Goal 16 is about promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. People everywhere should be free of fear from all forms of violence and feel safe as they go about their lives whatever their ethnicity, faith or sexual orientation.
High levels of armed violence and insecurity have a destructive impact on a country’s development. Sexual violence, crime, exploitation and torture are prevalent where there is conflict or no rule of law. Governments, civil society and communities need to work together to find lasting solutions to conflict and insecurity. Strengthening the rule of law and promoting human rights is key to this process, as is reducing the flow of illicit arms, combating corruption, and ensuring inclusive participation at all times.
- As of May 2022, the number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution had surpassed 100 million.
- In 2021 alone, 320 fatal attacks against human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists were recorded in 35 countries.
- At least 13,842 deaths were associated with 12 of the world’s deadliest armed conflicts in 2021, including 11,075 civilians. However, civilian deaths dropped by 17 per cent from 2020, and by 69 per cent from 2015.
- Over the last decade, the world has spent $349 billion on peacekeeping, humanitarian relief and refugee support.
- Between 2016 and 2020, 28 per cent of seized weapons were reported as successfully traced. From 2018 to 2019, national authorities destroyed 48 per cent of weapons seized, found or surrendered.
- Between 2015 and 2020, the global homicide rate declined by 5.2 per cent – from 5.9 to 5.6 homicides per 100,000 people. Globally, 8 out of 10 recorded homicide victims are male.
- Women and girls comprise about 60 per cent of all homicide victims killed by intimate partners or family members.
- By 2030, the global homicide rate is projected to decrease by 19 per cent from the 2015 level, to around 4.8 per 100,000 people, but still short of the “significant reduction” targeted in the SDGs.
- Globally, almost 1 in 6 businesses face requests for bribe payments by public officials. Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022
16.1 Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
16.2 End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children
16.3 Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all
16.4 By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime
16.5 Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms
16.6 Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.8 Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance
16.9 By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration
16.10 Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements
16.A Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime
16.B Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
UN Department of Political Affairs
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
UN Counter Terrorism Committee
High Time to End Violence against Children
UN action for cooperation against trafficking in persons (UN-ACT)
UN office of the special representative of the secretary-general on violence against children
COVID-19 response
Human rights are key in shaping the pandemic response. By respecting human rights in this time of crisis, we will build more effective and inclusive solutions for the emergency of today and the recovery for tomorrow.
Human rights put people centre-stage. Responses that are shaped by and respect human rights result in better outcomes in beating the pandemic, ensuring healthcare for everyone and preserving human dignity.
The UN Secretary General urged governments to be transparent, responsive and accountable in their COVID-19 response and ensure that any emergency measures are legal, proportionate, necessary and non-discriminatory. “The best response is one that responds proportionately to immediate threats while protecting human rights and the rule of law,” he said.
To focus on “the true fight,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a global ceasefire, in an appeal urging warring parties across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the bigger battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 2 million people have signed the online petition in support of the Secretary-General’s cease-fire appeal. You can sign it here.
UN Peacekeeping Missions are continuing to carry out their mandates while also helping countries in their coronavirus response, which is guided by four main objectives: to protect UN personnel and their capacity to continue critical operations; help contain and mitigate the spread of the virus, ensuring that UN personnel are not a contagion vector; support national authorities in their response to COVID-19; and continue to deliver on key mandates.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) stepped up health, water, sanitation and hygiene services to protect refugees and displaced people, working with governments to ensure that people forced to flee are included in COVID-19 preparation and response plans.
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