How Do Businesses Overcome Challenges in Tracking Progress on SDGs that Are Intangible, Like Peace and Justice?

 Tracking progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) presents unique challenges, particularly for goals that are more intangible in nature, such as SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. Unlike environmental or economic goals, which often have clear, measurable outcomes, the targets within SDG 16—such as promoting peaceful societies, ensuring access to justice, and building accountable institutions—are often harder to quantify. However, businesses can still play a critical role in advancing these goals and can use various strategies to measure and track their contributions to peace and justice.

In this blog, we will explore how businesses can overcome challenges in tracking progress on SDGs related to peace and justice and provide practical steps for integrating these goals into their operations.

1. Set Clear, Measurable Indicators Related to Peace and Justice

One of the first steps businesses can take in tracking progress on SDG 16 is to develop clear, measurable indicators. While peace and justice may be intangible concepts, they can still be broken down into tangible, actionable metrics that align with business operations.

Actions to Take:

• Use qualitative indicators: While numerical data may not be available for all aspects of SDG 16, businesses can track qualitative indicators such as employee perceptions of workplace fairness, levels of corruption in supply chains, or public trust in corporate governance.

• Develop customized metrics: Businesses can create tailored metrics that relate to peace and justice in their operations. For example, SDG 16.3 (Promote the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice) can be tracked through metrics such as number of legal complaints resolved, timeliness of dispute resolution, or employee access to legal support services.

• Leverage existing indices: Use international peace and justice indices such as the Global Peace Index (GPI) or World Justice Project Rule of Law Index as benchmarks. These indices provide data on factors like political stability, rule of law, and corruption, which businesses can use to gauge the broader societal context in which they operate.

By defining specific metrics tied to SDG 16, businesses can track progress in a way that makes sense for their industry and operations.

2. Promote Fairness and Accountability within the Workplace

Business operations, especially regarding human rights and governance, play a significant role in advancing peace and justice. For example, ensuring fairness in hiring practices, employee treatment, and transparency in decision-making processes can be a way businesses contribute to SDG 16.

Actions to Take:

• Implement diversity and inclusion programs: Track diversity across gender, race, and other dimensions of equity. Programs that promote fairness and eliminate discrimination in hiring, promotions, and day-to-day operations can be vital in fostering peaceful and just workplaces.

• Create grievance mechanisms: Establish accessible and fair grievance mechanisms that allow employees, suppliers, and other stakeholders to report issues without fear of retaliation. The effectiveness of these systems can be tracked through metrics like number of grievances resolved or timeliness of response.

• Adopt transparent governance practices: Companies can track the implementation of corporate governance best practices, such as accountability in decision-making, anti-corruption measures, and ethical conduct in business transactions. These practices contribute to peace and justice within the company and the communities it serves.

By focusing on fairness and accountability within the organization, businesses contribute directly to SDG 16 and can measure progress through employee feedback and governance metrics.

3. Engage in Advocacy and Collaborate with Stakeholders

Businesses often operate in environments where political, social, and legal frameworks may either enable or obstruct peace and justice. One way to address these challenges is by engaging in advocacy and collaborating with stakeholders to foster a culture of peace and justice both within the business and in society.

Actions to Take:

• Partner with NGOs and civil society organizations (CSOs): Businesses can collaborate with NGOs focused on human rights, justice, and peace-building initiatives. These partnerships allow businesses to contribute to SDG 16 through joint programs and projects that can be measured through mutual goals and outcomes.

• Advocate for legal and policy reforms: Businesses can engage in policy advocacy efforts aimed at improving legal frameworks and promoting accountable institutions (SDG 16.6). By participating in coalitions or lobbying for policy changes that advance justice, businesses can track their influence through the success of these efforts and any legislative changes.

• Support peace-building initiatives: Companies can support local or international peace-building initiatives, whether through financial contributions or by offering expertise. Tracking these contributions might involve monitoring the impact of corporate philanthropy or the scale of employee participation in these efforts.

By leveraging their networks and resources to advocate for peace and justice, businesses can contribute meaningfully to SDG 16 while tracking the tangible outcomes of their engagement.

4. Measure Community Impact and Social License to Operate

Peace and justice extend beyond internal company operations. A company’s actions in the communities it operates in can have a direct influence on social stability and justice. Social license to operate (SLO), or the acceptance a business gains from local communities, is a powerful indicator of a company's contribution to peace and justice.

Actions to Take:

• Conduct community impact assessments: Evaluate the impact of your company’s operations on local communities, particularly in areas that might be vulnerable to conflict or injustice. This could involve tracking metrics related to community development (such as local education programs, access to health services, or infrastructure improvements) and conflict prevention (such as efforts to mediate disputes or support local governance).

• Track community grievances: Monitor the number of grievances raised by the community, and track how quickly and fairly these issues are resolved. A decrease in community grievances over time could be a positive indicator of peace and justice contributions.

• Monitor the effectiveness of conflict resolution programs: Many businesses in conflict-prone regions invest in conflict resolution and community cohesion programs. By tracking the effectiveness of these programs, such as reduction in local tensions or number of conflicts resolved, businesses can assess their role in promoting peace.

By proactively engaging with communities and tracking the success of peace-building initiatives, companies can align their efforts with SDG 16 and measure their broader social impact.

5. Leverage Technology and Data for Monitoring and Reporting

Advancements in technology, particularly in data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), can support businesses in tracking intangible SDG targets like peace and justice. These tools allow businesses to gain insights into the broader context in which they operate, monitor risks, and measure progress in real-time.

Actions to Take:

• Use data analytics tools: Companies can use data to track trends related to local conflict, corruption risks, or human rights abuses in areas where they operate. These tools can aggregate data from multiple sources, such as government reports, media outlets, and local NGOs, to provide a real-time picture of peace and justice in the region.

• Adopt AI for conflict detection: Some companies are using AI to monitor and predict potential conflicts in regions at risk. This could involve tracking sentiment analysis from social media or news outlets, or analyzing data to foresee where tensions may arise. By identifying early warning signs, businesses can take proactive measures to prevent harm and support peace initiatives.

• Publish transparent SDG reports: Leveraging digital platforms to report on SDG progress can help companies track their contributions to SDG 16 and communicate their impact. Tools like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards can help businesses structure their reports on peace and justice in a way that is consistent with global frameworks.

By using technology to track and report on SDG 16, businesses can gain more precise insights into their contributions to peace and justice.

Conclusion

Tracking progress on SDG 16—peace, justice, and strong institutions—presents inherent challenges due to its intangible nature. However, businesses can overcome these obstacles by implementing clear, measurable indicators, promoting fairness within their operations, engaging in advocacy and community partnerships, and leveraging technology to track impact. With the right strategies in place, businesses can measure their contributions to peace and justice effectively and demonstrate their commitment to advancing sustainable development goals in a meaningful way. By doing so, companies not only enhance their credibility but also play an important role in fostering stability and justice in the communities they serve.