Although the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the UN in 2015, made reference to democracy only once, its implementation is based on the principle of accountability, with explicit reference to the role of parliaments. One of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDG16, focuses on the linkages between peace, justice and accountable institutions. Since the SDG16 infused some elements of democratic governance in the 2030 Agenda, it can be interpreted both as a stand-alone goal and as an enabler for the achievement of the whole SDGs framework. The presentation will address the role that democratic institutions and processes, as conceptualised in the SDG16, are playing for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, with particular emphasis on the MENA region and Africa.

The presentation will be based on the analysis of some Voluntary National Reviews submitted to the High Level Political Forum since 2016, as well as data drawn from International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy report and indices. In particular, the presentation will take into account some regional trends emerging from data related to two targets included in the SDG16. As regards target 16.6 “Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels”, the analysis will focus on three attributes of the GsoD Indices: impartial administration, civil society participation, and local democracy. As regards target 16.7 “Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels”, it will address the attributes of representative government, checks on government, and participatory engagement.

Organiser | Christopher Fratina della Frattina, MEDirections 

Speaker | Massimo Tommasoli, Permanent Observer for International IDEA, United Nations (New York). Dr. Tommasoli holds a PhD in social anthropology from the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris. He worked in the field of aid and development at the OECD/Development Assistance Committee in Paris; at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate General for Development Cooperation in Rome; and at UNESCO in Addis Ababa. He is a visiting scholar at the LUISS University in Rome, and he has lectured at various Italian Universities and the UN System Staff College in Turin. He has fieldwork experience in Colombia, the Horn of Africa, and the Russian Federation. His publications include: Nel nome dello sviluppo; Politiche di cooperazione internazionale; Democracy and the Pillars of UN Work; and El desarrollo participativo: Análisis sociales y lógicas de planificación.

REGISTER