Peace, justice and inclusive institutions: overcoming challenges to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 16

The SDGs are intended to be universal, in the sense of global applicability. Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is officially titled: ‘Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels’. This article provides an analysis of the importance of SDG 16 to achieving all of the SDGs, the progress on implementation of SDG 16 to date, the principal challenges that countries are encountering in the implementation of SDG 16, and proposes a set of policy solutions to overcome those challenges. It argues that progress on SDG 16 is critical to progress on the other SDGs and, therefore, it is imperative that countries vigorously attempt to overcome those challenges to meet the targets indicated for each goal. It draws on country experience as well as on the author’s own field experience.