LONDON, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 26% of all incidents reported by clients last year to Alert:24 – the in-house risk advisory and crisis support service provided by Willis, a WTW business – were related to threats against individuals or client assets. Closely following, at 21% each, were emergency political repatriations of employees or family members and kidnaps for ransom, according to its latest Crisis Management Annual Review.
In a record year for the number of elections in 2024, incumbents in many of the world’s leading democracies faced significant declines in vote share, with nearly 80% losing ground compared to previous elections. The trend was driven by poor economic performance, with high inflation being a major concern for voters. While some incumbents formed minority coalitions to stay in power, many were ousted. The year saw significant protests and political turmoil in both free and authoritarian countries.
Looking ahead to 2025, rising populism, divisive rhetoric, and socio-economic tensions will drive continued violence and unrest in Europe, but the security agenda will remain dominated by terrorism threats and geopolitical challenges. Acts of violence directed against European officials surged in 2024, a trend which is expected to continue in 2025. Terrorism in North America and Europe will highly likely continue to stem from lone-wolf actors inspired by radical ideologies and involve low sophistication tactics and techniques.
Civil unrest and political violence are also a possibility amid growing social tensions in the US.
In Asia-Pacific, the threat of active assailant incidents has come to the fore over the past year and will remain a trend to watch.
Other key takeaways include:
- Persistent trends: In the US, the number of active assailant attacks remains higher than the pre-COVID-19 average, with a continued prevalence of workplace violence and mass shootings. The threat of lone-wolf terrorism also persists, with radicalization taking place online. In Latin America, organized crime continues to be pervasive, with highly operational criminal enterprises often intertwining with political structures to advance their interests and destabilize democratic institutions. Consequently, there has been a surge in kidnapping, in particular express kidnappings, with notifications to the Crisis Support Team for this type of incident originating in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.
- Sustained level of conflict: Overall, client incident notifications reduced by 21% in 2024 in comparison to the prior year, reflecting a 2023 characterized by a sustained level of conflict and catastrophes. While major events, such as the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the Sudanese Civil War, continue to fuel demand for risk mitigation services to protect operations, assets and personnel in affected areas, no new crises of a similar scale have emerged in 2024.
- Regional distribution of incidents: Africa led the tally with 27% of total incidents reported to Alert:24 by clients, all of them in Sub-Saharan Africa, with no single country accounting for a disproportionate share. Latin America was not far behind, more than doubling its share of incidents from 13% to 24%. Haiti was particularly notable as it accounted for approximately 20% of the events in Latin America, after not having registered any incidents during the previous year. Europe saw a reduction of total incidents from 14% to 8%.
Overall, the past few years have seen instances of political unrest that have significantly impacted the shape of global commerce. Much uncertainty lies ahead across the world, as even just one event could have resounding global trade repercussions. Those organizations able to quickly identify and rapidly respond to changes in political risks to their global supply chains are likely to have a competitive advantage over their peers.
Jo Holliday, global head of crisis management, said: “We continue to see clients impacted by a wide range of incident types across a broad geographical footprint, impacting both their people and physical assets. Looking ahead, political instability and the consequences of it are likely to continue and those clients that accurately assess, manage and then act on it are likely to navigate the volatile risk environment more effectively. Combining relevant insight and research, risk identification and quantification analytics as well as proactive crisis management is crucial for companies looking to ensure stability and resilience and are key to navigating these challenging times effectively.”
The report can be downloaded here.
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