Sustainable Development, Peaceful, Just and Equitable Societies (original) (raw)

2020, Conflict Prevention in the UN´s Agenda 2030

This chapter will discuss some new approaches under way to anchor the prevention of conflicts generally, and preventive diplomacy in particular, in efforts for sustainable development and to draw on preventive diplomacy in the development process. It will show, for example, the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) operating a joint programme that deploys peace and development advisers to countries at risk. It will also show UNDP facilitating local mediators, as well as contributing to national infrastructures of prevention in the aftermath of conflicts or natural disasters. The chapter will also show that the United Nations' Agenda 2030, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 16, has introduced a new a new philosophy of prevention grounded in the pursuit of development, peace, justice, inclusive and strong institutions in all countries. SDG 16's main contribution thus far has been to energise civil society organizations, ("We the Peoples") in giving inspirational and operational content to the concepts of peace, justice, and equitable institutions. It will hopefully move Governments to act similarly in the future. This is of some importance. The UN's Millennium Declaration had laid down a set of values for the twenty-first century, including the values of democracy, solidarity, the rule of law and universal respect for human rights. The associated Millennium Development Goals, however, had focused more on bread and butter issues and lacked an inspirational, human rights dimension. It took some struggle to achieve this, but the inclusion of SDG 16, which focuses on peace, justice and inclusive institutions, carries great promise because, as we shall see in this chapter, NGOs, and some supportive some governments, have been alerting the international community dramatically about the risks of conflicts in particular situations, have been spelling out how considerations of justice should contribute to prevention, and have been underlining the centrality of inclusive, equitable and effective national institutions for good governance and the protection of human rights.