Global peace index 20021

 The everage  levels  of peacefulness  would  not have changed significantly  over the  last decade .The heightened  media  attention  on conflict  in the middle east  refugee  flows  and terrorism  in europe  has meant several positive  trends  have not  been seen  as widely  covered . Two  of the  more positive  trends  from the  last decade  are decrease  in  the  homiside  rate  for 67%  of the countries  covered  and improvements in the  political terror  scale. which  measures  state sponsered  violence  such as   extra judicial  killings  and torture  where 68 countries  improved  compared  to 46 that  deteriorated .

The economic impact  of violence  on the global  economy  in 2016  was $14.3  trillion  in purchasing power parity PPP terms .This figure  is equivalent to 12.6 percent  of the world s  economic activity  gross  world product  $1,953for every  person  and  us three  percent  lower  than in 2015 . The reduction  was msinly  due to  decrease  in the number  of people  killed  by terrorism  which dropped  ten percent  as well as  lower  expenditure  on peacekeeping  lower  internal  security  and  lower coasts  from homicide .

The economic impact  of war was$1.04 trillion .Peace building  expenditure  is etimited  to be  approximately $10 billion  or less  than one per cent  of the cost of war .The  report  also estimates  the likely  return  on increase  on investment  can be  up to  16 times  the cost of the intervention  highlighting  a major  opportunity  for  future development and investment .This is  especially important  for countries  mired  in conflict  where the  average  economic  impact  of violence  for the  ten least  peacrful  countries  was  equivalent to 37%  of their gdp.This compares to only  three percent  in the  ten most  peacefulul . IEPS  risk  model  accurately  predicted  five  of the ten  largest  deteriorations  in the GPI scince 2008. This model  provides  a  framework  for prioritising  peacebuilding  activities  where  only  one  four  interventions  need  to be  effective  to provide a  strong positive  return  on invetment 

a central issue  facing  policy makers  understanding  what causes  societies  to transition  from one state  of peace  to another . The research  shows  that over  the last  decade  the defining  characteristic  of countiries  that have transitioned  to more  or less  peaceful  states  has been  their performance  on positive  peace .The analysis  finds  that differences  factors  become more important  at differing  stage . In low  peace  environments  the factors  that matters   the most  are related  to  well functioning  government 

low levels  of corruption

acception  of the right  of others  and

good relstions with neighbours 

in these case  setting  security

and rule  of law are the best  most important  factors  within  the  well functioning  government piller .For countries  at the mid  level of peace .Free information and sond business  environment.

rise in  importance  across all stages  of peaceful  countries to rank  at the top  of the gpi  they must  score  well on all  eight pillers  of pisitive  peace  underlying  the systematic  nature  of positive  peace  finally  the piller  related  to  low levels of corruption  is .

Strongly  significant across all stages  of peacefulness  showing  that regardless  of the  peace  of a country  it is animportant  transformational  factor  for both  development  and peace .This is important  to emphasis  as corruption  is the  least  measured  pillar  of peace  in the sustainable  development  goals  sdgs targets  only three of the 169 SDG  targets  to corruption .The report  also  assesses  recent  political development  in   europe  finding  that the  sharp increasing  in support  for  populist parties  in the past  decade  closely  correspondence  with  deteriorations  in positive  peace.  While  europes  overall scores on positive  peace improved  very slightly  from 2005 to 2015  by 0.3 percent  its improvement  is well behind  the global  average  improvement  of 1.6 percent.Many  of the european  countries recorded  substantial  deteriorations  including  italy. France and spain  increased  perceived levels  of corruption  within  the political  elite  rising  inequality in wealth 

 

deterioration  inpress  freedoms  and media  concentration  , along  with  diminishing  acceptance   of the rights  of others  are linked  to many  of the issues  populists  parties  have successfully  capatalised  on .This demonstrates how the  negative  trends in positive  peace across  europe ,Iceland  has maintained  its position  as the  most peaceful nations  in the world  in the 2017 .Global peace index has been ranked  as the worlds  most peaceful  coyntry  every  year since 2008 .It was  also  ranked  as the most  peaceful  country  on two  of the three  domains  covered in .

The global peasce index  sociatal  safety  and security  and militarisation portugal  moved to third  position  its highest  ranking  since  the inception  of the index  a notable  improved  given that  it was  ranked 16  less than five years ago portugal  has improved 12 to 23 global peace index  mist notably  on weapons  imports  and violent  demonstration  Denmark  fell  from  second position  to fifth  due to increases  in the  impact  of terrorism  and a  deterioration  in the  neighbouring  country  relations  indicators .

Syria  remains  the worlds  least peaceful country  for the second successive  year  and has  been ranked  amongst  the worlds  five least peaceful  countries  since  the start  of the civil war in  2013 it has been  fallen 64 places  in the ranking  since  the inception  of the index  and has had  the largest  fall in  score  of any country  in thr last decade .Iraq  and Afghanistan  have also  remained  amongst the  bottom  fove countries  of the index  for the  pat five  years . South sudan  is now  the fourth  least  peaceful country  and has  experienced  a steady  decline  in recent  years  dropping 15 places  since  achieving  independence  from the sudan 

Yemens  deteriration  has it ranked  as the fifth  least  peaceful country  for the  first time in 2017  owing  to an  increase  in the  level violent  crime .  intensity  of internal  organised conflicts . And the  impact of  terrorism .Yemen  has fallen  considerably  in the global peace index since 2008 when it was  ranked  131.

It has slipped 28 places  in the ranking  since then  .There is a considerable  variences  in the rankings  of countries  across  the three global peace index  domains  societal  safety  and security  ongoing  democratic  and domestic  and international conflicts  and militarisation .Countries in  the militarisation  domain  have the  largest variance  in ranking  when compared  to the overall global peace index  of the five most militarised countries  only syria  is ranked  amongst the bottom  five on the  overall index .Similarly  only  iceland is  ranked  amongst the  five most peaceful  countries for both  the militarisation domain  and the index over all . Although  both Israel  and the usa  are amongst  tge five most  most militarised countries  in the world .They performed  much better  on the social  safety  and security domain  ranking  in the top 60 .There are strong regional  similarities  in the ranking  between  the most  and least peaceful countries  on the safety and security  domain  which can bee seen  all five of the most  peaceful countries  onsafety and security  from europe  with four of  the five  being nordic countries .How ever  despite  the high scores  the level  of safety  and security  has deteriorated  in europe  over the past decade with iceland Denmark  and sweden  all recording  worse  scores  owing  largely  to deterioration  in the  impact of terrorism idicator.

Of the five countries  with the lowest levels  of peacefulness on  the safety  and security .