PATHFINDERS GRAND CHALLENGE

Halving Global Violence

BY 2030

The international community’s mandate: to “significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere” by 2030 (SDG16.1). Our bold ambition and steadfast commitment: to halve violence by 2030.

With our third Grand Challenge, Pathfinders is partnering with a variety of national governments, city authorities, international organizations, national and grassroots non-governmental organizations, as well as business and philanthropic groups to launch and support a Movement to Halve Global Violence by 2030.

Reducing violence by 50% in the next decade is not a radical proposition: many countries and cities have––with the right combination of leadership, policy interventions and resourcing––delivered stunning reductions in violence in a short time span. Violence reduction starts with understanding the nature, distribution, and drivers of violence, and wielding an evidence-base of ‘what works’ to tackle them. 

Violence is not inevitable; it is a preventable epidemic because solutions are known and are an investment with exponential returns. We have more knowledge and tools to reduce violence than ever before. With smart policies, programs, and financing, countries, cities and communities can accelerate reductions in multiple categories of violence if their strategies are evidence-based and emulate pioneers from around the world. 

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Pathfinders seeks to increase ambition and political will worldwide: leaders at all levels must take responsibility for achieving significant, sustained, and measurable reductions in violence, by setting high level targets, accelerating unity of effort and expanding financing. 
 

How we will get there: 

DOWNLOADS

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• Gender Responsive Small Arms Control in the Decade of Action for the SDGs (February 2020) (*Revised: March 2021)
   

• The Challenge of SDG16.1: Can we halve global violence?, KOICA Journal of International Development Cooperation, by David Steven, Rachel Locke, and Soomin Lee (April 2019)
   

• Beyond 16: The SDGs and the Opportunity to Build a More Peaceful World, Driving Transformative Change: Foreign Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, by David Steven, Rachel Locke, and Lukas Rüttinger (May 2019)
   

• A Movement to Reduce All Forms of Violence Everywhere, by David Steven (January 26, 2018)