Phl moves up in global peace rank

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The Philippines was cited among the five most improved countries in the 2012 Global Peace Index (GPI), an annual report on the state of peace in the world.

The Institute for Economics and Peace, which draws up the GPI, ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators, which gauge ongoing domestic and international conflict, safety and security in society, and militarization.

Now in its sixth year, the GPI gauges the level of safety and security in society and also looks at the extent of domestic or international conflict.

The indicators range from a nation’s level of military expenditure to its relations with neighboring countries and the level of respect for human rights.

The index has been tested against a range of potential “drivers” or determinants of peace – including levels of democracy and transparency, education and national well-being.

The Philippines “showed a robust rise across a number of indicators,” rising two notches to rank 133rd this year from 135th in 2011, IEP said in the GPI 2012.

Along with the Philippines as the top five risers are Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bhutan, and Guyana.

The IEP attributes the improvement in the Philippines’ ranking to four indicators: the homicide rate, the number of deaths from internal conflict, the likelihood of violent demonstrations, and the incidence of terrorist acts.

Earlier, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported a 24 percent decrease in crime volume in 2011 compared to 2010.

The PNP has seen a further decline in the total crime rate by 16.77 percent in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same quarter last year.

Austerity-driven defense cuts creating gains in several indicators of militarization and improvements in the Political Terror Scale have led to changes in the annual rankings, the 2012 Index report noted.

This year has seen the world become “slightly more peaceful” – bucking the trend seen in the last two years where the ranking showed a decline in global peace.

Iceland is once again ranked the most peaceful country in the world, followed by Denmark and New Zealand.

Troubled Syria has seen the biggest drop in margin, falling over 30 places to 147, the GPI said.

The United Kingdom has fallen three places to 29th position, meaning it is the first year the UK placement has not risen in the list.

Also, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Oman and Malawi are topping the list of “fallers,” meaning they dropped from the index because of internal troubles, hence prompting the Middle East as “now amongst one of the least peaceful regions in the world.”