Global Peace Declines for 13th Time in 17 Years: Insights from the Global Peace Index

Global Peace Index Findings

• 🌍 The world has become less peaceful for the 13th time in the last 17 years, with Sub-Saharan Africa at the epicenter of this decline.
• 📌 The Global Peace Index measures peacefulness across 163 countries using 23 indicators in three domains: safety and security, ongoing conflict, and militarization.
• ⚠️ Countries like Mali, Sudan, South Sudan, and the DRC are identified as facing extreme conflict and instability.

Key Indicators of Peacefulness

• 💡 Safety and security are assessed through citizen perception of safety, homicide rates, and the level of terrorism.
• 💥 Ongoing conflict indicators include the number of conflicts, deaths from violent conflict, and involvement in conflicts beyond national borders.
• ⚔️ Militarization is measured by military expenditure as a percentage of GDP and weapons imports/exports, capturing how countries might export violence.

Positive Peace and Case Studies

• ✅ Some states like Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, and Ghana show high levels of peace.
• 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone is highlighted for very low militarization, with minimal weapons exports and low military expenditure relative to GDP.
• 🇺🇬 Uganda showed positive results driven by increased UN peacekeeping funding and a significant drop in deaths from internal conflict, despite political tensions.

Strategies for Improving Peace

• 🕊️ In the short term, addressing ongoing conflict is the greatest predictor of future peacefulness.
• 🌱 Long-term guarantees of peacefulness require building positive peace through economic development, respect for rights, a sound business environment, and free information flow.

Economic Impact of Violence

• 💸 The total economic impact of violence globally is approaching $20 trillion PPP, with military expenditure and internal security spending being the largest contributors.
• 📉 Lack of peacefulness directly leads to a fall in economic activity, including lost working days and productivity.
• 📢 There is a call for increased international attention to ongoing conflicts in Africa, which receive significantly less media coverage than high-profile conflicts elsewhere.