5.31.2007
NZ Ranked No. 2 in World Peace Survey (NZHerald.co.nz)
5:00AM Thursday May 31, 2007
New Zealand has been placed second behind Norway in an inaugural Global Peace Index launched in London overnight.
The Economist Intelligence Unit was commissioned by a group of businessmen, academics and peace institutions to rank 121 nations according to their relative state of peace.
The index was comprised of 24 indicators, ranging from a nation's level of military expenditure to its relations with neighbouring countries and the level of respect for human rights.
"New Zealand's lofty position in the Global Peace Index (GPI) partly reflects its lack of internal and external conflicts and its very good relations with neighbouring countries, namely Australia and fellow member states of the Pacific Island Forum," the GPI reports says.
The report said New Zealand's diplomatic and economic links with Australia had been underpinned since 1983 by the Closer Economic Relations agreement.
It said the nation's political scene was stable and the index gave New Zealand very low scores on the likelihood of violent demonstrations and the number of homicides.
"However, violent crime is higher than in Norway and the number of jailed population is considerably higher than the four Nordic nations surveyed."
The report noted New Zealand's military expenditure as a percentage of GDP was low and notably lower than Australia.
"New Zealand's ability to play a security role within the Pacific region was nevertheless demonstrated in July 2003, when it sent 35 policemen and 230 military personnel to the Solomon Islands as part of a 2225-strong Australian led peacekeeping force."
(More ... New Zealand Herald > News > National) ¶ 08:06
New Zealand has been placed second behind Norway in an inaugural Global Peace Index launched in London overnight.
The Economist Intelligence Unit was commissioned by a group of businessmen, academics and peace institutions to rank 121 nations according to their relative state of peace.
The index was comprised of 24 indicators, ranging from a nation's level of military expenditure to its relations with neighbouring countries and the level of respect for human rights.
"New Zealand's lofty position in the Global Peace Index (GPI) partly reflects its lack of internal and external conflicts and its very good relations with neighbouring countries, namely Australia and fellow member states of the Pacific Island Forum," the GPI reports says.
The report said New Zealand's diplomatic and economic links with Australia had been underpinned since 1983 by the Closer Economic Relations agreement.
It said the nation's political scene was stable and the index gave New Zealand very low scores on the likelihood of violent demonstrations and the number of homicides.
"However, violent crime is higher than in Norway and the number of jailed population is considerably higher than the four Nordic nations surveyed."
The report noted New Zealand's military expenditure as a percentage of GDP was low and notably lower than Australia.
"New Zealand's ability to play a security role within the Pacific region was nevertheless demonstrated in July 2003, when it sent 35 policemen and 230 military personnel to the Solomon Islands as part of a 2225-strong Australian led peacekeeping force."
(More ... New Zealand Herald > News > National) ¶ 08:06
