LocationsThe Launch of the 4th Global Progress Report on SDG 16
September 24, 2026
The new SDG 16 digital platform brings the findings and data from the Fourth Global Progress Report on SDG 16 into an interactive, accessible format.
From Measuring Progress to Shaping Action on SDG 16
On 23 September, during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, UNDP, OHCHR, UNODC and UNICEF launched the 4th Global Progress Report on SDG 16: Peaceful, Just and Strong Institutions.
Drawing on the latest internationally comparable data, the report provides a global assessment of progress towards peaceful, just and inclusive societies. A decade into the 2030 Agenda, the findings show that progress is possible, but remains too slow, uneven and fragile. The report highlights the importance of effective, accountable, inclusive and trusted institutions, and the need to turn better data and evidence into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
The launch brought together representatives from Member States, the United Nations, parliaments and civil society to reflect on ten years of evidence on SDG 16 and discuss how measurement can better inform action in the remaining years to 2030.
Opening the event, Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, highlighted the central role of effective, accountable and inclusive institutions in achieving and sustaining development. Ten years into the SDGs, he noted that while progress on SDG 16 remains too slow, uneven and fragile, countries have significantly strengthened their ability to measure progress across peace, justice, governance, human rights and inclusion.
"Better evidence can help us see problems more clearly, make better decisions and strengthen the institutions that ultimately determine people's experience of development."– Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support
He stressed that the real measure of progress is whether people are safer, can access justice and exercise their rights, have a meaningful voice in decisions, and are served by institutions that deliver.
Read Marcos Neto's full opening remarks.
Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, delivers opening remarks at the launch of the Fourth Global Progress Report on SDG 16.
Following the opening remarks, Claudia Fuentes Julio, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights and Head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), presented the 4th Global Progress Report on SDG 16 and its key findings.
João Pedro Azevedo, Deputy Director for Data and Analytics and UNICEF’s Chief Statistician, then provided a spotlight on advancing SDG 16 for children and young people, bringing a specific focus to what progress on peace, justice and inclusion means for children and younger generations.
The panel discussion, “From Measuring Progress to Shaping Action: Ten Years of Evidence for SDG 16 and the Path Forward,” then brought together perspectives from government, parliaments, civil society and development cooperation. Panellists reflected on what a decade of evidence tells us about progress on SDG 16, and how countries can translate stronger measurement into policies and institutional reforms that improve people’s lives.
It featured Tulia Ackson, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; Gunn Jorid Roset, Director General of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad); Mandeep S. Tiwana, Secretary General of CIVICUS; Prosper Douglas Bani, National Security Advisor of Ghana; and Marco Riccardo Rusconi, Director at the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). The discussion was moderated by Toril Pedersen, Director of the UNDP Global Policy Centre for Governance.
A new way to explore progress on SDG 16
The launch also introduced a new digital platform for the Global Progress Report on SDG 16, complementing the written report with an interactive way to explore its data and findings.
Through data visualisations and scrollytelling, the platform allows users to explore the latest evidence on peace, justice and strong institutions and better understand where progress is being made, where gaps remain and what the data tell us about the path towards 2030.
Explore the 4th Global Progress Report and its digital platform: sdg16progress.org
Audience at the launch of the 4th Global Progress Report on SDG 16, held during the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.