Meeting the Moment: 
Peace, Justice, Equality and Inclusive Governance as Central to Global Development

Maggie Williams
Associate Director, SDG16+, Pathfinders
[email protected]

As the 2025 High-Level Political Forum convenes under the theme of “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions” in July 2025, it highlights the deeper truth of SDG 16: that peace, justice, equality, and inclusive governance are not optional — they are foundational to achieving the entire 2030 Agenda. 

July 2025

A Time of Overlapping Shocks

We are living in a period of profound disruption, marked by overlapping crises, rising inequality, and intensifying geopolitical tensions. From violence and insecurity to a global justice gap affecting billions, climate shocks and crippling global debt, these challenges affect all societies, but unequally. Of the 1.1 billion people living in acute multidimensional poverty globally, 40% are in conflict-affected countries, highlighting the inextricable link between peace and development.

Multilateralism and the credibility of global institutions are under extraordinary strain, official development assistance (ODA) is rapidly falling, and the frameworks that once unified international action, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, are being questioned as the UN approaches its 80 anniversary amidst major, if not at points necessary, reform.

Governance systems at all levels are stretched, testing their capacity to respond and to adapt to these challenges and to deliver for people and the planet. Social fabrics are fraying, and over half of populations globally have little or no trust in their governments.

The world is at an inflection point.

Amid this complex landscape, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in particular SDG 16, remain significantly off track. But we know that progress on the SDGs is possible, and that SDG16 on peace, justice, equality, and inclusive institutions is not just aspirational, but possible, with practical dividends across development, economic, and security priorities.

If global cooperation is to regain credibility, SDG 16, in policy and principle, must be understood not as a peripheral goal in the larger sustainable development ecosystem, but as the backbone of an integrated 2030 Agenda, fundamental to both meeting the moment now and to preparing for the future.

The Canary in the Coal Mine

SDG 16 is the canary in the coal mine of sustainable development—a barometer of institutional health, social trust, and national resilience. When its indicators deteriorate—through eroded access to justice, weakened accountability, or shrinking civic space, for example—it signals that broader development gains are at risk of reversal.

This makes sense. People who don't feel safe leaving their homes cannot reach jobs, send children to school, or access basic services. In contexts with fragile institutions and exclusive justice systems, external shocks like pandemics or price hikes cause disproportionate, long-term damage. Conversely, strong, inclusive, and adaptable institutions help societies absorb disruption, address unrest, navigate change and protect those most vulnerable. In this way, SDG 16 acts as the 2030 Agenda's pulse check—providing early warning for potential setbacks, while also often acting as a catalyst for positive change.

A Systems Enabler for Sustainable Development that is cost-effective

The rule of law and access to justice correlate with improved economic growth, greater peace, better education, and health outcomes. Conversely, injustice and inequality increase the risk of conflict and violence, limit access to rights and essential services and weaken trust in the very institutions.

Societies with lower levels of violence and political instability are more productive, have better access to information and suffer less from corruption and ineffective governments. Even in places deemed generally peaceful, violence can cost upwards of 10% of a country’s GDP. Conversely, $1 spent on conflict prevention could yield $103 in savings. And more equal societies have better growth rates, benefiting not only the poorest members of society but everyone, including women and girls. It is estimated that closing the gender gap could give the global economy a 7 trillion dollar boost.

The business case for SDG 16 is clear, as are the policy interlinkages across the SDGs and the broader UN system. SDG 16 is widely acknowledged as an enabler of the 2030 Agenda, with a steady increase in its inclusion in Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) and Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) since 2016 highlighting the same.

In an era where ODA is expected to drop by 17 percent in 2025, and where over 3.4 billion people now live in countries spending more on debt service than on health or education, this cost-effectiveness cannot be ignored. As development financing evolves, including through an increased push for blended finance and private capital mobilization, the value of peace, stability and a predictable environment for development partners and investors becomes even more apparent.

Trends and the Race for Resources

The value of this catalytic role is amplified amidst trends and an ever-accelerating race for resources. New green industries, for example, could be worth over 10 trillion USD by 2050, generating high-value jobs, innovation and long-term competitiveness. But for this potential to manifest, including in critical mineral extraction and for those who actually live in these locales, transitions must be just and address inequalities at their core.

On climate action, inclusion, accountability, transparency and anti-corruption enhance marine and coastal protection, promote fisheries sustainability, and support climate adaptation. Similarly, access to justice strengthens community resilience to environmental impacts by providing dispute resolution during shocks, upholding the social contract, and enabling people-centered adaptation.

And in a world of rapid technological advancement and AI, where the average person spends 6 hours and 38 minutes online daily, addressing digital exclusion, information integrity, privacy, and hate speech becomes fundamental to how we function and coexist as societies.

Many of these trends converge in cities, where 68% of the world is anticipated to live by 2050. In such a context, never before has the need for smart, adaptive governance, as grounded in peace, justice, and inclusion been more clear.

These are not only moral concerns; they are central to stability and risk-informed development, and where development is happening fastest.

Governance and public sector action are fundamental factors in de-risking private and public investment, attracting the necessary multistakeholder partnerships and capital to drive equitable transformation at scale. This is particularly true in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, which is predicted to grow from 10% to 25% of the global working-age population, and where the stakes could not be higher.

Looking ahead: SDG 16 to meet the moment

The assumptions of an ever-growing economic pie and unlimited resources are long gone. Our world is increasingly one of trade-offs, difficult choices, and resource constraints. SDG 16 is no silver bullet, but it offers a powerful framework for navigating these challenges in ways that are both effective and equitable.

This week’s High-Level Political Forum provides a platform to reaffirm this message. Future high-level platforms and negotiations, from COP30 to the Peacebuilding Architecture Review and the 2nd World Social Summit provide similarly important opportunities- a chance to demonstrate that peace, justice and inclusive governance are not mere add-ons to development but essential foundations for sustainable progress.

And as UN institutional reforms reverberate out of New York, SDG 16 provides a critical bridge between peacebuilding and development. The development-conflict relationship is often oversimplified, with peacebuilding reduced to security or mediation and development assumed to lead to peace. In reality, pathways to sustaining peace are complex and context-specific. Research indicates, e.g., that exclusion from power, land, services, or justice, is often more linked to violence than poverty alone, underscoring the need to integrate development and peace efforts, rather than treating them as separate or sequential - as reflected in SDG 16's holistic approach.

Conclusion: Stand for Something

From Gaza to Sudan, Ukraine to Haiti, injustice and conflict dominate headlines, underscoring the urgency of returning to promises made in 2015. The erosion of democratic norms stems not from rejecting democracy itself—nearly 90% of people globally still support democratic ideals—but from disillusionment with institutions perceived as unresponsive, unfair and not delivering.

In an increasingly fragmented world, peace and development must center on those furthest behind as strategic choice. Investing in the resilience of the most vulnerable generates ripple effects of stability and trust that benefit societies far beyond individual communities.

The SDGs remain our strongest blueprint for equitable development. SDG 16 is the connective tissue, inclusive of successes and shortcomings. While we must remain focused on current commitments amidst post-2030 discussions, the coming years offer pivotal moments—from the SDG Summit in 2027 to the Pact for the Future review in 2028— to recenter multilateral cooperation around responsive, people-centered governance and to champion countries and communities alike working toward more peaceful and just societies.

As the world and multilateralism adapt to new realities, SDG 16 offers a transformative system of policies and principles to stand for and a future in which people are empowered to actualize their potential, institutions deliver equally and effectively, and social contracts are adaptive and cohesive. An imperative for the present and a future to believe in.

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