“Action 7. We will strengthen our efforts to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels and uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
- The Pact for the Future, General Assembly resolution 79/1
The Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) will organize the SDG 16 Conference 2025 – “Advancing Peace, Justice and Institutions for Sustainable Development”, to be held on Monday, 12 May 2025 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
In the context of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations and building on the outcomes of the previous five editions, the Conference will provide a platform for showcasing tangible examples of how investing in SDG 16 delivers measurable, practical dividends for governments and people, enabling them to achieve their development priorities. This year’s Conference will mobilize actions and partnerships while reflecting on how SDG 16 can accelerate progress on the 2030 Agenda and contribute to the implementation of the Pact for the Future.
The Conference will also aim to bring insights into key intergovernmental events to be held in 2025 – the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in June-July, the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July, the Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment in July and the World Summit for Social Development in November.
Watch UN Web TV recordings of the conference
USEFUL LINKS
Concept Note
Agenda
Panels and Guiding Questions
Rome Civil Society Declaration
Information Note
High-Level Opening Speakers
H.E. Amina J. Mohammed
Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Giorgio Silli
Undersecretary of State
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy
H.E. Mr. Philémon Yang
President of the General Assembly
H.E. Mr. Robert Rae
President of the Economic and Social Council
Mr. Li Junhua
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
Ms. Jan Beagle
Director-General
International Development Law Organization (IDLO)
Speakers
Ms. Liliane Adriko
Chief Executive Officer
Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Uganda)
Ms. Mojisola Akinsanya
Executive Director,
Women for Peace & Gender Equality Initiative (WOPEGEE)
Ms. Daniela Barba
Director of Research on Access to Justice World Justice Project
Ms. Manal Benani
Sustainable Cooperation for Peace and Security (SCPS)/Africa Europe Foundation
Mr. Helder Da Costa
General Secretary, g7+ Secretariat
Ms. Cristel Urquía Dubón
Deputy Mayor of Intibucá, Honduras
Ms. Müge Finkel
Associate Professor of International Development, Director of Ford Institute for Human Security, Co-Director of Gender Inequality Research Lab (GIRL), School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), University of Pittsburgh
Ms. Rigbe Gebrehawaria
Commissioner for Women, Children, Older Persons, and Disability Rights
Ethiopian Human Rights Commission
Ms. Lynrose Jane D. Genon
Executive Council Member Young Women+ Leaders for Peace – The Philippines (YW+PL-PH)
Mr. Navid Hanif
Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
Mr. Andrews Kananga
Executive Director
Legal Aid Forum Rwanda
Ms. Luisa Franco Machado
Founder and Executive Director, EquiLabs Young Leader for the SDGs (Brazil)
H.E. Mr. Maurizio Massari
Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations
H.E. Jorge Rodrigo Araújo Messias
Attorney General of the Union, Brazil
Hon. Lady Justice Philomena Mwilu
Deputy Chief Justice and Vice President
Supreme Court of Kenya
H.E. Ms. Anne Désirée Ouloto
Minister of Civil Service and Modernization of the Administration
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
Ms. Natalia Peláez Pérez
Founder and Director
Fundación LATIR
Ms. Tashi Pem
Chairperson
Royal Civil Service Commission, Bhutan
Mr. John Romano
Director
TAP Network
Mr. Musa Ansumana Soko
Youth Partnership for Peace and Development/WASH-Net
Hon. Hussein Thomasi
Solicitor General and Legal Secretary
Ministry of Justice, The Gambia
Mr. Zia Ur-Rehman
Coordinator
Asia Development Alliance
Mr. Peter van Sluijs
Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention Expert and Coordinator, CSPPS
Ms. Ghada Fathi Waly
Executive Director
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Ms. Margaret Williams
Associate Director
SDG16+ Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies
Mr. Haoliang Xu
Associate Administrator
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
H.E. Mr. Thomas Zahneisen
Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations