The 2030 Agenda reaffirms the wealth of evidence that ‘there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development’. It also recognizes that good governance and strong and accountable institutions underpin development and peace-building efforts. The focus around the SDGs has now shifted towards implementation, particularly at the national and local level. It is time for our governments to implement the SDGs in a participatory manner, and crucially, to implement Goal 16 and its targets.

To help civil society organizations work around the issues pertaining to Goal 16 and other related issues, the TAP Network and Open Government Partnership is pleased to host a Goal 16 Advocacy workshop at the 2016 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. This event will be hosted at the UN Church Center on Tuesday, 12 July from 9:30 – 12:30.

This interactive workshop will feature resources dedicated to help strengthen the capacity of civil society to contribute to Goal 16 and SDG-related work, including the TAP Network Goal 16 Advocacy Toolkit and the Open Government Guide. These resources provide detailed guidance on opportunities and entry points for working with governments and other local, regional or international stakeholders to support the planning, implementation, follow-up and accountability of Goal 16 and OGP commitments. The workshop will also highlight concrete opportunities presented by the Open Government Partnership to advance SDG-related advocacy, implementation, and monitoring, and will showcase case studies from organizations already working extensively around various Goal 16 and OGP issues – with interactive breakout sessions for participants to explore challenges and solutions to Goal 16 advocacy at various levels.

The Training Session has the following objectives:

1. To help build civil society capacity on Goal 16 and OGP-related issues, to enable organizations to engage with and influence the relevant processes at the global, national and local levels.
2. To strengthen networks and identify ongoing opportunities for global and national level collaboration around advocacy on Goal 16.
3. Explore needs and areas for future collaboration for the Goal 16/SDGs and OGP communities, and explore next steps in future collaboration

This interactive workshop will feature resources dedicated to help strengthen the capacity of civil society to contribute to Goal 16 and SDG-related work, including the TAP Network Goal 16 Advocacy Toolkit and the Open Government Guide. These resources provide detailed guidance on opportunities and entry points for working with governments and other local, regional or international stakeholders to support the planning, implementation, follow-up and accountability of Goal 16 and OGP commitments. The workshop will also highlight concrete opportunities presented by the Open Government Partnership to advance SDG-related advocacy, implementation, and monitoring, and will showcase case studies from organizations already working extensively around various Goal 16 and OGP issues – with interactive breakout sessions for participants to explore challenges and solutions to Goal 16 advocacy at various levels.