Australian scholar Brett Savill shares insights on global peace at Jamia Millia Islamia

New Delhi, Aug 28 (AHN) Issues related to Global Peace remained in focus at a lecture organised by Jamia Millia Islamia’s Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE), Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (NMCPCR), an official said on Friday.

Brett Savill, Chief Operating Officer, Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), Sydney, delivered the special lecture on “Global Peace in 2026: Challenges and Prospects” at the CDOE Conference Hall, said Chief Public Relations Officer Saima Saeed.

Savill discussed the changing global peace landscape with reference to the Global Peace Index (GPI), which assesses peace through 23 indicators covering societal safety and security, ongoing conflict and militarisation.

He noted that global peacefulness has declined in 15 of the past 18 years. He highlighted the changing nature of conflicts, including the growing role of external powers, proxy actors and prolonged conflicts, said an official statement.

While discussing India, Savill observed that comparisons with smaller and relatively homogeneous countries may not adequately reflect India’s size, diversity and geographical complexities.

He suggested that comparisons with larger countries such as China, the US and Brazil could provide a more meaningful perspective.

He also spoke about the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence and drone warfare, particularly in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He drew attention to the growing gap between investment in AI for warfare and AI for peace.

The lecture was organised under the guidance of Vice-Chancellor Mazhar Asif and Registrar Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi, the statement said.

The programme was organised under the leadership of Aslam Khan, Director, CDOE, and Professor, NMCPCR, while Abuzar Khairi, Director, NMCPCR, welcomed the distinguished speaker and the gathering, it said.

Rajiv Nayan, NMCPCR, while responding to the lecture, highlighted the need to examine the methodology and indicators used to measure peace critically.

Drawing upon Indian intellectual traditions, he emphasised that peace must be accompanied by justice to remain meaningful and sustainable.

Aslam Khan emphasised that peace cannot be understood merely as the absence of war or through a single indicator.

He called for a broader, systems-based approach that recognises the interconnected roles of security, development, governance, technology, justice, culture and human well-being.

He also underlined the need to critically engage with global indices while developing perspectives rooted in local contexts and intellectual traditions.

The lecture was followed by an interactive question-and-answer session with faculty members, research scholars and students.