In times of war, violence and pain, peace strengthens as a human and social value; as a principle of life and community; as the basis of individual existence and coexistence of citizens. Peace is an aspiration, it is a necessity, it is an essential goal; which moves between the moral duty of the citizen and the political responsibility of the state, because peace is a fundamental public good for progress.

The Global Peace Index, prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace, evaluates 163 countries, representing 99.7% of the world’s population. This analysis is conducted based on four main domains: the level of social security and protection, the extent of ongoing national and international conflict, the degree of militarization and political instability, in order to then identify the economic impact of containing, preventing and dealing with the consequences of violence. This year, the Index places Ecuador in 97th place, recording a significant deterioration in the level of peace compared to 2022, where we occupy 73rd place. The report shows that in South America, our country experienced the largest increase in violent crimes and murders caused by the growth of organized crime with 6,348 people killed, which corresponds to a rate of 34.8 murders per 100,000 inhabitants until October of this year. This deterioration in the level of peace in our country is also reflected in the weakening of foreign direct investments (FDI); According to data from the Central Bank, at the end of the first half of 2023, our country attracted 106.6 million dollars, which represents a drop of 87% compared to 811.2 million dollars recorded in 2022; Already in September 2023, the corresponding employment rate was barely 35.5%.

Ecuador dropped 24 places on the 2023 Global Peace Index

According to the Index, the most peaceful countries in Latin America are Costa Rica and Uruguay. Costa Rica remains, consistently, among the 50 most peaceful countries in the world; while for the fourth year in a row, Uruguay is in first place as the most peaceful country in South America. The economic impact generated by peace in Costa Rica is reflected in the growth of foreign direct investment, which reached $3,673 million in 2022 and doubled its projections by 2023, generating 21,300 new high-quality jobs between January and October. For its part, Uruguay recorded a record FDI figure of USD 9.325 million in 2022, a value that almost doubled compared to 2021; and the creation of jobs during the first half of 2023 amounted to 50,000 new jobs. Peaceful countries are stable, reliable and safe investment destinations.

The deterioration of peace caused by violent conflicts is fought with positive peace, focused on four structural pillars: good functioning of the Government, low levels of corruption, high levels of human capital and a solid business environment. The state, companies and civil society must create conditions for stable and lasting peace; because the qualification of peace is built, protected and perfected. (OR)