On Tuesday, July 7, at 10 am PT, the Pacific Council, in partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), will host a webinar presenting the findings of the 2026 Global Peace Index (GPI). Released annually in June, the GPI is the world's foremost data-driven assessment of global peacefulness, ranking 163 countries across three domains: societal safety and security, ongoing domestic and international conflict, and militarization. This year's report arrives at a particularly consequential moment for the Middle East and North Africa, a region that has been the key driver of the global deterioration in peacefulness since 2008 and that entered 2026 with cautious diplomatic momentum before the eruption of the Gulf conflict in late February. The 2026 GPI will be the first edition to fully capture the consequences of that escalation, making its findings especially significant for analysts and policymakers focused on the region.

The conversation will consider how the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the disruption of oil and natural gas production sent immediate shockwaves through regional and global markets, and what durable stabilization in the region would require going forward. Participants will also explore the IEP's Positive Peace framework, which identifies the institutional and societal factors that sustain long-term stability, and consider where the international community has the greatest leverage to reverse troubling trajectories. Attendees will hear from Michael Collins, Executive Director, Americas, of the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP). 

About the Global Peace Index

The Global Peace Index is the world's leading measure of national and international peacefulness, ranking 163 countries across three key domains: societal safety and security, ongoing conflict, and militarisation, based on 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators covering nearly 100 % of the global population. The report provides a comprehensive, data‑driven analysis of current trends in peace, the economic costs of violence, emerging conflict risks, and insights into how societies can build lasting stability. 

Why it's important:

• The 2025 GPI found that the world became less peaceful for the 13th time in the last 17 years, marking the sixth consecutive annual deterioration, with 56 active conflicts underway and 92 countries involved in conflicts beyond their own borders, both figures the highest since World War II. The 2026 report will provide the most current picture of whether that slide has continued or stabilized.
• According to an April 2026 SIPRI report, global military expenditure reached $2.887 trillion in 2025, the 11th consecutive year of growth, bringing the world's military burden to 2.5 percent of GDP, its highest level since 2009. This sustained remilitarization, driven largely by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and accelerating rearmament across Europe and Asia, is a central variable the 2026 GPI will interrogate in its assessment of structural threats to peace.
• The 2025 GPI Briefing identified a troubling divergence in information ecosystems: while technological access has expanded globally, press freedom and information quality have deteriorated, undermining one of the key pillars IEP identifies as foundational to durable peace. The 2026 report will assess whether these trends have accelerated, with direct implications for democratic governance and conflict prevention.

To register for this webinar, visit the Zoom Registration Page.

Guest Speaker

Michael Collins is Executive Director, Americas, of the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), the world's leading think tank dedicated to developing metrics to analyze peace and to quantify its economic value. IEP has pioneered the empirical study of peace, most notably through the annual Global Peace Index, and its research is used extensively by governments, academic institutions, NGOs, and multilateral agencies around the world. 

In his role, Michael cultivates and develops new institutional and grass-roots partnerships and has been responsible for significantly expanding IEP’s impact and reach across the United States, the Americas and the United Nations since 2019. Before joining IEP, Michael oversaw educational, job creation, and economic development programs in emerging nations affected by or prone to disaster, where, as a practitioner, he frequently worked with communities affected by poverty and gang violence. As an expert trainer, he has partnered with governments to develop disaster-risk reduction curricula, opened training centers, and supervised training courses for vulnerable youth and adults with low literacy levels. 

Michael grew up in Spain, where he studied electro-mechanical engineering before founding and managing a construction company dedicated to the restoration of historical buildings, many of which were over 300 years old. He is a certified mediator, speaks English, Spanish, and French, and lives in the New York area with his wife and three young children.

 

To register for this webinar, visit the Zoom Registration Page.