Study released on violent conflict prevention

Conflict prevention efforts must be made to save more lives, maintain world security and promote global development, a new international report said.

The joint United Nations and World Bank study, entitled "Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict", was released in Beijing on Monday, aiming to prevent conflict and violence by analyzing ways in which domestic development processes interact with security, diplomacy, mediation and other efforts.

According to the study, since 2010, the number of major violent conflicts has tripled, and fighting in a growing number of low-intensity conflicts has escalated. By 2016, more countries were experiencing violent conflict than at any time in nearly 30 years.

"The research is based on case studies, trying to understand how to reduce the conflict by looking into countries where prevention has been successful, such as in Kenya, Indonesia and Northern Ireland", Alexandre Marc, a chief specialist from World Bank Group, said.

The report offered recommendations for countries facing emerging risks of violent conflicts and the international community, such as development policies and programs being a core part of preventive efforts, and addressing the economic, social and political aspirations of young people.

Qi Zhenhong, president of the China Institute of International Studies, said the paper emphasized following a people-oriented philosophy when preventing conflict.

"To prevent and resolve violent conflicts, we need to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the countries concerned, listen to their opinions, and give full play to the role of relevant countries and regional organizations," he said.

Teresa Whitfield, a director of the UN Department of Political Affairs, said the research requires that the intergovernmental, multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms be united.

She said the involvement of local governments is vital since successful change is not from the outside, but from the inside out, conducted by local government.

This joint report, according to the UN and the World Bank, is a first-of-its-kind study in which the two institutions speak on the prevention of violent conflict.

It is believed that scaled-up efforts for preventive action would save between $5 billion to $70 billion per year, which could be reinvested in reducing poverty and improving people's well-being.

Bert Hofman, country director for China at the World Bank, stressed the importance of conflict prevention efforts, saying that violent conflicts have not only been disastrous on local areas, but also negatively affected neighboring countries and regional security.

He also said that violent conflicts could lead to the emergence of refugees and an increase in poverty, and poverty, in return, could lead to more violence.

China has realized the importance of reducing poverty, he said. And it has been actively participating in peacekeeping operations and humanitarian aid, as well as proposing and implementing the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

Chen Xulong, a director at the CIIS, said China's advocacy of building a community of a shared future for mankind, promoting a comprehensive partnership and advocating a peaceful resolution of conflicts is similar to the preventive efforts, which can be borrowed by the international community.