Bangladesh slips in peace index

As the world has become less peaceful in the past year, peace has seen deterioration in Bangladesh during the period.

The country’s position in the global peace index (GPI) 2018, declined by nine spots compared from the previous year’s ranking.

Bangladesh has been placed at 93rd out of 163 countries, according to the index published in London on Wednesday. The country had ranked 84th in the 2017 index.

Even in a South Asian context, Bangladesh’s position has been relegated to 4th from last year's 3rd position.

It is behind Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Bangladesh had the largest deterioration in South Asia, said the report.

"Improvements in political stability and terrorism impact failed to offset a rapid fall in external conflicts fought, and neighbouring countries relations, which were adversely affected by the influx of 700,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar," the index report added.

The 2018 report revealed that global peacefulness declined for the fourth straight year, with the average level of country peacefulness deteriorating by 0.27 per cent last year, as a result of growing authoritarianism,

unresolved conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, and increased political instability across the world.

“The world has become less peaceful in the past year as longstanding global conflicts remain unresolved and the United States and other world powers face political instability,” the report observed.

As many as 92 countries deteriorated while 71 countries improved between 2016 and 2017, according to the report.

Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq and Somalia are the least peaceful countries in the world while Iceland, New Zealand, Austria, Portugal and Denmark are the most peaceful countries in the world.