Welcome to the United Nations
At the midway point of the 2030 Agenda, progress towards achieving the SDGs is off track and SDG 16 is no exception. Lack of progress on Goal 16 affects the achievement of all the other SDGs, as peace, good governance and effective institutions, access to justice as well as freedom from fear and violence, are critical enablers of sustainable development. Governance has been identified as “an essential lever of the systematic transformations needed to achieve all 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” as highlighted in the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) 2023, among others.
On average, across all SDG 16 targets, only 40 per cent of countries have reported data for at least one year since 2015, limiting the information that could drive evidence-informed policies to accelerate progress towards SDG 16. But this year, for the first time, data are available on all Goal 16 indicators, although for some the country coverage continues to be limited and more investment is needed to expand data availability. Several tools have been developed in a relatively short period of time to meet the demands for measuring governance, corruption, crime, and access to justice, but still new initiatives and partnerships are needed to enhance cooperation on implementing and measuring SDG 16.
This session aims to emphasize the critical role of peace, justice, and strong institutions as foundational elements for achieving all SDGs. It will discuss best practices from different regions or sectors that demonstrate effective approaches to achieving SDG 16 and fostering synergies with other SDGs.
Proposed guiding questions:
- What integrated approaches can be leveraged to maximize synergies and limit trade-offs across SDGs, with SDG16? How can the High-impact initiatives (HIIs) launched at the SDG Summit in September 2023, be scaled up to have the highest impact?
- What measures are needed for building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels?
- What are some innovative approaches to integrating peacebuilding, justice reform, and institutional strengthening into broader development strategies?
- How can we strengthen cooperation and partnerships for peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development and provide access to justice for all?
- How can digital technologies be harnessed to ensure advancements in peace, justice, and inclusive societies?
- What measures can be implemented to enhance monitoring of SDG 16 implementation and increase the availability of relevant data at all levels? What new partnerships and cooperation are needed for this?
Chair:
- H.E. Mr. Ivan Simonović, Vice President of ECOSOC (Croatia)
Highlights:
- Findings of the report of the Secretary-General on progress towards the SDGs – SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions Mr. Daniel Eshetie, Statistics Division, DESA
- Representative of Regional Commissions: Regional perspective on implementation of SDG 16 and interlinkages
Mr. Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) - H.E. Mr. Maurizio Massari, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nation (On SDG 16 Conference)
Interactive panel discussion
Moderator:
- Ms. Jan Beagle, Director-General, International Development Law Organization (IDLO)
Panellists:
- Ms. Nambitha Dambuza, Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, and Chair of the Africa Judicial Education Network on Environmental Law
- Ms. Najaat Maalla, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Violence against Children
- Mr. Surya Deva, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development
- Ms. Swati Mehta, Program Director of Justice for All, Pathfinders
Lead Discussants:
- Ms. Taina Bien-Aimé, Executive Director, Coalition against Trafficking in Women, USA
- Mr. George Tarr, UNHCR Refugee Youth Representative and Refugee Congress Honorary Delegate for New York, Liberia
- Mr. Vernor Munoz, Head of Policy & Advocacy of the Global Campaign for Education, Costa Rica (MGoS)
Ministerial Respondent:
- H.E. Mr. Pasi Hellman, Vice Minister, Under-Secretary of State for Development Policy, Finland
Interventions by other ministers and participants (up to 2-3 minutes each)
