Information provided by the United Nations

According to the UN’s website, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 is stated as the following: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels” (Overview). More specifically, it demands that people be protected from an efficient, non-corrupt, stable government which prevents as many homicides, imprisonment, conflicts, and other forms of persecution as possible. This goal is comprised of 12 targets with 1-4 indicators each to quantify if the target was met.

What are some targets and indicators being used?

The following section takes information solely from the UN’s Website Targets and Indicators Tab

The most direct target of Goal 16 is Target 16.1. The indicators of this goal describe reducing the amount of violence per 100,000 people, whether it be homicide, conflict-related deaths, sexual, physical, or psychological violence, or simply being safe from violence in your current location. Goal 16 then discusses how creating democratic, open states might reduce the quantity of such violence. For example, Targets 16.5 and 16.6 and their indicators demand reducing the prevalence of corruption while also creating accountable institutions both fiscally and legally. Presumably, these more open practices should make a more efficient government. The final targets of note are Targets 16.a and 16.b. While Indicator 16.a.1 discusses each nation having an independent human rights commission, Indicator 16.b.1 states a reduction of annual cases of people filing discrimination suits under international human rights law.

How effective has the implementation of this SDG been?

The following section information is solely from the UN’s Website Progress and Info Tab

While some progress has been made, Goal 16 has generally been slow to be achieved. While homicides were 6.3/100,000 in 2015, the 2019 rate of homicides have been reduced to 5.9/100,000. This is starting to fulfill Indicator 16.1.1 which calls for a reduction of the homicide rate. The Covid-19 Pandemic for example stopped progress towards having countries adopt freedom of information laws.

For goals, targets, and indicators not met, overarching governmental changes have been slow to implement. For example, low-income nations still have a bribery prevalence rate of 37.6%. This high prevalence of bribery, a form of corruption, makes achieving Target 16.5 very difficult as it. Even wore, in 145 counties from 2006-2020, about 1/6 businesses needed to pay bribe money to a politician. Finally with Targets 16.a and 16.b, there has been no new human rights organizations or indicators set up since 2018 in Latin America, the Caribbean, Oceania, Western Asia, Eastern and South-Eastern Asia.

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