UN Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

How we research law and justice, bring legal awareness to people who need it, hold ourselves to high standards of integrity, and work with government and public institutions.

UPES report on Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, 2025–26.
The Hubble building at the UPES campus with the UPES University of Tomorrow sign

SDG 16.1Research and expertise for justice

UPES lawyers, researchers and students study and strengthen the law, from human rights and disaster governance to justice technology and international humanitarian law.

The figures below cover UPES research publications on peace, justice and strong institutions from 2021 to 2025 (source: Scopus, October 2026).

104research publications, 2021–2025
1,008citations to these papers
55journal articles and reviews
29books and book chapters

What the research covers

Number of 2021–2025 papers on each theme (a paper can appear under more than one).

ThemePapers
Law, rights and justice20
AI, ethics and regulation19
Cyber safety, privacy and online harm14
E-governance and smart governance10
Gender equality and social justice9
Peace, conflict and security7
Blockchain and transparency6

Most cited work

  1. Blockchain Technology for Secure Supply Chain Management: A Comprehensive Review (IEEE Access, 2022), cited 189 times.
  2. Leveraging blockchain concepts as watermarkers of plastics for sustainable waste management in progressing circular economy (Environmental Research, 2022), cited 99 times.
  3. Overcoming water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges in critical regions of the global community (Water-Energy Nexus, 2024), cited 86 times.
  4. Blockchain: Future of e-governance in smart cities (Sustainability (Switzerland), 2021), cited 68 times.
  5. Image cyberbullying detection and recognition using transfer deep machine learning (International Journal of Cognitive Computing in Engineering, 2024), cited 59 times.

The full list of publications, with links, is on the research publications page (also available as a spreadsheet).

Centres and committees

SDG 16.2Access to justice in the community

The UPES Legal Aid Clinic and law students bring legal awareness to people who rarely get it, and learn how the justice system works on the ground.

SDG 16.3Integrity and fairness at UPES

UPES's own rules set high standards of integrity, protect people who raise concerns, and give students and staff fair ways to seek redress.

SDG 16.4Working with government and public institutions

UPES advises government at local, state and national level, trains officials, researches policy with government departments, and offers a neutral space where people with different views can discuss hard questions.

This work spans local, regional and national government.

Events and activities

95 events from UPES schools and departments support this goal. Each event has its own report with a description, photograph and, where one exists, a link to the original post.

Supporting documents

These documents support the evidence in this report.

All sources

Every website and document used in this report, and the sections it supports. Each initiative and event also has its own page, linked from its name in the report.

SourceTypeUsed in
UPES Principles of Engagement: Code of ConductPDF16.3 Integrity and fairness at UPES
The Students Union at UPESPDF16.3 Integrity and fairness at UPES
UPES Policy on Ethical ConductPDF16.3 Integrity and fairness at UPES
Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment PolicyPDF16.3 Integrity and fairness at UPES
Anti-discrimination, ICC and grievance redressalPDF16.3 Integrity and fairness at UPES
UPES R&D Newsletter, July–December 2025 (IPR workshop)PDF16.4 Working with government and public institutions
UPES response to PNGRBPDF16.4 Working with government and public institutions
UPES research publications on peace, justice and strong institutions: full listPublication list16.1 Research and expertise for justice
UDAAI Monsoon Report 2025News article16.1 Research and expertise for justice
16.4 Working with government and public institutions
SDCF, UPES and SCLHR report to the Uttarakhand governmentNews article16.1 Research and expertise for justice
Just Tech Innovation Hub with JupiticeLinkedIn post16.1 Research and expertise for justice
Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot 2025LinkedIn post16.1 Research and expertise for justice
International Colloquium on Gender and Social JusticeLinkedIn post16.1 Research and expertise for justice
Summer school on electoral systems and governanceLinkedIn post16.1 Research and expertise for justice
Youth and democracy at ACPC 2025LinkedIn post16.1 Research and expertise for justice
International conference on social media, AI and the lawLinkedIn post16.1 Research and expertise for justice
Constitution Week 2025LinkedIn post16.1 Research and expertise for justice
Gender, curriculum and change panelLinkedIn post16.1 Research and expertise for justice
UPES research centresWebsite16.1 Research and expertise for justice
Chai Par Kanooni Charcha, Legal Aid ClinicLinkedIn post16.2 Access to justice in the community
Good Touch, Bad Touch awarenessLinkedIn post16.2 Access to justice in the community
Law students visit Sudhowala District Jail, 2024LinkedIn post16.2 Access to justice in the community
Educational visit to Sudhowala Jail, 2025LinkedIn post16.2 Access to justice in the community
How UPES is contributing to the SDGsWebsite16.2 Access to justice in the community
16.4 Working with government and public institutions
UPES student committeesWebsite16.3 Integrity and fairness at UPES
UPES Internal Quality Assurance CellWebsite16.3 Integrity and fairness at UPES
MoU between NITI Aayog and UPESNews article16.4 Working with government and public institutions
UPES and the DST–UNDP Community Resilience Resource CentresNews article16.4 Working with government and public institutions
UPES wins DRDO-funded projectWebsite16.4 Working with government and public institutions
Regional Workshop on Competition Law with CCILinkedIn post16.4 Working with government and public institutions
International Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Energy LawsWebsite16.4 Working with government and public institutions
Justice U. C. Dhyani at Vidhi Utsav 2025LinkedIn post16.4 Working with government and public institutions
Anil Raturi at Vidhi Utsav 2025LinkedIn post16.4 Working with government and public institutions
10th UPES International MUNWebsite16.4 Working with government and public institutions
Governor inaugurates Himalaya Calling 2025 (Lok Bhavan Uttarakhand)Government website16.4 Working with government and public institutions