May 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 Justice for All:
World Justice Forum
The World Justice Forum in The Hague is fast approaching, with an impressive program kicking off May 30 organized by the World Justice Project and the many co-creating partners.
The Justice Action Coalition’s Ministerial meeting will be held on the eve of the forum and will be followed by the first in-person senior level meeting of the coalition. Pathfinders will also launch the Ibero-American Justice Alliance, as well as support events by the Young Justice Leaders, the Justice for Children Working Group, and the Working Group on Customary and Informal Justice. We hope to see you there! Can’t travel to The Hague? Register here and participate virtually.
Advancing Justice for Refugees
“Limited legal empowerment efforts for refugees pose a major barrier to achieving justice for refugees — and thus justice for all as envisioned by SDG 16.”
In her new paper, Emily E. Arnold-Fernández discusses the importance of ensuring that refugees know their rights, are empowered to assert them, and can access people-centered justice services. Legal empowerment is critical to their ability to solve everyday justice problems and address injustices they face. The paper will inform a strategy meeting on justice for refugees on May 24, 2022 by the Pathfinders and NYU Center on International Cooperation’s program on Humanitarian Crises.
People-centered Justice in Action in Ukraine
“The networks we are cementing are resilient against attacks, and they are a foundation for the huge amount of work that we need to do to build the new Ukraine.”
Our partners at the Legal Development Network are providing people-centered justice services in the midst of the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian justice defenders we interviewed for our recent Champions of Change interview are encouraged by the emerging networks and unprecedented collaboration among civil society organizations hard at work to ensure services remain despite many challenges.
In case you missed it:
- Pathfinders’ Maaike de Langen was interviewed in Forbes about the new multilateralism — of which Pathfinders and the Justice Action Coalition are examples — which is hopeful, energizing, and positive, and which centers on people working together to achieve shared goals.
- The Justice for All report highlights and policy recommendations are now available in Japanese translation. Read it here: すべての人に 司法を: ハイライトと政策提言
2. The latest on Having Global Violence
Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development
In the coming weeks, we will be at the Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development. Peace In Our Cities will host an invite-only roundtable on “Urban Fragility and Violence Within a Changing Climate” in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace and the European Union Institute for Security Studies. We are also co-sponsoring a panel on “Inclusivity x Climate Security: From Words to Deeds” in partnership with Adelphi, Search for Common Ground, and UNEP. Register here!
GENSAC
At the end of May, the Gender Equality Network for Small Arms Control (GENSAC) Regional Focal Points and a select group of partners will meet in Berlin to chart out a new and enhanced strategy for the Network as we seek to boost its reach and impact.
3. The latest on Inequality & Exclusion:
Arab Forum for Equality
The Pathfinders and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN ESCWA) will be organizing the first Arab Forum for Equality, themed “Towards Inclusive youth employment in the Arab Region.” It aims to create a multi-stakeholder dialogue with global and Arab leaders and experts to discuss practical solutions to alleviate inequality in the region. The Forum will conclude with the launch of practical regional initiatives that will contribute to reducing inequality in the Arab region. Register here!
World Justice Forum
The Inequality & Exclusion team will join our colleagues on the Justice for All team at the upcoming World Justice Forum in the Hague. Our working session, “The Role of People-Centered Justice in Delivering Equality and Inclusion,” will explore how justice systems can reverse discriminatory practices, ensuring that all people can activate their economic and political rights — delivering justice for all and not just for the privileged few. It will also explore how putting people and communities, rather than institutions, at the heart of justice systems, can build credibility and trust in the state, enabling it to reduce rising levels of inequality and exclusion.
Overcoming Divisions to Build Pluralist Societies: Global Experiences & Lessons Learned
Join us for a discussion on effective inclusionary policies and tools to combat inequalities and divisions in our societies. The event, co-hosted by the Global Centre for Pluralism and the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, will feature reflections on the latest Global Pluralism Monitor and experiences from a wide range of countries in tackling inequality and exclusion. RSVP here!
Vaccine Distribution and the Harms of Selective Solidarity
What does global “solidarity” mean in a world where vaccine inequity is allowed to continue? In a recent blog post, Pathfinders’ Paula Sevilla Núñez reflects on the inequality and exclusion that have shaped the global vaccine distribution, and how prioritizing profit over respect and collaboration jeopardizes our ability to face future global challenges in the future.
4. Welcome, New Pathfinder States!
Introducing our three newest Pathfinder countries: Bangladesh, Namibia, and Senegal! We look forward to welcoming you to our community and partnering with you on efforts to drive peace, justice, and inclusion for all.
Plus 16 things we’re reading
1. Report: The 2022 Skeptics Guide to Government (Open Government Partnership)
2. News: Each fatal shooting costs D.C more than $1.5 million, study says (The Washington Post)
3. Article: Poor countries face a mounting catastrophe fueled by inflation and debt (New York Times)
4. Interactive report: ‘The Invisibles’: A Cuban asylum-seeker’s dangerous odyssey (The New Humanitarian)
5. Toolkit: International principles and guidelines on access to justice for persons with disabilities (NAMATI)
6. Report: The benefits of providing access to justice for all (Open Government Partnership)
7. News: Breaking the cycle of housing deprivation in Freetown’s informal settlements (African Cities Research Forum)
8. News: Debt distress in Africa: biggest problems, and ways forward (The Conversation)
9. Report: Cognitive behavior therapy reduces crime and violence over 10 years: Experimental evidence (National Bureau of Economic Research)
10. Report: Informing the US gun policy debate (RAND)
11. Report: Malaria No More | From Aspiration to Action (Malaria No More)
12. News: Bid to overturn Sierra Leone loitering laws that activists claim ‘criminalize poverty’ (The Guardian)
13. News: Nations must ‘act together, urgently and with solidarity’ to end crisis of food insecurity (UN News)
14. Remarks: The Ukraine War and UN Reform (International Crisis Group)
15. Report: A multidimensional approach to measuring economic insecurity: the case of Chile (London School of Economics)
16. Blog: Youth empowerment and development in African cities (African Cities Research Forum)
