Hong Kong, July 30, 2019
The journal with focus on the SDG 16 in particular which is “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” One of the targets of the SDG 16 is the achievement of rule of law.
SDG 16 poses a serious challenges particularly in the developing countries in the world including those in Asia. The journal will reveal details about the actual situation in many countries in Asia where access to justice, strong public institutions capable of protecting the rights of the people and the rule of law are either absent or are in serious crisis.
The journal intends to highlight the actual ground realities prevailing in different countries where institutional framework in fact opposes the goals that are pursued through SDG 16. Open extrajudicial killings which are taking place in large scale in some countries like the Philippines undermine the very idea of a rule of law based society. Enforced disappearances prevailing in places like Bangladesh and Pakistan which are directly or indirectly allowed by the relevant governments leave no room for justice. The failure to investigate large scale killings allegedly by terrorists organisations which took place on the Easter Sunday 2019 in Sri Lanka demonstrate how the idea of the people’s security has been abandoned by the state. Violence associated with the political process in Cambodia prevents emergence of any strong public institutions. The entrenched military style rule in Myanmar, Pakistan and Thailand leaves no space for justice and due process.
All these factors also contribute to the negation of right for food security and nutrition as envisaged in Goal 2 of the SDG. All other goals are defeated by the denial of access to justice and absence of strong and accountable public institutions.
Therefore, SDG 16 is central to the achievement of any of the other goals as contained in SDG 2030.
The journal will pursue these many faceted problems in depth and make it available to the readers with the expectation that public awareness and activism will benefit from the information and reflections contained in this journal.
The Volume 1, Number 1 of this journal is now available. Please click here to read
