Annually, since 2018 the Asia Democracy Network has partnered with the Community of Democracies Permanent Secretariat to implement a Asia regional Democracy Forums. The aim of the forum is to provide a space for multi-stakeholders in Asia to discuss the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in particular SDG Goal 16+.
What are the UN Sustainable Development Goals?
The Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. The 17 Goals were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.
What is Goal 16?
Goal 16 aims to “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”
Forums
The unique aspect of our Democracy Forum is that it is held in a different city in the Asia region every year. In 2018, it was launched in Busan, Korea, 2019 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and 2020 Kathmandu, Nepal.
For each country, the ADN and CoD works with our local partner to design and co-organize a democracy forum based on SDG 16 and a theme that best suits the national as well as the regional context.
The Forums has become a value to the region as a space where institutions, civil society, academics, and government actors come together to discuss how to further progress the implementation, monitoring, and achieving the SDGs.
Busan Democracy Forum (2018)
“Promoting Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies in Asia and beyond”
Haeundae Grand Hotel, Busan, Republic of Korea | 22-24 Jan. 2018
The Forum, under the theme “Promoting Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies in Asia and beyond” aimed to promote Goal 16 of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as the enabler of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and discuss the inter-linkages with other Goals and Targets. It provided a platform for a wide range of stakeholders to share experiences on advocacy initiatives, implementation, national level reporting and available tools for measuring progress towards SDG 16 which is one of global priorities at the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in 2019.
Ulaanbaatar Democracy Forum (2019)
Regional Consultation on Promoting Democracy, Human Rights and Peace through SDG 16+: Towards Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies in Asia
Holiday Inn, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 26-28 February 2019
Under the theme “Promoting Democracy, Human Rights and Peace through SDG 16+: Towards Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies in Asia and Beyond” the UBDF 2019 took place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Mongolia has been a strong promoter of SDG 16, as the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 9 on ‘Strengthening Human Rights and Fostering Democratic Governance’ was first adopted by the Mongolian government in 2005. The main objectives of the UBDF 2019 are i) to review and share best practices of Asian governments, UN organizations and CSOs engaged in the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs in particular the SDG16+, ii) to strengthen collaboration and partnerships among multi-stakeholders such as Governments, international organizations, public institutions, CSOs, private sector, etc. on SDG16+, iii) to develop a series of Action Plans in preparation for the UN Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD), the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) and the SDGs Summit during the UN General Assembly with focuses on SDG16+.
Kathmandu Democracy Forum (2020)
In response to the impact of COVID-19 to democracy and human rights, and in order to not further postpone the implementation of the democracy forum, ADN and the PSCD have revised the concept to tailor the project to the current global situation.
The revised project aims to build the capacity of civil society in Asia to monitor, assess, and document the impact of COVID-19 on the implementation of SDG 16. Project components will include:
- Capacity Building: Training provided to civil society actors to assist them in conducting research of on SDG-16 and develop monitoring reports within the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Development of a Human Rights Based SDG16 Monitoring Reports
- Online Asia Democracy Forum – to present and discuss the findings