April 2022 Newsletter
Welcome to your monthly roundup of 16+ news and views from the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies. If you find this newsletter useful, please pass it on to others working on the SDG16+ targets for peace, justice and inclusion. Subscribe or unsubscribe here — and check out the sdg16.plus website.
1. The latest on Halving Global Violence:
Halving Global Violence Task Force
The conflict in Ukraine is a reminder to us all of the multifaceted ways violence tears apart societies and inflicts immeasurable pain and suffering; in particular to those already most vulnerable. It has also triggered a call for greater systematic and evidence-informed investments in solutions that will help lower levels of violence and bring about rebuilding of peaceful communities.
In its upcoming series of consultations, the Halving Global Violence Task Force will continue to integrate lessons from active conflicts in its work to estimate the cost of violence, build a more robust business case for greater investment in violence reduction, and set the stage for targeted violence reduction intervention with a promise for impact.
Peace in Our Cities
Joining us in this work are diverse networks and partners. We welcomed the Geneva Cities Hub and the National Offices of Violence Prevention Network (NOVPN) as the newest members of the Peace in Our Cities initiative. Both come with the belief in the power of urban actors to advance global agendas, and in smart investments to save lives in our cities.
GENSAC
At a time when arm flows are also in the headlines, the Gender Equality Network for Small Arms Control (GENSAC) recently released a paper in partnership with the Pathfinders and WILPF exploring the link between masculinities and small arms control. One of its long-standing members and a veteran of the small-arms control movement in West Africa, Florella Hazeley (Sierra Leone), was spotlighted in the latest installation of our the Champions of Change series.
In the pipeline:
- Highlights from the research on prevention of gender-based violence in Timor-Leste and lessons international partners can glean from it;
- insights into ways to leverage regional political agreements to advance gender responsive small arms control agenda; and
- lessons for local leaders on action to control gun violence in cities informed by gender responsive strategies.
2. The latest on Justice for All
Justice Action Coalition taking shape
Twelve countries and twelve partner organizations came together in the second senior level meeting of the Justice Action Coalition hosted by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alongside the Elders, the g7+ and the Pathfinders.
The meeting focused on how to translate political support for people-centered justice into reforms and results in people’s daily lives and was held in preparation for the Ministerial meeting.
Actions will include joining forces in international fora such as HLPF and the Summit for Democracy and exchanging national experiences. Partners will work to present new data and evidence ahead of the Second SDG Summit in 2023. Read more details in our Update.
NEW: Quarterly Justice Update
Read the first of our new Justice Updates. The quarterly updates will allow you to follow what’s happening on people-centered justice around the world and stay up to speed on the Justice Action Coalition. They will include new data gathered and evidence published, key reports and other developments, examples of what works and list upcoming events. Have ideas on the format or updates to include, email us at: justice@sdg16.plus. Ready to subscribe? Click here.
World Justice Forum
Join the largest global event on justice this year, the World Justice Forum, in The Hague from 30 May — 3 June. The program looks amazing and includes, from the Pathfinders side and amongst many others, the Ministerial meeting and a senior level meeting of the Justice Action Coalition, the launch of the Ibero-American Justice Alliance, and events organized by the Young Justice Leaders, the Justice for Children Working Group and the Working Group on Customary and Informal Justice. If you can’t make it to The Hague, then be sure to participate online, but in any case: register now!
In case you missed it
- UN member states debated Our Common Agenda in informal sessions held throughout February. Sara Hossain, of the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) and a member of the Pathfinders’ Task Force on Justice, and Sam Muller CEO and Founder of HiiL, were invited to speak as experts on people-centered justice.
- Maaike de Langen of the Pathfinders and Sam Muller of HiiL, wrote in Devex: We must talk about better justice systems, proposing four concrete actions that can be taken to deliver people-centered justice.
3. The latest on Inequality & Exclusion:
Coming up
On Wednesday, April 20th, join the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies and the Urban Democracy Lab for a discussion on community-controlled, publicly-based housing models, and how to make social housing a viable and valuable tool to address today’s global housing crisis. The event will feature cases from Brazil and the UK as well as the launch of a new report on social housing.
RSVP: here.
Among the event’s speakers is Adam Almeida, senior data analyst at Common Wealth, who will share insights from a recently released Pathfinders policy brief, ‘Turning the Tide on Housing’, which examined case studies on housing policies and mobilizing for the right to housing in North America and Europe.
Ahead of Wednesday’s event, read a new blog by Adam Almeida and co-author, Paula Sevilla (Pathfinders), unpacking the findings of their research.
The case for addressing prejudice to address inequality
Part 3 of the blog series “Solutions to Inequality” calls for clear and effective narratives that counter current trends of polarization and political arguments that pit fighting economic inequality (income and wealth gaps) against identity-based exclusions. These narratives should emphasize the shared struggles of groups, and shed light on the role elites and powerful actors play in sowing divisions in society. To understand how to achieve progress in this front, we asked three thinkers and activists to reflect on their experiences in South Africa, Colombia and Europe.
Explore the briefs here:
- Social Mobilization and Structural Racism in Colombia
- Racism, Xenophobia, and Misogynistic Prejudice in South Africa: A Case Study of Policy Interventions Since 1994
- The Rise of Nationalism: Lessons from Europe
4. We’re hiring!
Program Lead SDG16+
Pathfinders is seeking a new Program Lead to lead our work on building peaceful, just and inclusive societies and international action for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 16. The Program Lead will work under supervision of the Director of the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) and in close collaboration with the Pathfinders’ program leads for the grand challenges on halving global violence, reducing inequality and exclusion and providing justice for all.
Learn more about this position and apply, here.
Plus 16 things we’re reading
- Toolkit: SDG 16 National Monitoring Initiative (NMI) (SDG16 Hub)
- White Paper: End Extreme Poverty Now (Global Citizen)
- Report: Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Through Multilateral Sanctions (GIWPS)
- Statement: The Elders call on leaders to invest in quality data and analysis on women’s justice problems and experiences (The Elders)
- Report: The UN Agenda for Protection: Policy, Strategic, and Operational Priorities (IPI)
- Report: Drug Policy, the Security Sector and Sustainable Development Goal 16 (DCAF)
- Blog: Reflections on the 66th Session Commission on the Status of Women (ACCORD)
- Blog: The Stockholm+50 Conference: What you need to know and why it matters (UN Foundation)
- Blog: Why Inclusive Voices and Climate Action Are Key to True Gender Justice (Global Citizen)
- Analysis: Do the poor suffer disproportionately from legal problems? (Brookings)
- Blog: Exploring new ideas about civil justice reform (ASU News)
- Analysis: As the Horn of Africa heats up, the risks of insecurity are rising (Mongabay)
- News: UN analysis shows link between lack of vaccine equity and widening poverty gap (UN News)
- Policy Paper: Access to Justice for Women and the Rule of Law (The Elders)
- Blog: Inside the Digital Society: Digital (in)equality (LSE Inequalities)
- Report: Can Emerging Technologies Lead a Revival of Conflict Early Warning/Early Action? Lessons from the Field (NYU CIC)
