A new UN report says progress towards global targets on peace, justice and inclusive institutions remains uneven and too slow to meet the 2030 goals….reports Asian Lite News desk
The world remains off track to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16 targets on peace, justice and inclusive institutions, with conflict, violence, barriers to justice and discrimination continuing to affect millions of people, according to a new global report.
The Global Progress Report on Sustainable Development Goal 16, published in September 2026 by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Development Programme, UNICEF and UN Office on Drugs and Crime, presents a mixed picture of progress towards the 2030 Agenda.
The report says important gains have been made in areas including legal identity, women’s representation in public institutions, human rights institutions and access to information. However, it warns that progress remains uneven, with several indicators stalled or moving too slowly to meet the goals set for 2030.
Conflict continues to impose a heavy human cost. At least 37,163 civilian deaths were documented across 20 armed conflict situations in 2025, down 23 per cent from 48,011 in 2024. Despite the decline, the report says a civilian was killed every 14 minutes in 2025.
Northern Africa and Western Asia accounted for 65 per cent of documented civilian deaths, while Sub Saharan Africa accounted for 24 per cent. The report also highlighted significant increases in civilian fatalities in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Women and children accounted for 38 per cent of documented civilian conflict deaths in 2025, with women representing 18 per cent and children 20 per cent.
The global homicide rate has also declined, falling 13.2 per cent between 2015 and 2024, from 5.9 to 5.1 victims per 100,000 people. However, the report says the world remains off track to meet the SDG target of halving the global homicide rate by 2030.
More than 420,000 homicide victims were estimated worldwide in 2024. Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the highest regional homicide rate at 19.3 victims per 100,000 people, while Sub Saharan Africa recorded an estimated rate of 11.7.
The report also points to growing risks for human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists. At least 5,995 such defenders have been killed since 2015, while 888 were killed or disappeared in 2024 alone. That equates to one defender, journalist or trade unionist being killed or disappeared every 10 hours.
Violence against children remains another major concern. An estimated 1.6 billion children, around two in three globally, experience violent punishment by caregivers at home. More than 370 million women and girls are also estimated to have experienced rape or sexual assault during childhood.
The report says more than one in three detected victims of human trafficking were children in 2024, while one in three people globally reported not feeling safe walking alone at night in their neighbourhood. Women consistently reported lower levels of perceived safety than men.
On justice and inclusion, the report estimates that around five billion people have unmet civil justice needs. It also finds that one in three prisoners globally is held without a sentence, while 150 million children remain without legal identity.
Women hold only one in four parliamentary seats globally, and fewer than half of people feel they have a say in government decisions.
The report concludes that sustained political commitment, long term investment, strong partnerships and institutions capable of earning public trust will be essential to accelerate progress before the 2030 deadline.
