The Centre for Social Justice presents:
The 6th International Social Justice Conference
Welcome!
The theme of the conference is Social Justice, Food Security and Peace in a Turbulent World: Advancing Food Justice and Climate Resilience in pursuit of Equality, Solidarity and Sustainable Development.
Hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre · 15-16 October 2025
Concept
The 6th International Social Justice Conference (ISJC), themed Social Justice, Food Security and Peace in a Turbulent World: Advancing Food Justice and Climate Resilience in pursuit of Equality, Solidarity and Sustainable Development,builds on the legacy of five prior conferences that have shaped global discourse on social justice. Previous ISJCs have convened scholars, legal practitioners, policymakers and civil society to address systemic inequalities, producing actionable frameworks for human rights, constitutional protections and policy reform. Insights from past conferences, including robust discussions on the right to food, have underscored the interconnectedness of inequality, poverty and hunger as social justice imperatives. These efforts have informed regional and global advocacy, including the Global Alliance Against Poverty and Hunger—an initiative launched in 2024 under Brazil’s G20 Presidency, as a flagship initiative to advance sustainable development goals (SDGs) 1 (No Poverty) and 2 (Zero Hunger).
In 2025, the ISJC seeks to leverage the final lap of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, South Africa’s G20 Presidency under the themeFostering Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability, and the Copenhagen Declaration review, to reflect on the critical nexus of hunger, poverty, equality, solidarity, and sustainability. The ISJC will deepen these discussions by fostering transformative dialogue among academics, legal professionals, judges, policymakers and civil society researchers. Hosted in the vibrant city of Cape Town at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 15-16 October 2025, the two-day hybrid event—held in partnership with United Nations South Africa—will facilitate global participation, both in-person and online, to advance interdisciplinary solutions for a socially just world.
Download concept noteAbstracts
Academics, legal professionals, judges, policymakers and civil society researchers interested in presenting at the ISJC are invited to submit an abstract of 250–300 words (in English) by 30 July 2025 to socialjustice@sun.ac.za. Submissions should engage with the conference’s core themes by examining the intersections of social justice with food security, equality, solidarity, sustainable development and climate justice. Abstracts must demonstrate how the proposed paper contributes to advancing these priorities in today’s turbulent global context.
Submission Guidelines
- You are required to:
- Indicate the stream most relevant to your research.
- Choose an appropriate sub-stream (refer to the conference themes).
- Notification of abstract acceptance will be sent by 19 August 2025.
- If accepted, you must submit your draft paper by 10 October 2025.
- Accepted authors will present their papers at the ISJC on 15 or 16 October 2025. The conference will be hybrid; presenters may participate in person in Cape Town or online.
- Selected papers may be published in the official conference proceedings.
- All submissions must be in MS Word format and adhere to academic writing standards.
- Conference slides must be submitted to the conference organisers by13 October 2025.
Abstract Review Committee
- Prof Thuli Madonsela (Director, Centre for Social Justice, Stellenbosch University)
- Prof Zsa-Zsa Boggenpoel (Professor of Law, Stellenbosch University)
- Prof Nic Olivier (Senior International Consultant and Advisor and Extraordinary Professor, North-West University)
- Dr Qinisani Qwabe (Lecturer, Nelson Mandela University)
- Dr Marna Lourens (Project Manager and Researcher, Centre for Social Justice, Stellenbosch University)
- Mr Akhona Sandaza (Lecturer, Rosebank College)
Previous Conferences
You can watch free recordings of previous summits and conferences on our website.
Contact
Please contact the conference project manager, Dr Marna Lourens, with any queries. You can reach her at mlourens@sun.ac.za or via the contact form below.