Issue Paper 1: The impact of conflict and violence on achieving development

Issue Paper 1 looks at the impact of conflict and violence on development – in particular efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Discussing the goals that deal with human welfare (MDGs 1-7) one by one, the paper highlights the range of evidence that has led the UN to conclude that ‘violence and fragility have become the largest obstacle to the MDGs’. It thus summarises how conflict and violence go hand in hand not only with human suffering and fear, but also with hunger, poverty, lack of access to education, gender inequality, child and maternal mortality, and lack of access to water and basic sanitation.

For those who are uncertain about whether conflict and violence need to be addressed in the post-2015 framework, Issue Paper 1 is a good place to start.

“At the end of 2009 some 42 million people around the world had been forced to leave or flee their homes due to conflict, violence, and human rights violations.”

World Development Report 2011, World Bank