You cannot build a life in the middle of a war zone. Security is not separate from development — it is its prerequisite. Where states are fragile, institutions are broken, and violence is constant, poverty does not just persist; it deepens with every passing year. Lasting poverty reduction requires lasting peace as its foundation.

Did You Know?

• Fragile and conflict-affected states are the epicenter of global poverty — and the gap is widening. The World Bank projects that by 2030, up to 60% of the world’s extreme poor will live in fragile and conflict-affected settings — up from roughly 40% in 2015 — meaning the geography of poverty is rapidly converging with the geography of instability and violence. (World Bank Fragility, Conflict & Violence Group, 2022)
• The human cost of conflict extends far beyond the battlefield. For every person killed in armed conflict, many more are pushed into poverty through displacement, destroyed livelihoods, collapsed healthcare and education systems, and severed trade and supply networks. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates global military spending reached $2.2 trillion in 2023 — resources that could otherwise fund the development and stability that prevents poverty at scale. (SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, 2023)
• Conflict is one of the leading drivers of hunger and food insecurity globally. The UN World Food Programme consistently identifies active conflict as the primary cause of acute food crises worldwide — with conflict-affected populations accounting for the majority of people facing emergency levels of hunger, in a cycle where food insecurity itself then becomes a driver of further instability and violence. (WFP / FAO, Global Report on Food Crises, 2023)
• Peacebuilding and conflict prevention deliver extraordinary economic returns. The Institute for Economics and Peace estimates that violence costs the global economy approximately $17.5 trillion annually — equivalent to roughly 13% of global GDP — when direct costs, economic effects, and containment spending are combined. Investing in prevention is not only morally urgent; it is among the highest-return investments any society can make in its own future. (Institute for Economics and Peace, Global Peace Index, 2023)