2019 – Posted in: Blog – Tags: climate risk

GLOBAL PEACE INDEX 2019

For: Preliminary & Mains

Topic cover: GPI 2019, Highlights, India vs. Global Performance

News Flash

The recently released Global Peace Index shows India’s rank at 141 among 163 countries.

The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) prepares the GPI report that presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to date on peace, its economic value, trends, and how to develop peaceful societies.

Global Peace Index (GPI)

Global Peace Index (GPI) measures the general position of countries’ and regions’ peacefulness. It ranks 163 autonomous states and territories (99.7 percent of the total population) as per their levels of peacefulness. In the previous decade, the GPI has displayed patterns of expanded global violence and less peacefulness.

Highlights

For the first time, the GPI 2019 includes research on climate change and peace.
The GPI 2019 includes new data on wellbeing and perceptions of peacefulness.
Global peacefulness improves for the first time in five years.
The average country score improved by -0.09 percent, with 86 countries improving and 76 recording deteriorations.
Bhutan has recorded the largest improvement of any country in the top 20, rising 43 places in the last 12 years.
The economic impact of violence on the global economy in 2018 amounted to $14.1 trillion in constant purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. This is equivalent to 11.2 percent of the world’s GDP or $1,853 per person.
In 2018, the economic impact of violence improved for the first time since 2012, decreasing by 3.3 percent or $475 billion.
The decline in the economic impact of violence is reflective of the improvement in global peacefulness.
The reduction was primarily due to a decline in the costs associated with Armed Conflict.

Factors that drove the fall in Peacefulness

Increased terrorist activity
The intensification of conflicts in the Middle East
Rising regional tensions in Eastern Europe and northeast Asia
Increasing numbers of refugees
Heightened political tensions in Europe and the US.

India’s scenario

India has slipped by four points in an annual global index on peacefulness this year, finishing at 141.

Global Scenario

Afghanistan is the least peaceful country in the world.
Syria is the second least peaceful country.
South Sudan, Yemen, and Iraq comprise the remaining five least peaceful countries.
This is the first year since the inception of the index that Yemen has been ranked amongst the five least peaceful countries.
Four of the nine regions in the world improved in peacefulness in 2019: Russia and Eurasia, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Most of Russia and Eurasia remains less peaceful than the global average.
Central America and the Caribbean had the largest regional deterioration.

Climate-related risks

For the first time, the GPI 2019 includes research on climate change and peace.
The impacts of fluctuating climate conditions on societal stability and its potential to lead to violent conflict are of growing importance.
The effects of climate shocks on factors such as resource scarcity, livelihood security, and displacement can greatly increase the risk of future violent conflict, even when climate change does not directly cause conflict.
An estimated 971 million people live in areas with high or very high exposure to climate hazards, putting them at risk for both extreme weather events and breakdowns in peacefulness in the coming decades.
The Asia-Pacific and South Asia regions collectively house twice as many people in high exposure climate zones as all other regions combined.

Wellbeing Perceptions

The GPI 2019 also includes new data on wellbeing and perceptions of peacefulness.
The report shows that there have been increases in average feelings of life satisfaction and wellbeing, perceptions of safety, and confidence in the local police and military, despite the last decade showing a decline in peacefulness around the world.
More people across the world now feel that they have more freedom in life, are more satisfied with life, and are treated with more respect than in 2008.
Many more people also feel that their countries are better places to live for ethnic and religious minorities.

The Institute for Economics and Peace

The IEP is the world’s think tank dedicated to developing metrics to analyze peace and to quantify its economic value.

It does this by creating worldwide and national lists, figuring the financial cost of violence, breaking down nation level risk and understanding positive peace.

It was founded by IT entrepreneur and philanthropist Steve Killelea in 2007,

Source: Vision of Humanity

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