Global levels of violence are at a 25-year peak, undercutting global stability, reversing development gains and driving record levels of forced displacement.
For the first time since the Cold War, violence and violent conflicts are increasing worldwide. Violent conflict, rather than natural disasters, is now the leading cause of forced displacement– driving an unprecedented 66 million people to flee their homes in search of safety. Every seven minutes, an adolescent is killed by an act of violence. And according to the Institute for Economics and Peace, violence containment costs the global economy $14.3 trillion a year.
Curbing this rise in violence is critical to maintaining peace and security, and advancing just peace.
This is why a bipartisan coalition of foreign policy leaders in Congress have introduced H.R. 5273, the Global Fragility & Violence Reduction Act of 2018.
If passed, the legislation will:
- Require the administration to launch a “Global Initiative to Reduce Fragility and Violence,” guiding U.S. government efforts to bring down current levels of violence and improve its efforts to prevent future violent conflicts;
- Require the Administrator of USAID, in coordination with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, to select 10 pilot countries where it will pursue new investments and programming order to achieve the Global Initiative to Reduce Fragility and Violence;
- Improve the administration’s ability to measure, evaluate, and assess efforts to reduce violence and prevent violent conflict;
- Provide four ideas for funding mechanisms for the Initiative; and
- Encourage new partnerships with the private, academic, philanthropic, and civil society
sectors to help surge research & development to reduce violence.
35 Alliance for Peacebuilding members and partners welcome the Global Fragility and Violence Reduction Act of 2018.This timely legislation would require the U.S. government – in collaboration with global civil society – to develop a 10-year strategy to bring down current levels of global violence and better address the root causes of violence, violent conflict, and fragility that drive recurrent global crises.
Take Action to support H.R. 5273, the Global Fragility & Violence Reduction Act of 2018 by:
- Ask your Member of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 5273.
- Share this on social media: Violence and violent conflict threaten global stability. To urge more investments in conflict prevention, support new @RepEliotEngel @JudgeTedPoe @RepMcCaul @RepAdamSmith @USRepKeating @RepPaulCook legislation to #EndViolenceNow https://bit.ly/2GfWL4P
- Share this on social media: The world needs a plan to #EndViolenceNow. That’s why I support the Global Fragility and Violence Reduction Act of 2018. Learn more and support the bill today: https://bit.ly/2HR9Cra