Since 2010, the number of major violent conflicts has tripled, and fighting in a growing number of lower intensity conflicts has escalated. By 2016, more countries were experiencing violent conflicts than at any time in nearly 30 years, and the number of people displaced by violent conflicts has reached levels not seen since the aftermath of World War II.
Violent conflicts today are complex and increasingly protracted, involving more non-state groups and regional and international actors. It is estimated that by 2030 over half of the world’s poor will be living in countries affected by high levels of violence. Information and communications technology, population movements and climate change are also creating risks that must be managed at both national and international levels.
In 2018, the United Nations and the World Bank Group published a study suggesting that the international community’s attention to conflict must be urgently refocused on prevention. Indeed, the study suggests that a scaled-up system for preventive action would save between US$5 billion and $70 billion per year, which could be reinvested in reducing poverty and improving the well-being of populations.
How could a reorientation from restoration to prevention occur? What conditions would have to be in place?
Two of the report’s authors, Alexandre Marc from the World Bank and Jago Salmon from the UN, will share their insights at the seminar.
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