Sierra Leone Ranks 52nd in Global Peace Index
The 2012 Global Peace Index (GPI) published by Center For Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) Institute for Economics & Peace has ranked Sierra Leone, the 52nd peaceful Country in the world. (Photo: HE President Ernest Bai Koroma)
According to the 2012 Global Peace Index (GPI) endorsed by Nobel Laureates, Eminent Individuals, Renowned Academics, Business and Community Leaders and Organizations, the West African Nation emerged fifty two out of one hundred and fifty eight Countries assessed, according to their level of peacefulness.
Sierra Leone is better ranked a more peaceful Country than one hundred Countries including United States of America (USA), Israel, India, South Africa, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Lesotho, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Brazil, China, Liberia, Uganda, Kenya, Republic of Guinea, Iran, Algeria etc.
The 2012 GPI used twenty three qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society, the extent of domestic or international conflict and the degree of militarization.
The economist Intelligence Unit employs more than one hundred full time Country experts and economists, supported by six hundred in –country contributors.
Analysts generally focus on two or three Countries and in conjunction with local contributors, developed a deep knowledge of a nation’s political scene, the performance of its economy and the society in general.
The advisory of independent experts apportioned scores to countries, based on the relative importance of each of the indicators on a 1-5 scale. Two sub-component weighted indices were then calculated from the GPI group of indicators. A measure of how at peace internally a Country is: A measure of how at peace externally a Country is (its state of Peace beyond its border).
Under Internal Peace, the indicators include Level of perceived criminality in society, number of internal security officers and Police per One Hundred Thousand (100,000) people, Number of homicides per One Hundred Thousand (100,000) people, number of jailed population per One Hundred Thousand (100,000) people, ease of access to small weapons and light weapons, level of organized conflict (internal),likelihood of violent demonstrations, level of violent crime, political terror scale, volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as recipient (imports), Terrorist acts, Number of deaths from organized conflict(Internal).
Under External Peace: Military expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product(GDP), number of armed services personnel per one hundred thousand people, Financial contribution to United Nations peacekeeping missions, Aggregate weighted number of heavy weapons per one hundred thousand people, Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as supplier (exports) per one hundred thousand people, Military capability /sophistication number of displaced people as a percentage of the population and relations with neighboring countries.
Analysis of the results was done by several Senior Career Diplomats, Academics, Academic Dons, Renowned Administrators, and Experts etc. including William J. Gravelink, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Michael Shank, Lawrence Wilkerson, Emily Cadel and John Rogin who were the speakers, at the occasion.
According to them, Western Europe remains markedly the most peaceful region, with the majority of the Countries in this group ranking in the top 20 overall.
The average GPI score in 2011 saw slight improvement after deterioration in two previous years associated with the global financial and economic crisis. Between 2007 – the first year of the GPI and 2009, the region became more peaceful .Norway dropped out of the top ten to 18th position as a result of an attack by Anders Breivik in July killing seventy seven and injuring three hundred people.
Sweden ranks lower than its Scandinavian neighbor on account of its thriving arms manufacturing industry and the volume of exports of conventional weapons. Spain experienced an improvement because of cessation of hostilities by the Basque separatist group.
Sub Saharan Africa including Sierra Leone experienced a modest rise in peacefulness and for the first time since the GPI was launched in 2007, it was not ranked the least peaceful region.
Ever – since President Ernest Bai Koroma assumed office as President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, the West African Nation has been marked as a constant recipient of local and international accolades, resulting from noticeable improvement in democratic governance and development.
The ceremony was attended by Ambassador Bockari K. Stevens.
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