SDG16 Data Initiative Global Report 2022: Are we on track to meeting the 2030 agenda?

This year's SDG16 Data Initiative Report , jointly produced by the SDG16 Data Initiative consortium, aims to evaluate global progress towards realizing Sustainable Development Goal 16—Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. In addition, as we are near the halfway point for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the report constitutes a moment for reflection and clarification of priorities for all actors involved in this collaborative pursuit.

The United Nations-adopted SDG16 is a cornerstone of the overall agenda. Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, ensuring access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels are critical threshold conditions for development. SDG16 is built upon the premise that democracy, peace and sustainable development are inseparable: resilient democracy is essential for sustainable development.

The SDG16 Data Initiative 2022 Report is a resource for governments, UN officials and civil society organizations interested in measuring and making progress on SDG 16 targets. The report identifies positive and negative trends and assesses the likelihood of achieving SDG 16 targets, halfway towards the 2030 deadline. The report includes recommendations for conceptual orientation, monitoring and evaluation, and for strategic agenda-setting in a global context that presents complex challenges for meeting key targets set for SDG16 and the overall 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Key findings

This year’s report suggests that it is looking increasingly unlikely for many of the SDG16 indicators to meet key targets. While some progress has been made, indicators such as access to justice, restrictions to civil society and democratic accountability have seen declines, or at best are stagnant. Democratic erosion, protracted conflict, armed violence and inequality are factors that have contributed to these declines.

There is a need for renewed focus on preventing ‘democratic decline’, protecting civil society organizations and media professionals involved in the increasingly high-risk work of defending media freedom, protecting human rights and providing access to justice.

About the SDG16 Data Initiative

The SDG16 Data Initiative is a consortium of 17 organizations dedicated to promoting non-official data on the implementation and tracking of progress towards the targets that comprise the 2030 Agenda’s promise of peaceful, just and inclusive societies by 2030. To this end, we include both global and complementary indicators, presented with official and unofficial data.

Download the SDG16 Data Initiative 2022 Report here!