Thursday 14 July
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 AM EDT | 13:00 – 14:30 GMT/UTC | 14:00 – 15:30 BST/CET
Hosted by Namati, the TAP Network, the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS), CIVICUS and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC)
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This event will offer simultaneous translation in French, Spanish and Arabic.
Background:
Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015, progress towards SDG16+ has been slow and uneven – and in many cases backsliding. On top of this, global trends and forces continue to work against peaceful, just and inclusive societies, with political will from governments fading, closing civic space, and exclusion on the rise. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unique pressures on the world’s governing institutions, presenting once-in-a-generation challenges for all, while exacerbating existing global, existential challenges. Additionally, urgent and ongoing threats to peace and security and international law have emerged in recent months and years, and with authoritarianism on the rise, the 2030 Agenda commitments on inclusive, responsive and participatory decision making, along-with respect for access to information and fundamental freedoms have also assumed greater significance.
In response to these wide-ranging challenges, over 270 civil society organizations have come together to draft and support the 2022 Rome Civil Society Declaration on SDG16+, “SDG16+ in Peril: An urgent call-to-action for safeguarding commitments to Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies”. This 2022 Rome Declaration is an addendum to the 2019 and 2021 versions of the Rome Civil Society Declaration that raises the alarm on the further backsliding of SDG16+ and highlights what civil society stakeholders have identified as key areas where action is needed for peaceful societies to prosper. As civil society, we fear that if urgent action is not decided upon to propel greater action, governments and the international community will collectively fail to deliver on SDG16+ and the entire 2030 Agenda. SDG16+ is in peril, urgent action is needed now!
This virtual and interactive side-event at the 2022 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) hosted by Namati, the TAP Network, CSPPS, CIVICUS and GPPAC, will explore the myriad of issues and recommendations outlined in the 2022 Rome Civil Society Declaration on SDG16+, and will showcase the experiences of local civil society partners and their leadership role in advancing SDG16+. The event will feature opportunities for direct engagement from participants, and will serve as a key moment in civil society’s collective mobilization around the Rome Declaration going forward.
