Within the framework of the project ‘Linking Good Security  Sector Governance and SDG 16’, DCAF and the Global Alliance  of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) hosted a  virtual workshop on 3 November 2022 for representatives of  National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from Costa Rica,  Georgia, Kenya and the Philippines.

The workshop examined  their role in preventing conflict within the context of  Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peace, justice, and  strong institutions (SDG 16). It underscored that, as independent institutions  established by law to promote and protect human rights,  advise governments, and hold them to account, NHRIs play a  crucial role in advancing progress towards SDG 16.

By  receiving and handling complaints, and monitoring and  investigating human rights abuses, NHRIs play a particularly important role in preventing the onset and reoccurrence of  conflict— a function acknowledged in the Kyiv Declaration on  the Role of National Human Rights Institutions in Conflict and  Post-Conflict Situations.

Through promoting the rule of law  and facilitating access to justice (SDG target 16.3), and through  contributing to the development of effective, accountable, and  transparent institutions (SDG target 16.6), NHRIs can provide  remedy and redress for human rights violations and oversee  the provision of public services. In doing so, they directly  contribute to SDG target 16.1 on reducing violence  everywhere by tackling the grievances, injustices and  exclusion that often drive conflict cycles.

The event was recorded and can be watched below or on our DCAF YouTube channel