SDG #16 - How life has changed since December 2021
SDG #16 - how life has changed since December 2021
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals do not change, but their monthly focus does. In 2021, SDG#16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - was the UN’s focus for December. This year they have chosen to look at SDG #16 in May – so we find ourselves writing about the same SDG with just a few months’ gap in between.
Yet it feels like the entire world has tilted on its axis since December 2021. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has upended the idea of perpetual peace in Europe and called into question most, if not all, of our assumptions about progress in the world order, the value of peace, compromise and globalisation, and made many of us realise just how precious living in a true democracy is.
Upholding the notions of Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions are more important than ever.
Peace
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced over 7.7 million people according to the latest estimates by the International Organization of Migration – the equivalent of 17% of its population. Over 5 million of those have left the country altogether.
Before the conflict had begun in Ukraine, similarly brutal wars were being waged across Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Congo – the list goes on. The war on Europe’s borders brought this globalised suffering home to us in a very visceral way.
The opposite of “peace” – “war”, “unrest”, “violence”, “upheaval” – whatever name you choose to call it, is the most visible, brutal demonstration of a society that has ceased to function. Whether that dysfunction is through internal strife or an external aggressor, the awful result for the majority of the population is the same.
“War” is absolutely unignorable, and yet “Peace” is very easy ignorable to those of us who take it for granted. It is simply the status quo. The idea that life might not be like this is almost unfathomable. This makes “peace” – or rather the absence of peace - the most tangible of the three parts to SDG #16’s “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”
justice
The rest of SDG#16 – “Justice and Strong institutions” might be a little more theoretical for us to get to grips with, but they are no less important.
Justice is a foundational part of the social contract; it ensures that actions have consequences. Referring back to the situation in the Ukraine as the most current example we have, once peace is re-established, justice for the crimes perpetrated must be upheld – hence the increasing calls for individual Russians (and President Putin) to be indicted for war crimes.
The Mirriam-Webster online dictionary has a long list of definitions and interpretations for “Justice”, but the most compelling we found were “the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity”, and alongside that, “the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action”. To our minds justice is a twofold concept – it is ensuring that the legal, judicial framework of a give place is structured correctly and functional, whilst also being part of the fabric of peoples’ lives. At its most basic, “justice” is treating people as you would like to be treated – in a fair, reasonable and kind manner.
strong institutions
“Strong institutions” is, if we’re honest, a rather dry and uninspiring pairing of words – but dig a little deeper and you’ll find a set of norms that form part of the invisible fabric of functional western society but that are virtually non-existent in other parts of the world. According to UNICEF, “1 in 4 children under the age of 5 do not officially exist”. If you don’t officially exist, how can you exercise your rights as a citizen? Rights such as access to healthcare, schooling, legal support and voter representation? And what if healthcare or the education system are on rather shaky foundations too? All the more reason for citizens and communities to push for better from their local representatives; tricky if you “don’t exist”.
In fact, once you start thinking about what an “institution” actually is, you realise the enormity of scope and ambition that SDG#16 covers, ideas that very often don’t cross our paths in every day life. The UN estimates that 31% of the global prison population is held without charge – a figure that is virtually unchanged in a decade – a shameful gap in international policing and judicial institutions. Corruption, bribery, theft and tax evasion cost developing countries roughly $1.26 trillion in 2019 according to the World Economic Forum – indictments of governmental oversight, tax processes, financial regulations and business iterations at every level.
Not even education escapes unscathed. One study conducted by International Crisis Group found that to get a place at medical school on a particular Russian province, you would have to pay around $10,000 in bribes and “unofficial payments” to secure a place – even before a student became liable for the actual school fees.
What we can do
How can we, as individuals and businesses, often very far removed from many of these issues both physically and in terms of influence, help?
Choose your cause.
With so many issues covered by SDG#16, it is almost impossible to champion them all, so pick what you decide to support with care.
Is access to free education something you believe passionately in? Or perhaps its universal healthcare? You many decide to go for something a little more niche like campaigning against prison overpopulation or better infrastructure around birth registrations in sub-Saharan Africa (currently only 46% of births are registered in that area). The digital space is a relatively new and incredibly challenging new addition to human safeguarding; 1 in 3 internet users worldwide is a child and 800 million of them use social media. Any child can become a victim of online violence.
What ever you choose as your project – make sure you stay informed; the worst thing any of us can do is ignore these issues or hope that someone else will make it go away.
Ensure your own governance is in place
As with any cause you choose to support, it is difficult to give voice to something when you, or your business, are falling short yourselves.
Make sure your corporate policies are fully in line with the broader, SDG# 16 changes you hope to see happen. Ideally you would have the full suite of responsible governance policies available immediately, but may not have the time or manpower to do so. If this is the case, choose your initial policy offerings with care – if greater accountability in the justice system is your thing, look to implement a whistleblower policy and robust grievance procedures into the workplace. Endorsing a Breastfeeding Policy in the workplace dovetails nicely with better child and maternal healthcare, whilst establishing your broad framework of ESG-related policies [LINK] demonstrates a corporate commitment to the idea of institutional responsibility and probity.
Audit your business operations
We’ve written about this extensively elsewhere, but ensuring that your business is in no way complicit with harmful or corrupt practices as part of its wider supplier network is a critical part of your responsibility as a company. We’ll quote ourselves here when we say “Put a foot down and broadcast a zero-tolerance approach against abuse, exploitation, and any other forms of violence against vulnerable populations within businesses in your value chain.”
Again, quoting ourselves we are firm believers in leading by example – “Your action is not a supplement to, but a complimentary extension of governmental and civil society efforts to create Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions globally.”
However intangible or theoretical the concepts of “Peace Justice and Strong Institutions” might seem, we each bear a responsibility to see that they are upheld wherever we are in the world – and fight for the rights of people that we’ll probably never meet, but who do not share our good fortune to live somewhere that has this framework running smoothly along in the background, unnoticed. Unnoticed only until an event comes along that shakes us all awake again and forces us to pay attention.
Our blog exploring the UN’s changing focus on the Sustainable Development Goals is published monthly - making the SDGs relevant and applicable to every day business life. Recent pieces look at the amazing, fragile world around us, gender equality and good health as a global right. For an overview of all 17 goals, click here.