• GPI ranks 163 independent countries and territories around the world as per their levels of peacefulness.
• Zambia moves from being 44th most peaceful country in 2020 to the 71st most peaceful country in the world.
• The decline means Zambia is 27 places worse off in 2021 compared to 2020.

Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) has urged the incoming government to focus on investing more in peace building in the country.
SACCORD Chief Executive Officer Boniface Cheembe told Money FM News that peace building has been neglected for a long time, hence contributing to the decline in the levels of peacefulness at global and continental levels.
Mr. Cheembe stated that the drop in the levels of peacefulness that Zambia has experienced in the ranking as contained in the 15th edition of the 2021 Global Peace Index (GPI) is disappointing.
He said the drop has seen Zambia to move from being the 44th most peaceful country in 2020 to the 71st most peaceful country in the world, adding that the decline means Zambia is 27 places worse off in 2021 compared to 2020 in terms of levels of peacefulness.
Mr Cheembe explained that Zambia has further dropped behind in Sub-Saharan Africa from having been ranked the 4th most peaceful country in 2020 to the 13th most peaceful country in 2021, representing a decline of 9 places within a space of one year.
“The decline in Zambia’s levels of peacefulness at both the global and continental levels is an indicator of fundamentals not functioning correctly where our peace is concerned. These include continued acts of political violence that have contributed to the damage to private and public property, injury to citizens, and in unfortunate instances loss of life hence reducing the levels of safety and security for citizens, among others,” Mr. Cheembe said.
Mr. Cheembe said the decline in the levels of peacefulness is a further indicator on the need for the country to deliberately invest more in peace building an area that has seen neglect for a long time both domestically and internationally.
“This has been the case due to complacency on account of the reputation that the country has built over the years of being an ‘oasis of peace’ and a dangerous notion that Zambians are ‘naturally peaceful,”
He noted that peace does not come by accident as it requires hard work through implementation of deliberate peaceful measures and mechanisms that nurture and sustain the peace.
“This must never be taken for granted as doing so can lead to the deterioration and decline in the levels of peacefulness that a country enjoys, “he stated.
Global Peace Index (GPI), which is the world’s leading measure of peacefulness for the universe, ranks 163 independent countries and territories around the world as per their levels of peacefulness, and is conducted by the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP).