The Global Peace Index (GPI) is an attempt to measure the relative peacefulness of the countries around the world. The latest publication considers Syria, South Sudan, Iraq, Somalia, and Afghanistan as the least peaceful places in the world. On the other hand, Iceland, Denmark, Austria, New Zealand, and Portugal are considered the most peaceful.

Yesterday the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2016 to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos for his resolute efforts to bring the country's more than 50-year-long civil war to an end, a war that has cost the lives of at least 220 000 Colombians and displaced close to six million people.

I was really happy about this outcome because it's encouraging that the international community recognizes the historical importance of this peace process and the prize keeps it in the spotlight and puts some pressure on all the parties to keep working to get a resolution.

I have been quite bummed this week because Colombia, the country where I was born, rejected last Sunday a historic opportunity to sign a peace agreement with the oldest guerrilla movement in the Latin American continent. It's sad that the people most affected by the conflict approved the accord while the voters who are safer in the cities decided to go to the NO camp.