European Sustainable Development Week Events on SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Out of the over 6,300 events that will be taking place all over Europe during the ESDW 2019, 191 events currently address SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, which seeks to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

SDG 16 aims to: 

1. Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
2. End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.
3. Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.
4. By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime.
5. Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms.
6. Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
7. Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
8. Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance.
9. By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration.
10. Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.

Progress being made towards achieving SDG 16

• Many regions of the world continue to suffer untold horrors as a result of armed conflict or other forms of violence that occur within societies and at the domestic level. Advances in promoting the rule of law and access to justice are uneven. However, progress is being made in regulations to promote public access to information, albeit slowly, and in strengthening institutions upholding human rights at the national level.
  • Nearly 8 in 10 children aged 1 to 14 years were subjected to some form of psychological aggression and/or physical punishment on a regular basis at home in 81 countries (primarily developing), according to available data from 2005 to 2017. In all but seven of these countries, more than half of children experienced violent forms of discipline.
  • More than 570 different flows involving trafficking in persons were detected between 2012 and 2014, affecting all regions; many involved movement from lower-income to higher-income countries.
  • In 2014, the majority of detected trafficking victims were women and girls (71 per cent), and about 28 per cent were children (20 per cent girls and 8 per cent boys). Over 90 per cent of victims detected were trafficked for sexual exploitation or forced labour.
  • The proportion of prisoners held in detention without being sentenced for a crime remained almost constant in the last decade: from 32 per cent in 2003–2005 to 31 per cent in 2014–2016.
  • Almost one in five firms worldwide report receiving at least one bribery payment request when engaged in regulatory or utility transactions.
  • Globally, 73 per cent of children under 5 have had their births registered; the proportion is less than half (46 per cent) in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • At least 1,019 human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists have been killed in 61 countries since 2015. This is equivalent to one person killed every day while working to inform the public and build a world free from fear and want.
  • Freedom-of-information laws and policies have been adopted by 116 countries, with at least 25 countries doing so over the last five years. However, implementation remains a challenge.
  • Since 1998, more than half of countries (116 of 197) have established a national human rights institution that has been peer reviewed for compliance with internationally agreed standards (the Paris Principles). However, only 75 of these countries have institutions that are fully compliant.

To find out  more about the ESDW Events dealing with SDG 16: Peace, Justic and Strong Institutions, please visit the Activities section on the ESDW website.