ConflictWatch draws on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, a leading academic source for data on organized violence. UCDP is maintained by researchers, documents its definitions and methods openly, and releases its data under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license. That open license is what allows the figures to be shown and redistributed here with proper credit.
Open licensing is not just a convenience; it is part of the data-quality case. Because UCDP’s codebook, definitions and revisions are public, anyone can examine how a number was reached and check it against the underlying reports. ConflictWatch attributes figures to UCDP and points readers to the source so the chain from report to recorded estimate stays visible.
Some other widely used datasets carry registration or licensing terms that limit redistribution, which is one reason ConflictWatch standardizes on UCDP for the openly shareable figures it presents. Where datasets disagree, the difference is usually methodological — different definitions, sources or units — rather than one source being simply right and another wrong.
Neutrality is a deliberate editorial choice. ConflictWatch describes recorded events and figures without taking sides, assigning blame, or characterizing the conduct of any party. The goal is to present organized-violence data factually and with care for the people it concerns, leaving interpretation and judgment to readers and to the organizations whose work is to respond.