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Positive Peace Conference 2018

The third annual Positive Peace Conference brought together diverse experts to explore ways to strengthen the drivers of peace in the Americas region.

More than 130 peace practitioners, academics and policymakers gathered at Stanford University in San Francisco last month for the Positive Peace Conference 2018.

The event explored the role peacebuilding can play in addressing the most critical issues facing the Americas region today, including corruption, inequality, violence, displacement, polarisation and environmental threats.

Hosted by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the Center for Latin American Studies and Mercy Corps, the conference brought together leading practitioners, policymakers, academics, media and global experts to explore ways to strengthen the drivers of peace in the Americas.

More than 25 expert speakers presented on diverse topics including successful practical implementation of the Positive Peace framework, how local and regional planning can address sustainable development, anti-corruption policies, effective non-violent resistance and ways to apply the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals in a city like Los Angeles.

Steve Killelea, Founder and Executive Chairman of IEP, gave the opening presentation with data-driven Positive Peace research from the IEP’s recently released report. Killelea’s keynote demonstration followed a welcome address from well-known political scientist Dr Francis Fukuyama, who spoke of how weak state formation in Latin America is holding back the development of peace in the region.

Through the lens of Positive Peace, speakers discussed opportunities and challenges in Latin America as well as innovative approaches to policy planning and community building in U.S. cities.

Positive Peace provides a new way of conceptualising development by placing the emphasis on what creates a thriving society, re-framing the focus towards what works.

High levels of Positive Peace are a cross-cutting factor for progress, making it easier for businesses to sell, entrepreneurs and scientists to innovate, individuals to produce, governments to effectively regulate, and citizens to peacefully resolve conflict.

Positive Peace is a framework derived by IEP through the in-depth statistical analysis of global peace and consists of eight interconnected socio-economic factors or “pillars.” Positive Peace is defined as the attitudes, institutions and structures that correlate to the world’s most peaceful and resilient nations.

The pillars include: Well-Functioning Government, Equitable Distribution of Resources, Free Flow of Information, Good Relations with Neighbours, High Levels of Human Capital, Acceptance of the Rights of Others, Low Levels of Corruption, and Sound Business Environment.

The IEP-developed framework is a holistic approach to developing peace in any society. It not only reduces violence and the level of grievances, it also provides a model for robust human development.

Watch IEP Founder and Executive Chairman Steve Killelea give the opening keynote speech in the video above or go to the Global Peace Index YouTube channel.

Insights from our Positive Peace Conferences:

2017 Positive Peace Conference

2019 Positive Peace Conference