De Montfort University is a global academic hub chair and as such publishes a progress report on both the individual United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as a comprehensive report on all the goals.
Our 2025 report will show what the university has been doing in terms of research, teaching, partnerships and engagement in helping to meet those targets and raising awareness of the progress towards the 2030 aims.
This is the progress report for SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. The full report on all the SDGs can be viewed here.
UN PROGRESS REPORT ON SDG 16 in 2025
NONE of the targets in SDG 16 are expected to be met by 2030 with only 15% showing moderate progress and a further 45% marginal progress. A further 25% of the targets show stagnation and 15% have actually regressed on their 2015 levels.
The UN report states: “Violence and conflict continue to drive human suffering and displacement. In the last year, nearly 50,000 lives were lost to conflict – one every 12 minutes – disproportionately affecting women and children.
“By the end of the year, 123.2 million people were forcibly displaced. While global homicide rates fell by 12 per cent between 2015 and 2023, progress remains far below the 50 per cent reduction target.
“Urgent action is needed to protect lives and restore trust through peacebuilding, justice reform and accountability”.
MAJOR DMU NEWS ON SDG 16 IN 2025
DMU conference on the future of policing outlines university's commitment to public sector partnerships
SENIOR police officials, academics and practitioners have come together to explore how collaboration between forces and universities can drive greater innovation and tackle challenges facing modern policing in the UK.
More than 120 delegates from 20 police forces & institutions and 13 universities attended the Society of Evidence-based Policing (SEBP) Midlands Regional Conference, which this year was hosted by De Montfort University (DMU) Leicester’s Policy Unit and Business and Law (BAL) faculty.
The conference outlined how generative AI is becoming more prevalent in fraud and sexual abuse cases, with Superintendent Lewis Lincoln-Gordon explaining the need for academia and public services to combat the threat.
DMU expert wins €10.4m grant to lead global effort against coercive interrogation
A DMU law professor is part of an international research team awarded more than €10.4 million to transform how police and investigators around the world conduct interviews.
The six-year project, titled JUSTICE – Joining Unique Strategies Together for Interrogative Coercion Elimination, aims to replace coercive and abusive interrogation methods with those grounded in human rights and evidence.
DMU Marks 30th Anniversary of Srebrenica Genocide
IF EVERYBODY believed in each other, this place, this world would be a much, much better place." This was the testimony of Jasmin Dajić, a survivor of the Bosnian War, at a recent event hosted by De Montfort University to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide.
The atrocity, which took place in July 1995, saw more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men systematically murdered in and around the town of Srebrenica. It was one of many horrific crimes committed during the Bosnian War of 1992-1995.
Held at The Venue, the event was organised by Remembering Srebrenica UK, a charitable initiative dedicated to tackling hatred and intolerance whilst promoting a more cohesive and compassionate society.
DMU researcher invited to UK's leading round-tipped knife manufacturer
ONE of the country’s leading knife manufacturers has welcomed a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) researcher to its headquarters to talk to staff there about her work.
Leisa Nichols-Drew, Associate Professor in Forensic Biology at DMU has carried out some of the most comprehensive research into the safety of round-tipped knives compared to pointed blades, finding them far less likely to penetrate materials.
Her work has been widely cited in the media and she has formed an association with Liverpool-based company, Rayware, a leading housewares supplier of some of the UK’s best-known British brands including Viners.
Transforming police and academic collaboration through critical dialogue
POLICE professionals and academic researchers came together this week to discuss the challenges facing modern policing and how collaboration is the key to addressing them.
DMU, in partnership with the East Midlands Police-Academic Collaboration, recently hosted a sandpit session, inviting police professionals and academic researchers to engage in critical, reflective, and open discussions about the challenges facing modern policing and the role of collaboration in addressing them.
DMU's business school nominated as country's best
INNOVATIVE efforts to make studying as inclusive as possible for students all over the world have helped Leicester Castle Business School to a national award nomination.
The business school, based at DMU, has been recognised for its work with a nod in the Business School of the Year category at the PIEoneer Awards, run by international education network PIE.
In its entry, the LCBS team highlighted the introduction of new ideas making the studying experience more welcoming and inclusive for international students.
DMU gears up criminal justice workers to be new era of leaders
PRISON and probation workers studying a pioneering Master’s at DMU are set to become the next generation of leaders.
Learners on the first-ever Master's in Community and Criminal Justice Leadership (MCCJL) course at DMU are studying for advanced qualifications that can help them climb the career ladder within the justice sector.
The two-year programme has been designed to be as immersive as possible, making use of creative learning environments such as a purpose-built crime scene house.
New Companion of DMU Gus John calls on graduates to face up to social injustice
A LIFELONG social justice campaigner who has received the highest academic accolade available at DMU is calling on its graduates to help break down barriers that divide us as humans.
Professor Gus John, who has championed racial equality, particularly in education, was speaking after being named a Companion of DMU at a graduation ceremony.
His lengthy fight against systemic racism, which spans more than 60 years, has seen Professor John consult on policies and work on influential academic reports and literature.
DMU Balkan expert appointed UK representative for international think tank
A WORLD-RENOWNED expert on the Balkans has been appointed as a UK representative on a think tank created to foster stability, democratic process and reconciliation within the Western Balkans.
Professor Kenneth Morrison, Director of the Institute of Global Challenges and Cultures at DMU, will join up with former Prime Ministers, Defence Ministers, senior politicians, academics and policy advisors from Europe and the US as part of West Balkan Net.
DMU makes national pledge to support refugees
DMU has made a national pledge to demonstrate its commitment to helping people fleeing violence and persecution.
The university signed up to a statement prepared by City of Sanctuary, a charity supporting a network of groups across the UK and Ireland working to build a culture of welcome and hospitality within their communities.
DMU spreads Christmas cheer to Leicester refugees
STAFF and students at DMU have teamed up with the British Red Cross to host a Christmas party for refugee families living in the city.
Refugees who have settled across Leicester came together at DMU’s Campus Centre for an afternoon of Christmas songs, party games, drawing and a festive feast, courtesy of national catering company Chartwells.
MAJOR DMU RESEARCH ON SDG 16 IN 2025
Corruption Quantum Comparison and Suspicion-Based Corruption: New Corruption Neutralization and Justification Techniques?
Amagnya, M. A. (2025)
CORRUPTION in criminal justice systems adversely affects governance, justice delivery, and sociopolitical and economic growth.
Corruption leads to disregard for due process, undermines trust and confidence in institutions, impacts law-abiding behavior, violates citizen’s rights and liberties, and aggravates inequalities and suffering of poor and vulnerable people.
As a result, people who engage in corruption usually look for conditions to blame for the occurrence of corruption.
https://doi.org/10.1177/10575677251361870
Srebrenica, Never Again to No-one and Nowhere: An Action-Oriented Approach to Genocide Education
Sadique, K. (2025)
LEARNING from genocide is intended to be a transformative experience, encouraging learners/visitors to be motivated to prevent its reoccurrence and achieve ‘Never Again’.
This paper argues that most examples of genocide education do not focus on how to work towards ‘Never Again’ but rather emphasise remembrance and memorialisation, or ‘Never Forget’ as the primary goal.
This paper therefore explores the experiences of visitors to, and guide-educators at, memorial museums situated in authentic sites of mass atrocities, namely Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and Srebrenica Memorial Centre.
Srebrenica, Never Again to No-one and Nowhere: An Action-Oriented Approach to Genocide Education
Exploring Witchcraft, Sorcery and Bewitchment Beliefs, and Social Work Responses Among Street Children in Zimbabwe
Mhizha, S., Marandure, B.N. (2025)
STREET children increasingly shaping the urban landscape in many African countries. Their experiences of street childhood expose street children to many vulnerabilities including children’s rights violations, and social exclusion from schooling.
Witchcraft, sorcery, and bewitchment beliefs appear to be both a cause and an outcome of street childhood in Africa.
Despite this, there is a notable lack of research on the development of supernatural reasoning, which is central to the African world view.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s41134-025-00386-8
A Systematic Literature Review of Passenger Non-Adoption of Airport Self-Service Technologies: Issues and Future Recommendations
Chaiwan, C., Budd, L., and Ison, S. (2025)
TECHNOLOGY has become crucial for businesses to deliver faster and smoother services for growing numbers of customers at lower operating costs, and aviation is no exception. Airports and airlines have made significant investments in a range of back-office and customer-facing technologies including introducing self-service check-in and bag drop in order to enhance the guest experience and reduce processing times.
However, while uptake of these technologies among certain customer segments has been strong, other passengers are reluctant to use them and prefer interacting with human staff members which leads to inconsistency in the service offer and additional costs for airlines.
The aim of this paper is to identify the issues related to passenger non-adoption of self-service technologies in airports and make recommendations for how airlines and airports might approach this issue in the future.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jatrs.2025.100065
America as a Revisionist Power: Trump, ‘America First,’ and International Order
da Vinha, L. and Dutton, A. (2025)
IN HIS second term, Trump’s “America First 2.0” positions the United States as the main revisionist power, seeking to remake the liberal international order (LIO).
The paper contends that the administration actively undermines the LIO by challenging its structural foundations – sovereignty, self-determination, and multilateralism – as well as its liberal norms of free trade, democracy, and human rights.
Trump’s rejection of multilateralism, skepticism toward alliances, and embrace of protectionism directly erode these principles. While his first term initiated this challenge, a second Trump administration offers an unprecedented opportunity to further weaken or even dismantle the LIO, generating profound uncertainty and instability unless other states step forward to sustain it.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-98627-7_18
Retrogressive Adaptation and the Erosion of Protest in Authoritarian Regimes: Lessons from Zimbabwe
Nyamutata, C. (2025)
THIS article introduces and develops the concept of ‘retrogressive adaption’ – a theoretical framework that explains why populations under authoritarian regimes often exhibit political passivity despite severe deprivation and repression.
Retrogressive adaptation describes the process by which individuals and communities, faced with deteriorating standards of living and systemic oppression, adapt through alternative survival strategies that ultimately reinforce the status quo rather than challenge it.
The theory is applied to the case of Zimbabwe, where economic decline and political repression have led citizens to rely on informal survival mechanisms.
https://doi.org/10.1163/1821889x-bja10154
Satisfaction with the Police in South Africa: Perspectives of University Students
Bello, P.O., Akinlabi, O.M. and Amagnya, M.A. (2025)
THE present study explores satisfaction with the police among university students and factors that contribute to their perceptions.
Citizens’ satisfaction with the police is an important element of public perceptions of the police. Existing scholarly literature has extensively examined this subject, albeit with a predominant emphasis on the broader population.
As a result, there is a dearth of research on the perspectives of specific population segments, such as the youth more generally and university students in particular.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43576-025-00184-2
Transnational education as ecosystem: Rethinking sustainability and equity
Wang, J. (2025)
TRANSNATIONAL education (TNE) continues to expand globally, yet many partnerships remain fragile, short-lived or insufficiently connected to local contexts.
This study argues that TNE must be reimagined not as a transactional delivery model but as a dynamic ecosystem grounded in equity, sustainability and mutual capacity-building.
Drawing on 245 survey responses, 20 stakeholder interviews and more than 1000 regulatory audit findings, the analysis identifies systemic barriers including weak institutional integration, rigid curriculum transfer and fragmented support for students and staff.
https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70099
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions