Advancing Peace, Justice and Inclusion - Looking back on the launch of the 2025 Rome Civil Society Declaration
Two weeks ago, a CSPPS delegation travelled to New York City to participate in the SDG16 Conference, where it presented the 2025 Rome Civil Society Declaration on SDG16+: "A Compass for Navigating through the Geopolitical Storm". CSPPS joined forces with colleagues from the TAP Network to highlight the pressing need for renewed commitment to peaceful, just, and inclusive societies in today’s challenging global landscape.
As in previous years, CSPPS has been working with TAP Network to develop what is known as the “Rome Declaration”. The document aims to highlight the current challenges faced by civil society in light of the geopolitical context and share a series of recommendations to scale up efforts on SDG16 (peaceful, just and inclusive societies). Ahead of the New York conference, CSPPS and TAP jointly organised consultations to gather inputs from civil society networks and identify areas of concern from local, national, regional and international perspectives. This 2-month process resulted in a final version of the Declaration, entitled “A Compass for Navigating through the Geopolitical Storm”. The Declaration presents actionable recommendations across four critical thematic areas : shifting the focus from conflict to cooperation, rethinking financing for SDG16+, strengthening civic space and fundamental freedoms and safeguarding justice. Read the full Declaration here [English, French and Spanish available].
The SDG16 Conference—co-organised by the Permanent Mission of Italy, UNDESA, and IDLO—served as the official platform to launch the Declaration. Held at the United Nations Headquarters, the event brought together key stakeholders in peacebuilding and conflict prevention. The CSPPS delegation included Manal Benani (SCSP, Italy), Musa Ansumana Soko (WASH-NET, Sierra Leone), Natalia Pelaez Perez (Fundación LATIR, Colombia), and Peter van Sluijs (CSPPS Secretariat, Cordaid), who were joined by TAP Network colleagues to present the 2025 iteration of the Declaration.
During the official launch of the declaration, members insisted on the need to stand with civil society in the face of the questioning of democratic values, the importance of guaranteeing meaningful inclusion, enhancing global representation; others shared more personal considerations on the need to better listen to the lived experiences of civil society actors worldwide. Here are a few quotes from their interventions :
"A striving civic space is not a threat. It is the strongest defense that we have today against injustice, inequality and instability." - Manal Benani (SCPS)
"Civil society is not optional. We are watchdogs, service providers and accountability drivers." - Musa Ansumana Soko (Wash-NET)
"We need to emotionally connect and talk about what happens in local context." - Natalia Peláez Pérez (Fundacion LATIR)
To watch the full presentation: Presentation of the 2025 Rome Civil Society Declaration on SDG16+ - YouTube
Following the Conference, an informal gathering of the SDG16+ Community was organised at the Quaker House in New York. During the gathering, participants reflected on the conference outcomes, sharing their experiences with the event and exchanging thoughts on how civil society could potentially follow-up, e.g. by rallying to advocate for investment and involvement in the peacebuilding and conflict prevention sector.
The following days, delegation members attended a series of strategic meetings with New York-based partners - including UNPBSO, UNDP and UN Youth Office. Peter van Sluijs was invited to brief the Peacebuilding Commission’s Expert-level meeting on South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) for building and sustaining peace. He stressed the importance of civil society-led peer learning, policy exchange, and cross-regional collaboration in advancing sustainable peace, urging the Commission to foster more inclusive and context-driven peacebuilding efforts.
The week in New York underscored CSPPS’s enduring commitment to amplifying civil society voices and fostering inclusive dialogues around issues related to peace, justice and inclusion. As global tensions continue to rise, initiatives like the 2025 Rome Civil Society Declaration provide both a compass and a call to action— to navigate current crises and to guide the long-term pursuit of a more peaceful world.
