Monitoring Progress on SDG16 at the Time of the Pandemic: Launch of the SDG16 Data Initiative 2020 Global Report

In 2015, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted unanimously the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that comprises of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal 16’s promise of peaceful, just, and inclusive societies. Today, in the margins of the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and amidst development challenges related to the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic, there is a need to assess where we are, what data is needed, and set a roadmap on the next steps towards the achievement of SDG16.  

The SDG 16 Data Initiative, a consortium of 17 organizations dedicated to the implementation and open tracking of progress toward the SDG16 targets, has collectively established an online resource at www.sdg16.org that combines official and non-official data on SDG16 and produced a Global Report that seeks to present the current state on the advancement around SDG16.

As the result of this joint effort, the SDG16 Data Initiative is pleased to present its fourth annual Global Report, part of a series aimed at evaluating global progress on SDG16 both as a stand-alone goal and as an enabler for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. The Global Report provides governments, UN officials, civil society actors, the academia and other stakeholders with a resource to help understand progress on the SDG16 targets. It also provides an evidence base for identifying gaps in both the implementation and monitoring of SDG16, and for altering course to accelerate implementation where needed. In addition, by relying on both official data collected by National Statistical Offices (NSOs) and robust non-official data collected by civil society organizations and other institutions, the Global Report provides a holistic view of progress under each of the SDG16 targets, within the SDG16+ conceptual framework.

Among the key issues analyzed in this edition of the Global Report, we highlight global violence and sex-disaggregated data; official and non-official data for conflict analysis; trade-related illicit financial flows; corruption; valid and viable measurement of SDG16 targets; access to information; and data gap on peace, justice, and accountable institutions.

The purpose of this online event is to launch the Global Report, and have a conversation on its key elements, while further discussing challenges and opportunities for the achievement of SDG16, with special focus on:

• The crucial role of civil society in supporting and complementing the work of governments in collecting, monitoring, and reporting on data for SDG16.

• SDG16 as an enabler of the broader Sustainable Development Agenda; and the impact of the current pandemic and its intensifying effect on many pre-existing challenges to achieving peace, justice, and inclusion.

• Positive developments that contribute to the Decade of Action and Accountability, building on highlights of the three previous SDG16DI Global Reports covering the availability of data on all 12 SDG16 targets (2017); the triune aims of SDG16 for peace, justice, and inclusion (2018); and the state of SDG16 globally according to nonofficial data for all 12 targets (2019).

• Reinforcement of the importance of non-official data in monitoring the governance, impact and response to Covid-19.

To RSVP, please use this registration form. Registration will close on 12 November at 07:00(EST).

*The event will be livestreamed on International IDEA's YouTube Channel.