We the People, Free the People

In my freshman humanities class, we are learning about the 17 Sustainable Development goals created by the United nations. (Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.) At the end of the first term, we chose one of the seventeen goals that we wanted to focus on. We had to research why that goal exists, and what it does for us today. We had to refer this all back to a country, whether it is upholding that goal or not. I choose Australia to compare and contrast the standards for Sustainable Development Goal number 16. I also learned many global facts about SDG number 16. This includes the progress that has been made, the current state of this issue, and the things that regular people can do to help achieve this goal.

"At least 1,019 human rights defenders and journalists have been killed in 61 countries since 2015." (UN) Many places in the world still experience multiple forms of violence. In many places, there is not a right access to law and to justice. According to many studies, progress is being made to open public access to information and help institutions advance human rights throughout the entire world.

Takver. “Shame Gillard - Refugee Children in Immigration Detention Protest Broadmeadows.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 2 Apr. 2011, www.flickr.com/photos/takver/5581805816.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 16, helps to promote justice and form an inclusive community. They want to open public access to information on multiple levels. Freedom-of-information laws and policies have been adopted by 116 countries. An abundant of 25 countries doing so over the last five years. The UN has seen significant progress over the past decade, especially in homicide and trafficking cases. Sadly, there are still thousands of people at great risk of violence within Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and around Asia. One of the most common is children’s rights violations, this continues to happen in many countries around the world. Especially in countries that have little access to information and resources.

“Democracy represents the form of governance that is most likely to grow and sustain liberal values and encourage positive civic engagement.” (Professor. Shergold) Australia is successfully addressing the issue of public access to information on all levels government. Of course, while protecting the other human rights. Australia is a strong advocate for the United Nations Sustainable Development goal 16, as well as the 2030 Agenda. The SDG 16 lies at the heart of Australian values and can be seen by how committed to political, economic and religious freedoms. As well as democracy, transparency, and accountability that Australia puts on its own government.

Takver. “Melbourne Wants Climate Action Now - PeoplesClimate-Melb-IMG_8234-IMG_8235.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 21 Sept. 2014, www.flickr.com/photos/takver/15120963238/.

The best way to make a change is to stand up and shout for what you believe in, or want to make a change in. Another great way to do this is to join together and take a stand. Change has also been made by voting and contacting the officials in your government. Regular people can continue to ensure that human needs are met. Preventing violence is becoming increasingly important as well.

In conclusion, UN Sustainable Development goal number 16 allows information within the government to become public. Currently, only 116 of the 197 countries have laws and policies in place that allow for the freedom of information. Many countries are trying to fight against the violence to create advanced institutions that will uphold these human rights set forth by the United Nations. Globally, there is still a lot of progress to be made, but this can not happen without everyday people like you and me. 

Works Cited:

GirlForward, www.girlforward.org/.

Australian Government. “REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS.” United Nations, United Nations, 2018, sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/20470VNR_final_approved_version.pdf.

“Integrated Legal and Social Work Services.” James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, moran-center.org/.

“Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - United Nations Sustainable Development.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/peace-justice/.

“Promoting Peaceful and Inclusive Societies | Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development.” United Nations, United Nations, developmentfinance.un.org/promoting-peaceful-and-inclusive-societies.

“Strong Organizations.” RSS, www.macfound.org/programs/strong-organizations/.

Takver. “Shame Gillard - Refugee Children in Immigration Detention Protest Broadmeadows.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 2 Apr. 2011, www.flickr.com/photos/takver/5581805816.

“The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2018.” United Nations, United Nations, 2018, unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2018/TheSustainableDevelopmentGoalsReport2018.pdf.