GOVERNMENT should urgently address issues that have caused Zambia’s peacefulness to being deteriorating as has been revealed by the 17th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI), Stardy Mwale has advised.
Mr Mwale, the former Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary is urging Government to address any challenges that have affected Zambia’s ranking on the Global Peace Index, which has sown that the peacefulness of the country has been deteriorating from 2022.
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The 2023 GPI shows that Zambia is now ranked 63rd most peaceful country in the world, from 56 for countries enjoying a high state of peace.
This deterioration from the 2022 GPI when Zambia was ranked as the 56th most peaceful country in the world has been attributed to incarceration rates and perceptions of criminality.
Mr. Mwale said Government should pay attention to the details of the deterioration of peace, stating that the ranking was conducted by a reputable organization, the Institute for Economics and Peace.
He said the 2023 GPI which saw the average levels of country peacefulness deteriorating by 0.42 percent should unite Zambians to work together in championing Zambia as a beacon of peace.
Mr. Mwale said the 2023 GPI shows that Zambia is now ranked 63rd thereby recording a deterioration from the 2022 GPI when the country was ranked as the 56th most peaceful country in the world.
He noted that in Sub-Saharan Africa, Zambia in 2023, deteriorated from being ranked as the sixth (6) most peaceful country in 2022 to the ninth (9) most peaceful country in 2023.
Mr. Mwale is confident that Zambia will improve rankings if Government acts in line with Presidential pronouncements such as the police conducting thorough investigations before effecting an arrest.
According to the GPI, Zambia in 2023 has also experienced a slight deterioration of peace as the country has moved from being ranked as the sixth (6) most peaceful country in 2022 to the ninth (9) most peaceful country in 2023. Zambia is ranked ninth (9) in 2023 behind Mauritius, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Senegal, Madagascar, Namibia, and the Gambia.
The GPI says Zambia’s ranking has been affected by a slender deterioration in the indicators of ‘incarceration rates’ and ‘perceptions of criminality.’
The GPI has recommended the need for the Zambia to pay close attention to the indicators among others that are critical in ensuring that the country continues to maintain ‘high’ levels of peace as efforts continue to be made to move towards ‘very high’ levels of peace.
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