Environmental Peacebuilding between India and Pakistan
Publisher: Forbes
Author(s): Saleem H. Ali
Date: 2024
Topics: Cooperation, Renewable Resources
Countries: India, Pakistan
After almost a decade an Indian Foreign Minister is visiting Pakistan this week to attend the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. While both countries have downplayed any expectations for peace talks between the nuclear powers at this summit, it is high time some ground for strengthening ties is found. The Nobel Peace Prize this year was given to an organization that has warned of the dangers of nuclear war and South Asia remains one of the most sensitive trigger points for such a conflagration. Indeed, if Indian and Pakistani leaders actually made peace there is little doubt that they would get a Nobel Peace prize!
So, what could be the window for some detente between these two states whose armies revel in bellicosity that keeps them relevant to raw domestic populism? I would argue that sharing a common ecology and the urgent threats of environmental crises provide the easiest nonpolitical mechanism for at least starting to engage constructively towards peace. Science and environmental conservation can provide what is called a “superordinate goal” for cooperation in the annals of conflict resolution.
Despite being a region of immense conflict, South Asia has an impressive history of science diplomacy organizations, particularly owing to its unique ecology and hosting the world’s highest mountain range. The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is an exemplar of such an organization which has been supported by a variety of donors since its establishment in 1979. A variety of European donors under the auspices of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere program galvanized this organization which has promoted science diplomacy across the region. Almost two decades ago, I had the good fortune of accompanying the late U.S. Ambassador Harry Barnes to Kathmandu for discussions on ecological cooperation between India and Pakistan.