March 2019 Newsletter
By: Nyu Cic
Tags: Justice, Sdg16, Newsletter, Sdgs, Sustainable Development

On 13 March, the High Level Group on Justice for Women launched their report at a side event during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), currently underway in New York.

Lead writer, Jeni Klugman, presented the report’s key findings, followed by powerful commentary and statements by panelists discussing the highlights of the report, as well as areas requiring further action to ensure justice for women, including:

Embracing intersectionality , not only in discussing barriers faced by women but when working to find and scale solutions. Importantly, to increase women’s access to justice, new partnerships across sectors and within must continue to be developed.

, not only in discussing barriers faced by women but when working to find and scale solutions. Importantly, to increase women’s access to justice, new partnerships across sectors and within must continue to be developed. Investing in justice for women . In the words of Jeni Klugman, “Investing in women’s justice is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.”

. In the words of Jeni Klugman, “Investing in women’s justice is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.” Taking action. Representatives from Argentina and The Gambia both shared examples of the instrumental work being done in their countries to deliver on justice for women.

The event closed with a discussion on commitments and a call to action by senior representatives of UN Women, the CEDAW Commission and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO).

Åsa Regnér, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, announced the upcoming launch of the Equality for Women and Girls by 2030 strategy, and shared UN Women’s goal to fast track the appeal of discriminatory laws in 100 countries.

Hilary Gbedemah, Chairperson, CEDAW Committee, called for an end of reservation by state parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Irene Khan, Director-General of IDLO, emphasized the importance of generating commitments to achieve concrete results on justice for women. In her remarks, she announced IDLO’s commitments on this area, including: eliminating legal gender discrimination, addressing gender-based violence, empowering women as rights holders, promoting women’s participation in the justice sector, engaging with customary and informal justice systems, and advocating for centrality of justice for women as an integral part of the 2030 Agenda.

For more on the event, read UN Women’s and IDLO’s coverage.

2. Rome Meeting to discuss SDG16 Implementation

The dates and venue for the meeting to review progress of the implementation of SDG16+ “Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies: SDG16 implementation & the path towards leaving no one behind” have now been confirmed for Rome, from 27–29 May, 2019. This meeting is in preparation for HLPF 2019 where there will be a thematic review of SDG 16 for the first time since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda.

Over the three days, Member States, experts, the UN system and other partners are expected to take stock of progress made on the implementation of SDG16, and identify areas where there is greatest potential for acceleration and commitments, as well as continuing challenges.

The meeting is being organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) which is developing the agenda in coordination with SDG16+ partners. While not yet finalized, the agenda is expected to focus on, among other things, the transformational nature of SDG16+, data gaps, challenges and opportunities, facilitating broad and inclusive participation and integrated action, and mobilizing partnerships. It will address the three workstreams within the goal, namely peace, justice and inclusion. The discussions on the latter workstream will certainly benefit from the conclusions of the review of Goal 10 on inequality, scheduled to take place in Geneva on 2–3 April.

More information on these meetings will be forthcoming in the next issues of this newsletter.

3. The “Big Call”

The latest addition to the Pathfinders’ website is a countdown clock to the kick off for the HLPF in July. It shows we are less than four months away to the festival of development. Preparations for SDG16+ related events and activities are well under way among many of our partners, and together with the International Peace Institute we are bringing them all together for a Big Call in early April (details to come), to share the latest updates, plans and priorities, and explore ways to work together. Be on the look-out for an invitation, since this is the call you don’t want to miss!

4. Country Visit to Timor-Leste

As part of the implementation of the Roadmap and at the request of the Government, a Pathfinders-CIC mission visited Timor-Leste on February 13–17. The mission’s work is intended to complement Timor-Leste’s Voluntary National Report (VNR) during the High-Level Political Forum in July.

The team met with a range of government, development and civil society representatives from across the country to explore progress made on SDG16+. Discussions highlighted that over the last 20 years of its independence, Timor-Leste provides rich examples of deliberate action by political leadership and government to foster peace and political inclusion. This history provides a good basis to foster the national consensus that is now needed to ensure fiscal stability and inclusive socio-economic development. Notable areas of progress related to SDG16+ include:

Underpinning peace with internal and external reconciliation as a basis for development Inclusive socio-economic policies complemented by a strong protection floor and the creation of a middle class Gender inclusion, with targeted action to promote violence against women, and equality, as well as mechanisms to ensure women’s participation in the political sphere and development process

A short brief of this country visit will be produced during HLPF, as well as others undertaken by the Pathfinders highlighting national progress of SDG16+ targets and country leadership to accelerate further action.

5. Country Visit to Indonesia

The Pathfinders team visited Indonesia last month, where they engaged with stakeholders involved in the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. Indonesia’s experience of remarkable socio-economic progress and a successful democratic transition offer insight for other countries aiming to accelerate work toward achieving the SDG agenda. Subjects discussed in-depth during the visit included:

subsidies and targeted social spending based on Indonesia’s unified database for redistributive programs and recent experience with scaling down the fuel subsidy

evidence on the impact of modes of disbursement of social assistance resources on recipients’ sense of dignity and independence

building political consensus around the universal healthcare reform

an affordable housing program in Jakarta

a tax to GDP ratio and the fiscal capacity for addressing inequalities

use of constitutional values to contain the threat of religious extremists

activities of the anti-corruption agency

efforts to provide legal identity to all children

implementation of the legal aid program

Institutions involved in the country visit included: UN Office in Indonesia, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, The Anti-Corruption Agency, Ministry of National Development Planning, National Social Security Council, Attorney General’s Office, Administration of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Australian-Indonesian Partnership for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, and Fakultas Hum University.

6. Building Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies Amid a World on Fire

At an event on “Building Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies Amid a World on Fire” earlier this month, panelists including Laura E. Bailey (World Bank), Ambassador Sarah Mendelson (Heinz College), Daniel Nagin (Heinz College), Maria Stephan (USIP), David Steven (Pathfinders, NYU CIC), and moderator Nancy Lindborg (USIP) held a lively discussion on how to mobilize behind a roadmap that will put peace at the heart of the 2030 Agenda.

Audiences tuned in to a live-stream of the event (now available on YouTube) and followed the conversation on Twitter with #SDG16.

Some of the highlights:

7. Pathfinders at USIP

In his remarks at USIP, David Steven shared an overview of SDG16+, Pathfinders, and what needs to happen between now and the High-level Political Forum and SDG Summit:

“Mobilizing further actions to accelerate implementation,” — the buzzwords of this year’s SDG Summit — should be the mantra for what the SDG16+ community needs to achieve in 2019. David stressed three areas that all SDG16+ stakeholders should focus on in the coming months:

“Action — we need as many governments and other partners to come to New York with tangible commitments to implement one or more aspects of SDG16+.

— we need as many governments and other partners to come to New York with tangible commitments to implement one or more aspects of SDG16+. Acceleration — the breadth and depth of these commitments should demonstrate a significant increase in ambition.

— the breadth and depth of these commitments should demonstrate a significant increase in ambition. Mobilization — we need to bring together a growing number of partners and champions, and tap in to the global yearning for greater peace, justice, and inclusion.

If the SDG16+ community is successful, we will enter the 2020s with a platform for scaling up implementation, setting a course to the second SDG summit in 2023 when we need to begin demonstrating measurable progress against the targets.”

For more on David’s remarks at USIP, including an overview of SDG16+, the Roadmap on Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, and key messages for this year’s High-level Political Forum and SDG Summit, read his latest blog.

8. A Gathering on Peacebuilding and the 2030 Agenda

How can peacebuilders best engage with and leverage global peace frameworks, including the SDGs, the Sustaining Peace Resolution, the Pathways for Peace report of the UN/World Bank and the Progress Study on Youth Peace and Security? How can they do so particularly in a context of contracting civil society space and simultaneous increasing demand for peacebuilding?

These were some of the questions on the table for an intimate gathering of key peacebuilding leaders held at the Quaker United Nations Office.

Rachel Locke, Pathfinders Head of Research for 16.1, joined the gathering for an afternoon to listen and share ideas for how the SDGs can serve a positive contribution in the peacebuilding space.



Under Chatham House Rules, some raised concerns that the SDGs are a communications strategy rather than a meaningful contribution to peace on the ground. Others — who had worked to adapt the SDGs in various country contexts — described being able to bridge actor groups who would not otherwise work together and pursue priorities with a peace lens.

The Pathfinders will continue to work with and engage the peacebuilding community, including at an event at the May Stockholm Peace and Development Forum, where we are organizing a panel with the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and Quaker United Nations Geneva Office.

9. Announcing a New Working Group on Justice for Children