Positive Peace can propel a process of change in developing societies that leads to sustainable prosperity and peacefulness.
Positive Peace can transform developing societies and lead to better socio-economic outcomes, according to data-driven research from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
But what exactly is Positive Peace?
IEP’s defines Positive Peace as the attitudes, institutions and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies.
The term peace is widely understood as a condition or environment without violence, or the fear of violence, but Positive Peace represents an underlying condition that creates the optimum environment for human potential to flourish and represents a state where societies can thrive and develop materially, culturally, and intellectually in a harmonious and stable manner.
Without an understanding of the factors that create and sustain peaceful societies it will not be possible to develop the programmes, create the policies or understand the resources required to build peaceful and resilient societies in the long-term.
After analysing thousands of cross-country data measurements, IEP has determined which socio-economic factors have statistically significant relationships with actual peace.
These data driven findings form the basis of the eight interrelated pillars of peace, which include good governance, sound business environment, and respecting the rights of others.
Positive Peace framework becomes transformational when applied as a long-term model for building sustainable peace and the foundations for future prosperity.
An overarching and holistic guide for economic development and social advancement, the pillars of Positive Peace can collectively change societies because they are crosscutting factors for progress.
As the pillars work in tandem together, they develop broad societal conditions that make it easier for businesses to sell, entrepreneurs and scientists to innovate, individuals to produce, and governments to regulate effectively.
IEP’s Positive Peace research demonstrates what is working in peaceful societies, showing that building sustainable peace requires more than securing an end to violence, and must include the development of a supportive social system.
