There is no peace without justice, there is no justice without forgiveness  - Pope Giovanni Paolo II

We cannot achieve sustainable development without peace, justice, human rights and effective governance. SDG 16 aims at promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels, by 2030. This is still a difficult challenge. 

In recent years, no substantial progresses have been made. Millions of people have been deprived of their security, rights and opportunities. In 2018, the number of people escaping war and persecutions exceeded 70 millions, the highest level in almost 70 years. The global homicide rate was steady at around 6 percent over the 2007–2017 decade, with the highest rates observed in Latin America and the Caribbean. Men constitute around 80 percent of homicide victims overall, while women represent the majority of murder victims in cases of intimate partner homicide. Victims were different depending on the form of exploitation. In 2016, 83 percent of the female victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation, while 82 percent of the males were trafficked for forced labour.

Birth registration is fundamental to help people access their individual rights and to have a legal identity. Nowadays, still less than three quarters of children under 5 years of age worldwide have had their births registered. However, much work has been done recently to improve civil registration systems and to spread awareness among citizens, but more efforts are needed. In addition, murder rates among journalists and human rights advocates are increasing. Every week, an average of nine people, trying to build more inclusive and equal societies, are murdered, among which at least one is a woman. Latin America is the region with the highest homicide rates. Between the most dangerous cities we find Caracas (Venezuela), with 119,87 homicides every 100.000 inhabitants. However, over the last few years, we have seen an improvement about security conditions in two cities: Ciudad Juarez (Mexico) and Medellin (Columbia). On the other hand, we find the safest countries in Northern Europe: specifically Norway, Finland and Iceland.

The U.N. has provided some targets to follow in order to create more equal, peaceful and inclusive societies, you can find by checking this link out.

Armed conflicts and insecurity have a strong impact on a country’s development, affecting its economic growth. Moreover, conflicts result in sexual violence, crime and torture. SDG 16 aims at significantly reducing all forms of violence and ending conflicts and insecurity. Promoting the respect of the law and of human rights is key in order to achieve this goal.

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