The Civil Society Declaration on SDG16+

The Annual Civil Society Declaration on SDG16+ began in 2019, as a formal civil society input into the annual SDG16 Conference, previously held in Rome, Italy. Now taking place in New York at the United Nations Headquarters (co-organized by the the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and IDLO, in partnership with the Government of Italy) civil society continue to produce an annual Civil Society Declaration on SDG16+ issues, featuring the concerns, priorities, and demands of colleagues working at the intersection of peace, justice, civic space, human rights, and accountable institutions.

As we approach 2030, it is imperative to assess the widening gap between rhetoric and reality. The world faces an unprecedented geopolitical storm that further hinders progress towards building a more peaceful, just, and inclusive world order. Because it demands deep, systemic, and transformative change, SDG16 can only be achieved through a renewed and genuine commitment to its full realization in all its dimensions. Through both a consultative workshop and an online survey, the TAP Network and Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS) will collect inputs, proposals and recommendations from civil society partners working around SDG16 (peace, justice, civic space, human rights, accountable institutions) and its interlinkages across the 2030 agenda. With severe backsliding in peace, democracy, and human rights, and existential threats to civil society on the rise, this Civil Society Declaration comes at a critical time for civil society to speak out collectively against these disturbing downward trends at international and national levels, and call on governments to take action.