ASSESSING PROGRESS TOWARD SDG 16 IN PAKISTAN: GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the progress of Pakistan towards achieving sustainable development goal 16 and identifying governance challenges that hinder its effective enforcement. Sustainable development goal 16 concentrated on peace, strong institutions, justice, and inclusive governance. Despite various institutional and constitutional reforms, Pakistan persistently faced the challenges of corruption, political instability, lack of institutional capacity, confined citizen participation, and provincial disparities that affect its development. Moreover, the study focused on analysing interaction among formal institutions, public participation, future governance preparedness and provincial disparities. Moreover qualitative research method has been used. The thematic content analysis and empirical evidences were employed to analyse institutional performances and provincial differences in achieving SDG 16 targets. The research concluded that enhancing public participation, strengthening institutional capacity, reducing provincial variations, and ensuring judicial independence and accountability are essential for attaining SDG 16 targets in Pakistan.