Day 14: The SDGs consultation and the Goal 16 “Peace, justice and strong institutions” is in the spotlight

 Goal 16 “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels” is the focus of today’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consultations, conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), General Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs,   supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Organization of Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). The goal includes the following background,

“Peace, stability, human rights and effective governance based on the rule of law are important conduits for sustainable development. We are living in a world that is increasingly divided. Some regions enjoy sustained levels of peace, security and prosperity while others fall into seemingly endless cycles of conflict and violence. This is by no means inevitable and must be addressed.

High levels of armed violence and insecurity have a destructive impact on a country’s development, affecting economic growth and often resulting in long standing grievances among communities that can last for generations. Sexual violence, crime, exploitation and torture are also prevalent where there is conflict or no rule of law, and countries must take measures to protect those who are most at risk.” [1]

Representatives of about 13 national ministries and agencies discussed the proposed 12 targets to the Goal 16 and their relevance to Turkmenistan. Participants of todays’ consultation agreed to adopt all global targets as is.  Sixteen of 23 indicators were accepted without modification.  Four were changed to the local context, and one national indicator has been developed.

Crucial topics covered during the consultations were related to the issues of reducing all forms of violence, including in relation to children, tackling corruption and developing effective and accountable institutions.

While there is no national definition of physical, psychological and sexual violence, the country already gathers relevant data. In the near future, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in cooperation with the national partners will carry out a survey on domestic violence. Whereas the roll out of the survey is underway, the data from this survey will be used to recommend changes in legislation improvement, the adoption of which will allow expand UN-Government cooperation in this area.  

The participants agreed on the importance of fighting corruption as it allows people to enjoy equal rights and access to justice as well as government services.

Human trafficking was also a part of a discussion.