Positive Peace Report 2024: Building Sustainable Societies
The Positive Peace Report 2024 by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) builds upon insights from the Global Peace Index 2024, emphasizing that peace is more than the mere absence of violence. Instead, it highlights the importance of Positive Peace—a framework encompassing attitudes, institutions, and structures that foster and sustain peaceful societies. This concept not only promotes societal harmony but also serves as a driver for social development, economic growth, and ecological balance.
NOTE: Besides this Global Positive Peace Index (PPI) 2024 Report, you may also need to through the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2024 Report, which may be accessed using this link. Thank you
Positive Peace represents an environment conducive to human flourishing by embedding systemic stability and resilience. It is defined through eight Pillars of Positive Peace that collectively measure societal wellbeing. These pillars include:
Well-Functioning Government
Sound Business Environment
Equitable Distribution of Resources
Free Flow of Information
High Levels of Human Capital
Acceptance of the Rights of Others
Low Levels of Corruption
Good Relations with Neighbors
Together, these pillars create a roadmap for societal growth and resilience, allowing communities to thrive amid challenges.
Countries with higher Positive Peace scores demonstrate:
Greater resilience to political, economic, and environmental shocks.
Stronger economic performance, including robust GDP growth, higher household consumption, and increased foreign investment.
Improved wellbeing, happiness, and social cohesion.
Higher productivity and better access to information.
Lower levels of corruption and inefficiency.
Positive Peace serves as a predictive tool for identifying potential societal disruptions. The IEP’s Positive Peace deficit model reveals that 90% of countries predicted to experience substantial declines in peace eventually did so. Conversely, countries with surpluses in Positive Peace often experience long-term improvements in societal stability.
Economically, countries with improved Positive Peace scores witnessed faster GDP growth, lower inflation volatility, and stronger international trade performance. The industrial, service, and agricultural sectors also experienced higher growth rates, reinforcing the economic advantages of maintaining Positive Peace.
Over the past decade, Positive Peace has improved by 1%, with significant advancements in access to technology and information. However, the trend has not been linear:
From 2013 to 2019, Positive Peace improved by 1.5%.
Between 2019 and 2022, there was a 0.5% decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Free Flow of Information improved by 8%, driven by technological advancements.
Equitable Distribution of Resources and Acceptance of the Rights of Others showed significant gains.
High Levels of Human Capital and Sound Business Environment improved marginally.
Good Relations with Neighbors declined by 3.3%, reflecting social fragmentation.
Well-Functioning Government and Low Levels of Corruption deteriorated slightly due to reduced trust and transparency.
Social attitudes worsened by 1.3%, fueled by political grievances, misinformation, and reduced press freedoms.
Regions like the Americas have experienced the most significant backsliding since 2019, with North America facing the largest decline. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this trend by affecting life expectancy, economic prosperity, and international exchanges.
Despite these setbacks, countries with high Positive Peace levels displayed greater resilience, showcasing faster recoveries in health, trade, and economic stability. These findings underscore Positive Peace’s role in fostering long-term resilience and adaptability.
The report integrates systems thinking, which views societal systems as interconnected networks. Positive Peace acts as a stabilizing force, enabling societies to resist disruptions and capitalize on opportunities. Its predictive strength allows governments and organizations to anticipate crises and plan interventions effectively.
The Halo framework is central to this approach, helping analyze societal attributes and their dynamics. By understanding feedback loops, policymakers can break vicious cycles and foster virtuous ones to promote development.
IEP’s Positive Peace framework has been applied in over 75 countries through partnerships, workshops, and ambassador programs. Examples include:
Community resilience programs.
Policy reform initiatives.
Workshops on systems thinking and societal development.
The Positive Peace Report 2024 highlights the importance of building societal resilience through long-term, system-wide improvements. It emphasizes that peace-building is not a quick fix but requires sustained efforts to improve social, economic, and political structures. Positive Peace serves as both a guiding framework and a predictive tool, helping nations navigate global challenges and harness opportunities for growth.
By focusing on resilience, transparency, and inclusivity, societies can ensure sustained development and prosperity. The findings from this report underscore that investing in Positive Peace is not just a moral imperative but also an economic and social necessity for creating thriving, sustainable communities.
The Positive Peace Index (PPI) 2024, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), provides a detailed evaluation of the factors that contribute to sustaining peaceful societies. Following the release of the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2024, the PPI offers insights into the underlying attitudes, institutions, and structures that foster positive societal outcomes, including economic growth, ecological stability, and resilience.
Positive Peace is closely tied to socio-economic resilience, making it a reliable indicator for predicting instability. A model based on Positive Peace deficits accurately forecasted 90% of the countries that experienced significant deteriorations in peace over the past decade. Furthermore, seven of the ten largest declines in the GPI were also predicted by this model, highlighting its utility as an early warning system.
Between 2013 and 2022:
108 countries improved their Positive Peace scores, while 55 countries recorded deteriorations.
Global Positive Peace improved by 1%, although progress stalled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturns, and has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Six out of nine world regions improved in Positive Peace, with notable progress in Russia and Eurasia, South Asia, and Asia-Pacific.
Exceptions included North America, South America, and MENA (Middle East and North Africa), where declines were observed.
Within improving regions, Uzbekistan, Armenia, The Gambia, Taiwan, and Ireland saw the most significant gains.
Conversely, Brazil, Lebanon, Venezuela, Yemen, and The United States experienced the largest deteriorations.
Positive Peace is evaluated based on three domains—Structures, Attitudes, and Institutions—which collectively shape societal stability.
Structures Domain:
Showed substantial improvement since 2013, largely driving overall Positive Peace gains.
Attitudes Domain:
Declined by 1.3%, with 89 out of 163 countries experiencing deterioration. This decline reflects growing polarization on political and economic issues and the declining quality of public information.
Institutions Domain:
Fell slightly by 0.5%, reflecting modest global declines in governance and institutional performance.
Positive Peace is defined as the set of attitudes, institutions, and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies. It encompasses the conditions necessary for human potential to thrive, contributing to:
Thriving economies
Improved ecological performance
High levels of adaptability and resilience to change
Enhanced inclusiveness, wellbeing, and happiness
Countries with high Positive Peace are better equipped to withstand and recover from internal and external shocks, ensuring long-term stability and development.
Key drivers of improvement included:
Free Flow of Information
Equitable Distribution of Resources
Acceptance of the Rights of Others
High Levels of Human Capital
However, declines were noted in:
Good Relations with Neighbours
Well-Functioning Government
Low Levels of Corruption
The Sound Business Environment pillar showed the smallest improvement, remaining nearly static.
The pandemic disrupted Positive Peace globally, leading to a decline in 2020. Policy responses to COVID-19, coupled with economic instability, reversed years of progress. Despite this setback, gradual recovery has been observed, although levels remain below pre-pandemic standards.
The Positive Peace Index 2024 highlights the critical importance of fostering attitudes, institutions, and structures that support societal resilience and stability. While many countries continue to make progress, challenges remain, particularly in addressing governance issues, corruption, and polarization. The insights provided by the PPI not only identify areas for improvement but also offer a framework for building sustainable and resilient societies capable of withstanding future challenges.
PANHUMAN INTERNATIONAL:Â For Peace. For Humanity. For Progress.
The Palestine Israel conflict, a deeply entrenched and volatile issue in the Middle East, has roots that date back to the late 19th century. It has sparked numerous wars and peace efforts, with the struggle for land and sovereignty being central to both sides.
The Palestine Israel conflict, a deeply entrenched and volatile issue in the Middle East, has roots that date back to the late 19th century. It has sparked numerous wars and peace efforts, with the struggle for land and sovereignty being central to both sides.
In today’s complex world, the quest for social justice is more crucial than ever. Social justice encompasses the fair distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. It emphasizes equal opportunities for all, irrespective of race, gender, class, or nationality. But what would a truly egalitarian society look like, one where justice and opportunity reign? To dream of a future where social justice prevails is to imagine a world where equality, inclusion, and socio-economic justice are at the forefront of every decision-making process.
In an ever-evolving global landscape, freedom and democracy remain fundamental pillars for building societies where individuals not only survive but thrive. The synergy between these two ideals—freedom and democracy—creates an environment in which human rights are protected, the rule of law is respected, and individuals have the power to shape their own futures. As we explore the intersection of these concepts, we’ll delve into various forms of democracy, the fight against authoritarianism, and the relationship between sustainable development and a more democratic world.
Poverty eradication remains one of the most pressing global challenges, intricately linked to various social, economic, and political factors. The issue is deeply woven into the fabric of both developing and developed nations, making it a global priority. Active efforts to combat poverty have been recognized by the United Nations through their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with No Poverty being the first and foremost goal in the UN 2030 Agenda. Let’s delve into the complexities of poverty, addressing its causes, types, impacts, and global efforts to eradicate it.
As the world stands at the precipice of escalating global conflicts, the urgency of disarmament and the pursuit of peace becomes more vital than ever. With tensions rising across borders and geopolitical divides, the specter of a Third World War looms large. Every weapon, especially those of mass destruction, represents an existential threat to humanity, and now is the time to choose diplomacy and peace over conflict.
