Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: Reflections on Health Governance and Health Inequalities in Mangaung

This chapter addresses several issues pertinent to health governance and health inequalities. To attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), peaceful, just, and inclusive societies are required. Effective and inclusive governmental institutions can help to deliver quality healthcare, fair economic policies, and inclusive environmental protection to advance the SDGs. Governments, civil society, and communities must work together to implement long-term solutions to minimise violence, deliver justice, battle corruption, and always promote inclusive participation to achieve peace, justice, and inclusion. Regardless of ethnicity, faith, or sexual orientation, people everywhere must be free of fear of all forms of violence and feel safe as they go about their daily lives. The right to express oneself must be protected in private and public spaces. People must be able to participate in decisions that impact their lives. Discrimination needs to be avoided when enforcing laws and policies. Conflicts must be resolved through well-functioning political and legal systems. Institutions at the national and local levels must be held accountable. They must be in place to provide essential services to families and communities equitably and non-bribable. Violence has a pervasive impact on civilisations; it generates trauma and makes social inclusion more difficult. Children’s health, development, and well-being, as well as their potential to thrive, are all affected by violence. Armed violence and insecurity negatively impact a country’s development, slowing economic progress and causing long-standing community discontent. A democracy and peacebuilding approach will be employed in this chapter, and it is suggested as a practical way to foster peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.