In the complex interplay between climate, peace, water scarcity, and capital investment, we often witness a disconnect, a phenomenon we term the “messy middle”.
This phenomenon embodies the separation between the large-scale investment pledges aimed at combating climate change and the on-the-ground initiatives that desperately need funding and support to actualize these goals.
The messy middle consists of organizations, entrepreneurs, researchers, and NGOs who work diligently on innovative solutions for climate and peace-related issues, but often lack access to the necessary resources. Conversely, large institutional investors have pledged trillions of dollars towards combating climate change but struggle to identify and connect with these impactful initiatives on the ground. This misalignment of intent and action inhibits the progress we need to tackle the escalating challenges of our time.
Enter the Peace Innovation Institute (PII) and our pioneering Peace Data Standard. This unique tool provides us with an effective strategy to bridge this gap and navigate the complexities of the “messy middle”.
What is the Hague Peace Data Standard?
The Hague Peace Data Standard is an innovative methodology developed by the Peace Innovation Lab at Stanford to measure and quantify positive peace and social stability, previously intangible assets. The Standard offers comprehensive, real-time metrics of interactions between individuals and groups across varying difference boundaries, ultimately providing insights into the social impacts of human behavior and technology use.
The Peace Innovation Institute’s Role
Our unique contribution lies in leveraging the Peace Data Standard to navigate the “messy middle” and drive sustainable and peaceful action:
Data-Driven Peace & Climate Action: By measuring peace-related data, we provide insights into climate conflict hotspots, helping organizations and policymakers anticipate and mitigate conflicts over scarce resources, such as water, a key aspect of climate adaptation and resilience.
Enabling Informed Investment Decisions: The Peace Data Standard offers clear, quantifiable metrics for ESG investors and impact brokers, empowering them to substantiate their investments into peace-enhancing and climate-resilient initiatives and enabling an effective linkage of capital to cause.
Facilitating SDG Achievement: Our alignment with several UN SDGs ensures a global contribution towards these goals, including climate action (SDG 13), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), and peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16).
Building Value-Driven Products: We encourage companies to integrate the Peace Data Standard into their product development roadmaps, creating value-driven products that minimize environmental footprint and enhance societal wellbeing, aligning with the growing demand for responsible consumer choices.
Supporting the Peace Tech Ecosystem: The Peace Innovation Institute is devoted to growing a Peace Tech VC portfolio that invests in companies tackling climate change and water scarcity. By guiding these companies on implementing the Peace Data Standard, we ensure that these ventures contribute positively to peace and climate action.
As we navigate the “messy middle”, the Peace Innovation Institute remains committed to making the intangible aspects of peace and social stability quantifiable, actionable, and standard. In doing so, we empower investors, organizations, and innovators to tackle the complexities of climate change, water scarcity, and capital alignment in a data-driven, informed manner. Our ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between pledges and practice, catalyzing a peaceful and sustainable future for all.
