Mapping Mining to the Sustainable Development Goals An Atlas

SDG16: Peace, Justice and
Strong Institutions
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for
sustainable development, provide access to
justice for all, and build effective,
accountable and inclusive institutions at all
levels
Corruption, human rights abuses, bribery, tax evasion
and conflict threaten inclusive and sustainable
development. SDG16 seeks to increase access to
justice for all, strengthen public institutions and the rule
of law, reduce corruption, protect human rights, reduce
violence and conflict, and ensure responsive and
inclusive decision-making at all levels. 129
Mining companies can contribute to SDG16 in various
ways. By actively combating mining-related illicit
financial flows through disclosure and reporting, mining
companies can encourage transparency and avoid
undermining the integrity of public institutions. Mining
companies can also ensure they do not endanger
peaceful societies by preventing company-community
conflict, providing access to information, respecting
human rights, supporting representative decisionmaking
and carefully managing their security
approaches to ensure they decrease rather than
increase the likelihood of violence or conflict.
Companies can commit to transparency and
information provision across the scope of their activities
that impact society, from initial consultations about a
project’s potential positive and negative effects,
through to commitments made to local communities
and host governments, and subsequent mining
royalties and payments made to the government.
Key UN SDG16 targets relevant for mining
16.1 Significantly reduce all forms of violence and
related death rates everywhere
16.3 Promote the rule of law at the international
and national levels and ensure equal access
to justice for all
16.4 By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial
and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and
return of stolen assets and combat all forms of
organized crime
16.5 Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in
all their forms
16.6 Develop effective, accountable and transparent
institutions at all levels
16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and
representative decision-making at all levels
16.10 Ensure public access to information and
protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance
with national legislation and international
agreements
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