets the tone for a value-driven society. Institutions fostering a culture of integrity, accountability, and transparency contribute to building resilience against the corrosive effects of corruption. While legal frameworks are essential, their effectiveness depends on robust implementation and enforcement. International Anti-Corruption Day calls for a holistic approach that goes beyond legislation, emphasizing the need for a strategy encompassing education, public awareness and the creation of an environment where corruption is not tolerated. Grand corruption, involving high-level officials and vast sums of money, poses a  threat. International collaboration, extradition treaties, and the pursuit of justice for grand corruption cases demonstrate the commitment of the international community to holding the powerful accountable. Efforts to recover stolen assets and curb money laundering contribute to dismantling the infrastructure that supports grand corruption. The role of citizens in demanding transparency and accountability can't be overstated. Movements and civil society organizations play a vital role in holding governments and institutions accountable. An impartial and independent judiciary is fundamental in the battle against corruption. International Anti-Corruption emphasizes the significance of safeguarding judicial integrity. Judicial systems that are free from political interference and corruption are better equipped to prosecute wrongdoers and ensure that justice is served. The establishment of anti-corruption courts contribute to building a resilient legal framework. To gauge the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures, robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are essential. Regular assessments, independent audits and performance evaluation ensure that policies translate into tangible outcomes. Empowering people with knowledge about the detrimental effects of corruption and instilling values of integrity are pivotal aspects of the anti-corruption agenda. While International Anti-Corruption Day serves as an annual reminder, the fight against corruption requires sustained, long-term commitment. Building a corruption-free world demands ongoing efforts to strengthen institutions, nurture a culture of transparency and cultivate ethical leadership. The ultimate goal is to create a legacy, where corruption is an aberration of the past, and societies thrive on principles of justice, integrity and accountability. A free and independent media plays a critical role in exposing corruption and holding those in power accountable. Investigative journalism brings to light cases of corruption, informs the public and acts as a catalyst for change. This day underscores the importance of safeguarding media freedom and supporting journalists who fearlessly pursue the truth. Efforts to recover and repatriate stolen assets are integral to the anti-corruption agenda. International cooperation in tracking and returning ill-gotten gains ensures that the proceeds of corruption are redirected towards public welfare. Mutual legal assistance agreements and collaboration among financial institutions are crucial components of these efforts. While tech presents innovative solutions to combat corruption, it also introduces new challenges. Cybersecurity threats, digital fraud and the misuse of tech for corrupt purpose require ongoing attention. Strengthening whistleblower protection laws encourage individuals to come forward with information about corrupt practices without fear of retaliation and also provide incentives for reporting. Integrating ethics education into curricula at all levels promotes a values-based approach to combating corruption. The role of education in shaping ethical decision-making and fostering a culture where individuals from a young age, understand the importance of integrity and accountability. International Anti-Corruption Day serves as a reminder of the collective responsibility to fight corruption and build a more fair and equitable world. By fostering a culture of transparency, accountability and ethical governance, we can pave the way for a future free from the shackles of corruption. 

International Anti-Corruption Day - 2023

                                 I'd like to dedicate this post to Thiago Rodrigues, pre candidate to mayor of Guarujá murdered last month. A little more than one month ago, precisely on 9th December, the whole world celebrated the importance to fight corruption. This year there will be election in October, so let's see what the candidates will promise to help us in this important fight, ask them about it. The public money must be very well used, so that we can have better schools, better hospitals, better security, better streets and roads, better jobs, greater development, less inequality, less injustice. To sum things up a more functional government and consequently a better country for all. The fight against corruption is very important,  so we all should be involved in this fight, because the theft of public resources harm us all. But we all should know that this fight is not easy, activists for this important ethical cause can suffer persecution, including having their political rights systematically disrespected. The people should not be naive, there are many people that are not interested in this activism, in this fight. This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at  https://www.un.org/en/observances/anti-corruption-day The second was published at  https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/international-anti-corruption-day-2023/    The third was published at https://commissioners.ec.europa.eu/news/statement-commissioner-home-affairs-ylva-johansson-international-anti-corruption-day-2023-12-09_en

                            The U.N. Convention against Corruption at 20: Uniting the world against corruption. The world today faces some of its greatest challenges in many generations, challenges, which threaten prosperity and stability for people across the globe. The plague of corruption is interwined in most of them. Corruption has negative impacts on every aspect of society and is profoundly interwined with conflict and instability, jeopardizing social and economic development and undermining democratic institutions and the rule of law. Corruption fuels conflict and inhibits peace processes by undermining the rule of law, worsening poverty, facilitating the illicit use of resources, and providing financing for armed conflict. Preventing corruption, promoting transparency, and strengthening institutions is crucial, if the targets foreseen in the Sustainable Development Goals are to be met. The 2023 International Anti-Corruption Day seeks to highlight the crucial link between anti-corruption and peace, security and development. At its core is the notion that tackling this crime is the right and responsibility of everyone, and that only through cooperation and the involvement of every person and institution can we overcome the negative impact of this crime, we all have a role to play in uniting the world against corruption. Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that affects all countries. Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slow economic development and contributes to governmental instability. Corruption attacks the foundation of democratic institutions by distorting electoral processes, perverting the rule of law and creating bureaucratic quagmires, whose only reason for existing is the soliciting of bribes. On 31 October 2003, the General Assembly adopted the U.N. Convention Against Corruption and designated 9th December as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it.                                                                                                                                                              International Anti-Corruption Day is a global observance dedicated to raising awareness about the detrimental effects of corruption on societies and economies worldwide. It serves as a call to action to combat corruption, promote transparency, and upon ethical values in both public and private sectors. This day is an annual event that emphasizes the need to tackle corruption and its far-reaching consequences. Corruption undermines trust in institutions, hampers economic development, and erodes justice. Here are 5 ways to get involved in the fight against corruption: 1) Use social media, educational forums, and community discussions to raise awareness about the negative impacts of corruption and the importance of combating it. 2) Support anti-corruption organizations. Contribute to or volunteer with organizations working to combat corruption locally or internationally. 3) Support efforts to improve governmental transparency. 4) If you encounter corruption or unethical behavior, report it through the appropriate channels. Whistleblower protection lwas exist in many countries to safeguard those who report corruption. 5) Familiarize yourself with anti-corruption laws and conventions in your country and around the world. Know your rights and responsibilities.                                                                                                             Corruption is highly damaging to society, to our democracies, to the economy and to individuals. With the legal proposals on anti-corruption adopted on 3rd May 2023, the European Commission placed a strong focus on preventing and creating a culture of integrity, in which corruption is not tolerated. We put forward strengthened rules criminalising corruption offences and harmonised penalties across the E.U. The proposal also included the creation of the E.U. Network against corruption. The Network is a forum for all key stakeholders in the E.U. to exchange good practices, opportunities, ideas and plans for further work on anti-corruption measures. Through its annual Rule of Law reports, the commission also monitors anti-corruption developments at national level, identifies challenges and issues recommendations to Member States. 

The Impact of Digital Transformation on Democracy and Good Governance

                      This post is a summary of the book with the title above published in 2021 at https://rm.coe.int/study-on-the-impact-of-digital-transformation-on-democracy-and-good-go/1680a3b9f9

                  There are various debates at play on the future of democracy in the digital age. Despite decreasing levels of trust in traditional institutions and politicians, individuals are willing to engage in the public sphere. Digital tech provide additional opportunities to express this engagement: citizens participate in online conversations, consultations and deliberations; contribute online to causes they support, including financially; and share their input that help hold public institutions to account. Increasingly, deliberative forms of democracy have come into play to complement representative democracy, thus enhancing transparency and inclusiveness of the public decision-making process. Overall, digital tech offers ways to enhance the quality of democracy in terms of accountability and responsiveness. Digitalisation can offer public administration new channels to deliver quality services. Embracing digital transformation means also promoting a cultural change in the work of civil servants. Digital transformation has an impact on all aspects of life, from the economy to government, from geopolitics to the way in which ordinary people interact. The Council of Europe work in this area has intensified in the past 3 years, with mandates being given to different intergovernmental committees to look into different aspects relating to technology and its impact on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The 12 Principles of Good Governance are enshrined in the strategy endorsed by Council of Europe in 2008. They are: 1) Participation, representation and fair conduct of elections. 2) Responsiveness. 3) Efficiency and effectiveness. 4) Openness and transparency. 5) Rule of law. 6) Ethical conduct. 7) Competence and capacity. 8) Innovation and openness to change. 9) Sustainability and long-term orientation. 10) Sound financial management. 11) Human rights, cultural diversity and social cohesion. 12) accountability. Whether in the area of democracy or in the area of government and public administration, when adequate safeguards are in place, tech can play a vital role in strengthening the implementation of all these principles, thus improving the quality of government, meeting people's needs and expectations, and ultimately contributing to greater trust in public institutions. Despite the manifold opportunities digital tech offer to strengthen democracy and governance, digital tech might also adversely affect the enjoyment of individual rights and freedoms, for instance as regards privacy and data protection. Many argue that liberal democracy is in crisis or has come under attack. However, there is no consensus about the causes of the crisis nor on the role digital tech play with regards to it. Some elements of democracy are being challenged and losing ground while others are acquiring greater prominence. It is hard to say whether this is a problem or rather an evolution of democracy. For instance, for many years Europe States have witnessed a disenchantment with representative democracy, which is epitomised by declining participation rates in elections and support for traditional political parties. At the same time, new political actors and movements have arisen. Democracy is not a static system. On the contrary, one way to think about the current crisis is that another moment have arrived that requires democracy to evolve. Citizens are demanding a kind of democracy that is more responsive. The solution is thus not to limit democracy, but to deepen it further in what has been called the 'democratization of democracy'. Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of democracy. They require independent public opinion formation. Digital tech form an important part of the information system voters rely on. Digital tech have reshaped the ways in which people express their will. For democracy to function, a well-informed public is needed. In the digital age, information circulates on a global scale. The main motivation for digitalisation in the public sector is to increase efficiency and thus reduce costs. In addition, it is believed that digitalisation will free public officials from routine activites that can best be automated. Digital transformation, democracy and good governance have a fundamental feature in common: they are dynamic processes. They evolve over time. being influenced by a great number of internal and external factors. These processes are closely interwined and impact on each other in an unprecedented way at the present time which is often referred to as 'the digital age'. The digitalisation of the public sector has experienced a rapid acceleration in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. During such challenging times, the ability to 'go digital' has greatly contributed to the resilience of public action, ensuring that democratic institutions could continue to work and public services to be delivered. In parallel, however, digitalisation exposes democracy to new vulnerabilities at hands of hostile private and public actors. To harness the potential of digital transformation to strengthen democracy, governments will need to equip themselves for a cultural change: flexibility, self-evaluation, continuous learning, I.T. skills will be necessary to enable public officials to use tech and prevent negative consequences.

Global Predictions for 2024

                 I'd like to thank everyone who use their time this year to defend democracy, political inclusion, truth, human rights and justice. We all have to reinforce our humanistic values and principles. I'd like to desire also a happy new year for all readers of this blog. Happy 2024 for us all. ✊✊✊✊✊ This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published with the incomplete title above at https://www.ipsos.com/en/ipsos-global-predictions-2024. The second was published at https://hbr.org/2023/12/what-to-expect-from-the-global-economy-in-2024. The third was published at https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/mi/research-analysis/top-10-economic-predictions-for-2024.html

                  The yesr of 2023 marked a significant downturn in the impact of COVID-19, as the World Health Organization (WHO) officially ended its status of global emergency. However, this decline in health crises was unfortunately accompanied by an escalation in geopolitical tensions. Russia's aggressive invasion into Ukraine showed no signs of abating, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity. Further exacerbating the already turbulent global situation was the outbreak of Israel-Palestinian conflict in October. Meanwhile, weather patterns continued to become increasingly volatile. Large portions of the globe persistently endured escalating summer temperatures year after year, suggesting a potential worsening of global warming. In 2023, the world of technology also saw dramatic changes and advancements. Open A.I. was instrumental in transforming the public perception and utilisation, leading to more paradigm shift in the way we interact with technology. Overall, optimism for the coming year appears to be on the rise, with 70% think 2024 will be a better year than 2023. Overall, improvements in optimism is the greatest among European countries, particularly in Poland, Spain, U.K. and Sweden. 50% expect the global economy will be stronger in 2024 than it was in 2023. As we head into 2024, headline inflation has started to come down in many countries. Out of 34 surveyed countries, 10 demonstrated at least a 10% improvement in perceptions of inflation rates, most significantly in European countries. Furthermore, countries like Brazil 19% and Australia 14% are also exhibiting compelling improvements in the public's perception of inflation rates. There is now a reasonable expextation that the alarming seriousness of the climate emergency will provoke action. 55% expect their government to set more demanding targets for carbon emissions in 2024. Given the extreme weather events that the public has observed in recent years, there is a growing urgency for the government to provide more direction on how to mitigate climate  change.                                                                                                          As 2023 comes to a close, the global economy is doing better than expected. The U.S. not only avoided a recession but has grown a steady clip. Unemployment has been low and crucially, inflation is falling in most of the world. The Federal Reserve is ending the year on a fairly optimistic note, by not only holding interest rates steady but signaling the possibility of multiple rate cuts in 2024.  The British magazine The Economist has argued, the longer term outlook for workers in the U.S. and Europe looks strong. Politics will remain a major driver of economic uncertainty in 2024, including via the U.S. presidential election which could have unpredictable consequences for geopolitics, trade, and the wars in Ukraine and the Mideast.  What else? Josh Lipsky, director at the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center, summed up his view of the biggest risks to the economy in a recent newsletter: "China's inaccurate data masking sputtering growth, the world's major shipping companies stopping transit in the Red Sea, and the second largest economy in South America at serious risk of default."                                                                                                                                                  Inflation will moderate further, the downward trend is expected to continue through 2024. Lower inflation rates in 2024 are forecast across most regions of the world. Weaker annual real GDP growth rates are forecast across all the largest regions in 2024. Global annual real GDP is forecast to grow at 2.3% compared with an estimated 2.7% in 2023. In Latin America inflation rates have fallen relatively rapidly, while labor market conditions are generally not tight. Easing cycles that are already under way in Chile, Brazil and Peru are forecast to continue in the year ahead. The U.S. Dollar will depreciate and it will be reinforced by a relative slowing of both economic growth and inflation as well as the overhang of a current-account deficit which, as a share of U.S. GDP, is unsustainably high. Geopolitical factors will remain an important source of risk and uncertainty, potentially aggravated by important elections taking place across an unusually number of countries. Election campaigns will set the policy agenda across several important emerging economies, including India and Indonesia in the spring and Mexico in midyear, with elections to the European Parliament scheduled in June. Uncertainty about the outcome of the U.S. election, along with the policy implications, will likely be a hindrance to economic prospects. The energy transition will support growth in the U.S. and Canada.                          

P.I.S.A. 2022 Results: The State of Learning and Equity in Education

                      As everyone knows I supported the high school reform since the project and its approval into law in 2017. But we have to remember that the original project was only the traditional subjects chosen by students according to which area they want to study after the high school. But for better students in the high school we need also better students in the fundamental two, it is from 5º to 9º grades. And for this we need everyone involved in this goal: parents, brothers and sisters, teachers, politicians, and mainly students aware about the importance of the education for their lives. This post is a summary of the book with the title above published in 2023 at https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/view/?ref=1235_1235421-gumq51fbgo&title=PISA-2022-Results-Volume-I . Brazil results in all PISA tests since 2000 are on page 403. Performance in Math fell by 7 points in the last decade, meanwhile the performance in science is 2 points higher and in reading is 5 points higher than ten years ago.

                    In 2022, as countries were still dealing with the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 700000 students from 81 economies, representing 29 million across the world, took the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test. The report finds that in spite of the challenging circumstances, 31 countries and economies managed to at least maintain their performance in math since 2018. Among these, Australia, Japan, Korea and Switzerland maintained or further raised already high levels of student performance, with scores ranging from 487 to 575 points (OECD average 472). Many countries also made significant progress towards universal secondary education, among them, Colombia, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Morocco, Paraguay and Romania have rapidly expanded education to previously marginalised populations over the past decade. At the same time, on average, the PISA 2022 assessment saw an unprecedented drop in performance across the OECD. Compared to 2018, performance fell by ten points in reading and by almost 15 points in math, which is equivalent to three-quarters of a year's worth of learning. Yet the decline can only partially be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scores in reading and science had already been falling prior to the pandemic. Across the OECD, around half of the students experienced closures for more than three months. However, PISA results show no clear difference in performance trends between education systems with limited schoolm closures such as Sweden and Taiwan and systems that experienced longer shcool closures, such as Brazil and Ireland. School closures also drove a global conversation to digitally enabled remote learning, adding to long-term challenges that had already emerged, such as the use of tech in classroom. How education systems grapple with technological change and whether policymakers find the right balance between risks and opportunities will be a defining feature of effective education systems. PISA data shows that teachers' support is important by providing extra pedagogical and motivational support to student. The availability of teachers to help students in need had the strongest relationship to math performance across OECD. Overall, education systems with positive trends in parental engagement in student learning  showed greater stability or improvement in math performance. This was particularly true for disadvantage students. These figures show that the level of active support that parents offer their children might have a decisive effect. To strengthen the role of education in empowering young people to succeed and ensuring merit-based equality of opportunity, the resilience of our education systems will be critical not only to improve learning outcomes measured through PISA, but to their long-term effectiveness. Education systems in Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Latvia, and the U.K.  are highly equitable according to PISA's definition. They have achieved high levels of socio-economic fairness together with a large share of all 15 year-olds with basic proficiency in math, reading and science. Boys outperformance girls in math by nine score points and girls outperformance boys in reading by 24 points on average. In science, the performance difference between boys and girls is not significant. Equity is a fundamental value and goal of education policy. Equity in education is an ethical principle associated to the concept of justice. International differences in the extent and types of educational inequity today can be traced back to the historical legacies of different nations. For example, in Latin America primary school enrolments did not substantially increase until the second half of the 20th century, this has made the universalisation of secondary schooling a contemporary challenge. Only education systems that combine high levels of fairness and inclusion are considered highly equitable. Between 2018 and 2022 only four countries improved their performance in all three subjects: Brunei, Cambodia, Dominican Republic and Taiwan. 

Human Rights Day 2023

                            Last Sunday, precisely 10 of December, all over the world celebrated the human rights. This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at    https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day The second was published at   https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/human-rights-day-2023-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-day-18530701.htm. The third was published athttps://reliefweb.int/report/world/human-rights-day-2023

                        10 December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world's most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being, regardless of race, religion, sex, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, or other status. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world. In the decades since the adoption of UDHR in 1948, human rights have become more recognised and more guaranteed across the globe. The UDHR has since served as the foundation for an expanding system of human rights protection that today focuses also on vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and migrants. However, the promise of the UDHR, of dignity and equality in rights, has been under a sustained assault in recent years. As the world faces challenges new and ongoing - pandemics, conflicts, exploding inequalities, morally bankrupt global financial system, climate change - the values and rights enshrined in the UDHR provide guideposts for our collective actions that do not leave anyone behind. The UDHR enshrines the rights of all human beings. From the right to education to egual pay, UDHR established for the first time the indivisible and inalienable rights of all humanity. The UDHR has inspired many struggles for stronger human rights protection and helped them to be more recognized. Wherever humanity's values are abandoned, we all are at greater risk. The solution to today's greatest crises are rooted in human rights. We all need to stand up for our rights and those of others. We need an economy that invests in human rights and works for everyone.                                       c                                                                                                                      The Human Rights Day is celebrated around the world on December 10 every year. It focuses on the fundamental rights and liberties of people and advocates for the rights that transcend nationality, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, or any other distinctions. The theme to celebrate This day in 2023 is 'Freedom, Equality and Justice for All.' In 1950, Human Rights Day was formally established. The UDHR consists of 30 articles that cover a wide range of fundamental human rights and freedom to which all people from different parts of the world are entitled. The UDHR also serves as a regulatory body for all other nations that strive to meet basic human needs, including socio-economic and political issues.                                                                                                                                             "Now more than ever, it is time for human rights," said U.N. Human Rights Chief, Volker Turk, ahead of a two-day event on human rights to be held at U.N.'s home in Geneva, Switzerland, and connecting online to hubs in Addis Abeba, Bangkok and Panama. Heads of State, civil society actors and human rights defenders, business leaders and economists alike will converge on the city to craft together a vision for the future of human rights. 75 years ago, representatives from different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world drafted the UDHR, a set of universal, indivisible and inalienable rights recognizing the equal dignity and worth of everyone. The UDHR was a milestone in the history of human rights. The drafting of the UDHR was also ground-breaking in the involvement of women in the shaping of its language and the inclusion of certain social and cultural rights, as well as input from representatives from what is now known as the global south. "Despite conflicts that may divide us, it is in the pursuit of peace, justice and equality that we discover our common ground," Turk said. "Together, we can envision a future where every individual's rights are safeguarded, conflicts are resolved through dialogue, and peace prevails." Turk also pointed that the world today is experiencing levels of violent conflict not seen since the end of the Second World War, with deepening inequalities, increasing hate speech, impunity, growing divisions and polarization and a climate emergency. "This underscore all the more the need for us to take stock, learn lessons, and craft a vision for the future together based on human rights. The UDHR provides a promise, and a blueprint for action. This event is a moment of deep reflection to seek common solutions together, centred on human rights," he stressed. 

Justice in the 21st Century

                 This post is a summary of the book with the title above, published in 2022 at https://www.enop.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ENoP_Progresiva-Povod-IJEK-NOVUM_Justice-in-the-21st-Century.pdf

                 The history of mankind has always been interested in the question of justice and fairness, yet despite all of the effort invested, we could probably agree that so far, we have not managed to find an answer with which we would all agree or which would universally correspond to all societies. This happens because this is one of those questions for which resigned wisdom holds true that one can never find a final answer but can merely strive to ask better questions. The "Justice in the 21st Century" project, of which this anthology is a part, was developed during a period in which we are facing some of the flaws uncovered or deepened in our system by the COVID-19 pandemic.  These realisation, as well as our awareness of them, are an ideal opportunity for us to open a discussion on how we will regulate justice and fairness in our society, how we will provide for equality, etc. In addition, the 50th anniversary of the book "A Theory of Justice" written by John Rawls was commemorated in 2021; this book is one of the fundamental works on the regulation of mutual relations in a liberal social arrangement as we know it today. The historically important crossroads represented by the COVID-19 pandemic is an ideal opportunity to ask ourselves: is the concept of justice that we know today still relevant when it comes to sorting out social relationships in the 21st century? Finding inspirations for the implementation of a project honouring the 50th anniversary of the publication of "A Theory of Justice" does not depend on whether we agree with its principles or not, but is mainly connected with Raws's idea of finding or developing a systematic political theory which will structure our different intuitions. Rawls wanted to provide with his most famous work an answer to the entrapment of the political theory between utilitarianism on the one hand and s confusion of ideas and principles on the other which he called "intuitionism", an approach which is hardly more than a set of anedocdotes concentrated on intuitions about individual questions. The purpose of the "Justice in the 21st Century" project was to shed some light on the current state of affairs in our society and to open a discussion about justice as a concept that regulates relationships in society, its core values and principles according to which it functions. Theories of justice are among the most often discussed theories of the 21st century. They are the successors of social contract theories which mostly emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries and gave new meaning to the relationship between the governors and the governed. What can we do to prevent a transition to the new yet old social system which is poised to be even less fair than the now-prevailing capitalism? First, we must immediately put privacy at the forefront for it to become a cornerstone of digital democracy. With the boom of internet in the 21st century, the concept of privacy became almost redundant. Second, countries should become more involved in the control of the power of technological giants that have quite literally outgrown them in this past decade. A fair digital economy is one of the guidelines of the plan of the European Commission up to 2024 with which the European Union is trying to take a step into the future. In the text, "fairness" is understood as an equal approach to technologies and services. Justice is extremely important for people. Evolutionarily speaking, communities are more successful if their members cooperate with one another. Voluntary cooperation reduces the amount of energy that must be used to coerce people, keep them in check, and resolve disputes. People are more likely to voluntarily cooperate with others if they can count on the fact that others will treat them justly. Providing a fair digital economy that will actually reflect the wishes of its creators should therefore juggle several areas at the same time while keeping in mind a common goal, the provision of a fair digital environment for all users. It is not enough for companies to commit themselves to ethical development only to discover, time and time again, that they do not have the necessary tools or procedures for its implementation, or that they are doing it without being aware of how their automated solutions affect society at large. It is hard enough for consumers to pressure private companies or have our political representatives deal with regulatory frameworks while the industry keeps on finding innovative solutions to avoid efficient control, and continuously endangering the human rights and privacy of their users. Based on what we have discussed in this paper, we should be careful when using the term "justice" in the 21st century, so as to not abuse it by combining it with ideological goals. For peaceful and productive cooperation in a society, people need to feel like they are being treated justly. This feeling is not only destroyed by real injustice but also by a different, forced and made up definition of justice. Community-based organisations are vital for recovery during and after the COVID-19 crisis. The gentrification of autonomous cultural and social centres coinciding with the restrictions of assembly challenges the community support, especially regarding the support in the form of free-thinking platforms. Autonomous Factory Rog was an essential place to produce justice in spatial development within itself and in the broader city of Ljubljana; it created alternative cultural and artistic spaces for the least privileged, thus contributing to a just distribution of goods according to Rawls' theory of distributive justice and to the self-governance principles of Ostrom. Autonomous Factory Rog (AFR) contributed to pure procedural justice of spatial development by channeling unheard voices on unjust policies that impact them; it provided a space where those who experience oppression are the ones who lead the change. Through socio-political discourse analysis and based on the socio-ecological model to prevent violence, we argued that AFR was also an essential place to protect free thinking and prevent political attacks on free journalism. The NGOs of Metelkova 6 are resisting the eviction to protect the autonomous value of the common place where the NGOs are located. The resilience of these NGOs is essential to maintaining procedural and distributive justice in the city of Ljubljana. The resistance against eviction maintain justice in spatial distribution because it fulfills the original position of justice according to Rawls, which means assuring fundamental rights for free-thinking, culture and arts. Finally, the NGOs' resistance against eviction not only protects the value of the place where it is located but also contributes to our wider society, resisting to preserve critical thinking, free media, arts and culture, and underprivilege's rights for justice and inclusion in an accessible city for all.