H U M A N R I G H T S D A Y 2 0 0 6
Fact Sheet 2
Poverty, Conflict and Insecurity: A Vicious Cycle
Eighty per cent of the world's 20 poorest countries have suffered a major war in the past 15 years. On average, countries coming out of war face a 44 percent chance of relapsing in the first five years of peace. Even with rapid progress after peace, it can take a generation or more just to return to pre-war living standards. And again, the link between poverty and confrontation is not a question of income or material hardship alone: the poor are not inherently rebellious. But when deprivation is coupled with injustice and stark inequalities, history has shown that armed conflict, terrorism and other violence are not far behind.
In a 2005 study of development and human security in the Philippines, the UNDP and
local and international development agencies found that low incomes alone are not enough to explain
armed conflict. Instead, deprivation, inequality, and social discrimination are more likely to drive
people to arms. The evidence shows that things like education, access to water, and respect for
diversity are powerful tools against conflict, while deprivation and discrimination can fuel
resentment and violence. The study of the situation in the Philippines, home to two of the world’s
longest-running armed conflicts, was the first quantifiable documentation to show that cultural
isolation, discrimination, and a lack of basic services, such as electricity, water, roads and
education, can be predictors of armed encounters. Discrimination, unequal access to resources and
lack of respect for cultural identity, among other human rights breaches, form part of a common
thread in conflicts across the globe.
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report 2005