Background

COVID-19 has set back advances made across all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes any progress made so far on SDG 16, which aims to foster peace, justice and inclusion. Without progress on SDG 16, achieving other parts of the 2030 Agenda will be even more difficult. 

Effective, transparent and responsive governance is inextricably linked to achieving the 2030 Agenda. Without safety and security, it will be difficult to facilitate access to education for all. Without equal access to public services and addressing corruption, many marginalized groups will be denied health services. Without access to justice, disputes related to housing or employment can go unresolved.

The COVID-19 crisis has only highlighted this further as governance failures have resulted in increasing inequalities, deteriorating trust in public intuitions and significant obstacles to accessible services, including health services. An appropriate distribution, use and oversight of power is critical for sustainable development. An effective recovery from COVID-19 requires understanding how the balance of power is changing at local, national and global levels. SDG 16 attempts to address some of these power imbalances and is therefore key for recovery from COVID-19.

We must therefore step up our work to end violence, uphold the rule of law, and strengthen inclusive institutions.

Bringing together the latest research and expertise on the subject, with perspectives from the Global South, this roundtable will:

1. distinguish what is helping or hindering countries from achieving SDG 16;

2. determine specifically how efforts toward more peaceful, just and inclusive societies are integral to defining COVID-19 recovery; and

3. unpack the interlinkages between SDG 16 and the rest of the 2030 Agenda.

Purpose and Objectives

The event will connect policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders to debate the following questions:

1. What are emerging trends on SDG 16 (peace, justice and inclusion), with a particular focus on the Global South? How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected progress on this Goal in different contexts?

2. Peace, justice and inclusion can support progress on the 2030 Agenda as a whole, including on health, the economy and the environment. What do we know about these ‘SDG 16 interlinkages’ and how can we use them pro-actively as levers to inform recovery?

The event will showcase relevant findings from research collaborations such as:

• Emerging trends on SDG 16 from regional roundtables and thematic e-discussions aimed at amplifying research and perspectives from Latin America, Asia and Africa. Led by Southern Voice.

• SDG 16 interlinkages across the 2030 Agenda. Led by the German Development Institute/Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE).

Relevant Files