Ethnic Conflict and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

The term ethnic conflict is a multifaceted concept which suffers from the problem of definitional vagueness. Despite the decline in the occurrence of perceived ethnic conflicts in recent times, this lack of clarity surrounding the concept is far from ideal. Ethnic conflict is often based on the basic idea of a political or social conflict which involves groups which are identified by ethnic markers. However, this is usually done purely on empirical grounds lacking any numerical support, meaning some conflicts are incorrectly classified as ethnic conflicts. This entry will analyze the different conceptual approaches that have been adopted to define ethnic conflict. The SDGs which links most closely to the concept of ethnic conflict is SDG 16. It states that the UN and Member States will promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. Ethnic...