The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 16 is “dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, the provision of access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels.”
SDG16 is crucial to the diverse island regions as they experience a multiplicity of emerging challenges. Whilst it is true that, across the globe, island communities generally have low levels of sustained armed violent conflicts, there is a prevalence of interpersonal violence, especially against women, children, and marginalized members of the population. This issue is compounded by the threats of urbanization, increased population size, migration, forced displacement, water resource issues, agricultural production decline, inequality, and exclusion.
Issues like persecution, injustice, and abuse are present in societies worldwide. In island communities, the lack of relevant data presents an extra challenge. An extensive data audit has revealed that a mere 47% of the indicators used for measuring SDG16 are available in the Pacific region.
The upcoming Virtual Island Summit will provide several opportunities for knowledge sharing about solutions for promoting peaceful societies and building stronger institutions, among many other relevant topics for island communities. Register free to access various benefits, including opportunities to connect with world-class experts, participate in interactive sessions, and experience cross-sector collaboration.
Each year we gather industry leaders, public representatives and influencers from around the world to share their insights on building sustainability and prosperity on islands. The Virtual Island Summit 2022 will cover a wide range of viewpoints with speakers and moderators from the Caribbean, Europe, Indian Ocean, Pacific Islands, the Americas, Africa and beyond.
The Fellowship is a voluntary internship with Island Innovation. The program allows interns to gain valuable experience working in a social enterprise within the sustainable development sector. We are a fully virtual company that accepts applications from all over the world. We welcome all candidates, including those currently living on islands or in remote and rural regions.