Roundtable on Sustainable Development Through Access to Justice and the Rule of Law

The conference Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies: SDG 16 Implementation and the Path to Leaving No One Behind, co-organized by UN DESA and IDLO with the Government of Italy, was held in Rome on 27-29 May 2019, to contribute to the preparations for the July 2019 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

The event gathered more than 300 participants from government, civil society and the expert community, including an extensive pool of judiciary and other rule of law professionals. Drawing on this extensive pool of experience and expertise, a Panel at the conference on Sustainable Development through Access to Justice and the Rule of Law, provided an exceptional opportunity for mapping different contributions of the rule of law to the implementation of the SDG 16 and overall progress towards the 2030 Agenda.

Among other issues more than 15 contributors to the panel’s work discussed: judicial independence and integrity; accountability of institutions of governance; right to participation in public affairs; justice systems coordination and interface of formal and informal mechanisms; promising strategies for justice for women; justice-oriented measures for addressing multidimensional inequalities; contribution of justice systems to implementation of peace agreements; and the use of technology for access to justice.

Many of these contributors from government, international institutions and civil society will join in an interactive discussion to draw some of the main messages on these issues from the Rome Conference and to point to avenues of progress in the context of the thematic consideration of SDG 16 in HLPF and the overall theme of the HLPF session: “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality.”

Opening Remarks

Irene Khan, Director General, IDLO

Massimo Tommasoli, Permanent Observer, International IDEA

Philip Odida, Deputy Permanent Representative, Uganda

Followed by a Debate of Member State and Civil Society interacting with Experts including:

Pablo de Greiff, Rapporteur, UN Human Rights Council Experts Group on Prevention

Luigi Marini, Legal Advisor, Permanent Mission of Italy (TBC)

Aparna Basnyat, Rule of Law, Security and Human Rights Specialist, UNDP

Maaike de Langen, Head of Research, Task Force on Justice at Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

Anika Holterhof, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, UNODC

Katherine Liao, Human Rights Officer, OHCHR