The Goal has 12 targets to be achieved by 2030. Progress towards targets will be measured by 23 indicators.

16.1: Reduce violence everywhere
16.2: Protect children from abuse, exploitation, trafficking and violence
16.3: Promote the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice
16.4: Combat organized crime and illicit financial and arms flows
16.5: Substantially reduce corruption and bribery
16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions
16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive and representative decision-making
16.8: Strengthen the participation in global governance
16.9: Provide universal legal identity
16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms
16.a: Strengthen national institutions to prevent violence and combat crime and terrorism
16.b: Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies
3.d: Improve early warning systems for global health risks

The first step to fulfilling any aspect of the global sustainable development agenda for 2030 will begin with restoring security and human rights to individuals whose very lives and basic freedoms are under threat either due to direct violence or through institutional restrictions to justice. Many of the countries that did not achieve their Millennium Development Goal targets by 2015 were countries experiencing armed conflict and instability.

Reducing violent crime, sex trafficking, forced labor, and child abuse are clear global goals. The International Community values peace and justice; they call for stronger judicial systems that will enforce laws and work toward a more peaceful and just society.

SDG 16 addresses the need for major intervention to promote peace and inclusive institutions and contribute to the other Sustainable Development Goals. Areas of improvement include: reducing lethal violence, reducing civilian deaths in conflicts, and eliminating human trafficking.

Poverty, economic inequality, and high youth unemployment are some of the major reasons behind the high homicide rates. It was found that, homicides are four times more likely to occur in regions with high economic disparity than those that have economic equity, which helps to explain the high homicide rates in some regions. Although homicide rates have been seeing a reduction the past several years,the progress on SDG 16 has been reversing. If current global trends continue, it is estimated that all forms of violence will increase by 10-46 percent by 2030.

Violence is perhaps the most significant and destructive challenge to the development, growth, wellbeing, and the very survival of countries around the world. Fatalities resulting from armed conflict are rising in some parts of the world, causing mass displacement within countries and across borders, and resulting in massive humanitarian crises that adversely impact every aspect of our developmental efforts. Other forms of violence – crime and sexual and gender based violence – also remain a global challenge.

Young people are especially vulnerable; 43% of all homicides globally involve young people between 10 and 29 years of age, and children make up a third of human trafficking victims worldwide. But violence can also take more insidious forms. The institutional violence of unaccountable legal and judicial systems, and depriving people of their human rights and fundamental freedoms all constitute forms of violence and injustice. Corruption, bribery, theft and tax evasion cost developing countries around USD1.26 trillion per year; money that could be used to lift many above the international poverty threshold of USD 1.90 a day for at least six years.

Goal 16 is dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, the provision of access to justice for all, and building accountable institutions at all levels.

 National and global institutions have to be more transparent and effective, including local governance and judicial systems which are critical to the guarantee of human rights, law and order, and security.

Links to other SDGs

The Sustainable Development Goals are not taken as being completely independent one from the other, but rather as being closely linked. In this way, media development enhances freedom of speech, peace, but also contributes to sustainability, poverty eradication and human rights.

 Fostering peace and inclusive societies can help reduce inequalities (SDG10) and help economies prosper (SDG8).

 The 2012 outcome document of the United Nations Summit on the 2030 Agenda considers that sustainable development can not be achieved without building peaceful, just and inclusive societies and addressing issues of corruption, poor governance, insecurity and injustice.