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Tracking Conflict-Related Deaths – A Preliminary Overview of Monitoring Systems aims to contribute to the development of a standardized methodology for tracking the number of people who are killed in armed conflict. This, in the context of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of which Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 16.1 specifies to ‘[s]ignificantly reduce all forms of violence and related deaths everywhere’.
By identifying and categorizing the different monitoring systems run by national institutions, international organizations and civil society, the Briefing Paper highlights the variations in thematic coverage, geographical focus, and level of disaggregation of these monitoring systems. Further, it offers suggestions for a more solid methodology towards achieving Target 16.1. It is the fourth in a series of publications in support of the Sustainable Development Agenda process, following a Research Note on global trends of lethal violence, another looking at the use of firearms in committing violence, and, finally, one on the gendered aspect of violent deaths.
Key findings:
- Data on conflict-related deaths is collected and disseminated mostly by UN missions, academic projects, research institutes, and civil society organizations. Only one country’s national statistical office (NSO)—Colombia’s—currently acts as a source of data on conflict-related deaths.
- Only one-third of the reviewed monitoring systems offer disaggregated data on the sex and age of victims and on the type of weapon used, and even fewer sources gather detailed data on victims’ profiles.
- In the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, partnerships between NSOs and other monitoring systems, including international and non-governmental organizations, can allow for the incorporation of valuable additional data on conflict-related deaths.
- To ensure accuracy and comparability of data on conflict-related deaths—especially if integrative monitoring approaches are to be implemented—common definitions and guidelines must be established to promote the standardization of the collection, verification, and disaggregation of data.
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