Ms. Marina Sereni, Vice Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy

Beagle, Director General of IDLO, Honorable Ministers, Excellences, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the Second SDG16 Conference on “Transforming Governance for a more peaceful, just and inclusive future: SDG16 as the Roadmap to respond to Covid-19 and Build Back Better”. [...] Since the early negotiations of the 2030 Agenda, we have been committed to support the need to bridge peace and development through the pillars of justice, good governance, respect for fundamental freedoms, human rights and the Rule of Law. [...] It is the principle that shapes the social pact between People and Institutions, which is essential to create an environment where Justice, the Rule of Law, and the promotion of Human Rights can thrive. [...] To this end, we need to ensure equity in the delivery of services, to strengthen public participation, transparency and accountability, to support the independence of judicial institutions and to reinforce action to fight corruption. [...] Despite these enormous challenges, the crisis must also be considered an opportunity to reimagine the role of institutions and policymaking, promote new governance norms and shift to transformative pathways that strengthen resilience and accelerate action to achieve the SDGs.