Conflict and violence affect countless communities around the world, driving many of the worst humanitarian crises. In 2018 alone, there were 52 state-based conflicts, 77 non-state conflicts, and 33 one-sided incidents of violence which resulted in over 77,000 deaths. The past five years have witnessed some of the highest levels of fatalities since the end of the Cold War 30 years ago.

Current estimates predict that 30 years from now, one in three people will be living in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Conflict and violence are driven by a number of complex underlying social, political, economic, and ecological dynamics, or “root causes,” many of which directly connect to how communities and nations are governed.