#Goal16: #Peace, #Justice & #StrongInstitutions
Updated: Nov 3, 2018
It would be untruthful of me to say that I have never indulged in quintessential and dare I say “basic” photo where I’m throwing up the peace sign. I was a teenager once after all.
Starting off as a movement in the US in the 60s, this timeless hand gesture continues to be used today. The peace movement in the 60s, at the time, was considered something of “hippy” culture. But today, the desire for world peace is more mainstream.
via GIPHY
Now, how do the Global Goals propose we actually address this ever-popular desire to live harmoniously?
The first step is to significantly reduce all forms of violence and related deaths everywhere. Australia records over 32,000 violent related crimes per year. Nationally, we also see nearly 250 people murdered each year. While the words “significantly reduce” don’t give us a concrete target to which we can work towards, through consultation with government, we will confirm a statistic which we can commit to achieving by 2030.
Target 16.2 requires we end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. This reflects the growing movement in Australia away from targeting “domestic violence” and towards targeting “family violence”.
Target 16.3 encourages the promotion of the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. This includes services such as legal aid in Australia.
By 2030, Goal 16 states we should significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organised crime.
Target 16.5 aims to substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms. Unfortunately, corruption still exists in Australia, but it is incredibly difficult to measure or set targets. However, by developing effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels, we can start to combat corruption and bribery.
Image credit: Denise Day Smith
Target 16.7 requires we have responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. This links back into #Goal 5: #GenderEquality and #Goal10: #ReducedInequalities by ensuring everyone is involved in decision-making, no matter their age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
Target 16.9 aims to ensure we provide legal identity for all, including birth registration. Australia has achieved this target by ensuring each person has a birth certificate and that legal identity documents, such as passports, proof of age cards or driver’s licenses are accessible for citizens.
It’s also important to ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms. Australia’s Freedom of Information Act shows great progress towards this target already.
To achieve Goal 16, we must strengthen relevant national institutions for building capacity at all levels to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime. We must also promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development. This is especially important for the achievement of Goals 5 and 10.
Of course, we also must mobilise Australian resources to ensure the achievement of the Global Goals in the Indo-Pacific region also. In this sense, we must also look at Target 16.8 which states we must increase the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance.
If Australia’s commitment to promoting peace and justice in the region sounds like something with which you would like to become involved, check out “Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” and head over to our “What Can I Do?” page to see how you can become part of the solution with the Global Goals Australia Campaign!
This article was originally published on the Global Goals Australia Campaign website.