Issue #120 – Aug 14, 2018

Announcements

New Proration Policy for Environmental Peacebuilding Association Membership

August 14, 2018

The Board of Directors for the Environmental Peacebuilding Association has updated its membership fee policy.

Program for Water Security: Workshop on Middle East Water Security and Environmental Peacebuilding

August 9, 2018

The workshop will be held from 10 to 15 December 2018, in Jordan, with the possibility to continue on a 2 day trip in Israel/Palestine, on 16-17 December.

Events

For more upcoming events on environmental peacebuilding, please visit our online calendar of events.

Fundamentals of Conservation Conflict Transformation

April 29, 2019 - 2019-05-03 Center for Conservation Peacebuilding
Estes Park, Colorado

The Center for Conservation Peacebuilding offers workshops designed to build the capacity of individuals and teams to collaboratively engage in the theory, principles, and practice of transforming complex conservation conflicts.

Advanced Application of Conservation Conflict Transformation

March 11, 2019 - 2019-03-15 Center for Conservation Peacebuilding
Washington, DC

Climate Diplomacy Week 2018

September 24, 2018 - 2018-09-30 adelphi
Worldwide

Climate Diplomacy Week is a time where EU Delegations around the world reach out to communities and partner organisations, highlighting positive global action and collaboration on climate change.

Stockholm World Water Week: Intergenerational Dialogue for Water and Peace

August 30, 2018 Geneva Water Hub and International Secretariat for Water
Stockholm, Sweden

In the event “Intergenerational Dialogue for Water and Peace”, young water leaders and experts will share their experiences, good practices and knowledge on water and peace.

Stockholm World Water Week: Refugees and Migrants: Promoting Ecosystem Protection and Human Rights

August 29, 2018 Geneva Water Hub
Stockholm, Sweden

The millions of migrants and refugees in transient accommodation create an environmental and a humanitarian crisis.

Stockholm World Water Week: Connecting Water, Security and Peace through Ecosystems

August 29, 2018 Geneva Water Hub
Stockholm, Sweden

The relationship between water insecurity and peace has been increasingly appreciated and is attracting growing political attention.

Stockholm World Water Week: Resilient Water Services in an Increasingly Water Insecure World

August 26, 2018 Global Water Operators' Partnerships Alliance at UN-Habitat, Wetlands International, WaterWorX, Blue Deal consortia, Government of the Netherlands
Stockholm, Sweden

WASH services depend on, and have an impact on ecosystems. Economic growth, population growth, urbanisation and climate change create enormous pressure on ecosystems, and on the availability of water sources.

Library

In the last two weeks, 28 new publications were added to our online library of materials on environmental peacebuilding. Here is a sampling of the new additions:

Why Does Industry Structure Matter for Unconventional Oil and Gas Development? Examining Revenue Sharing Outcomes in North Dakota

January 1, 2018 | Erin Litzow, Kate J.Neville, Brianna Johnson-King, Erika Weinthal
Energy Research & Social Science

Scholars have identified many determinants of regulatory outcomes in unconventional oil and gas development, but few have focused on industry structure.

Development or Destruction? The Human Rights Impacts of Hydropower Development on Villagers in Southeast Myanmar

January 1, 2018
Karen Human Rights Group

Proponents of hydropower development in Southeast Myanmar see dams as a reliable, cheap and clean energy source essential for the sustained development of the region.

Educated Afghan Women Offer Economic Resilience in the Face of Climate Change and Conflict [Video]

January 1, 2018 | Beth Murphy
PBS

Drought is drying up farms across Afghanistan, cracking the earth and threatening the only way of life the majority has ever known.

Land Grabbing "from Below"? Illicit Artisanal Gold Mining and Access to Land in Post-Conflict Côte d’Ivoire

January 1, 2018 | Steven Van Bockstael
Land Use Policy Journal

The illicit artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) of gold (“orpaillage”) in Côte d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast is considered an “epidemic” by the Ivoirian government, which sees it as harming the country’s efforts to attract large-scale…

Food Security, Resilience, and Well-Being Analysis of Refugees and Host Communities in North Uganda

January 1, 2018 | Government of Uganda and Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN
ReliefWeb

Uganda presents a unique political framework for the refugee population living in the country, promoting refugees’ self-reliance and favouring a development-based approach to refugee assistance.

Transforming Water from a Strategy of War to an Asset for Peace

January 1, 2018
Geneva Water Hub and Lund University

In his welcome note, Ulf Maunsbach (Head of the Law Department, Lund University) reflected upon the luxury afforded to him and people like himself in countries such as Sweden with unlimited resources of…

Fostering Peaceful Sustainable Development in the Pacific under the 2030 Agenda

January 1, 2018 | Anna Naupa and Derek Brien
UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Often characterised as a region of relative peace due to the absence of inter-state conflicts, the Pacific island region is not immune to violent conflict.

Conflict Minerals Disclosure Requirements and Corporate Social Responsibility: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

January 1, 2018 | Fatima Alali and Sophia I-Ling Wang
CPA Journal

Among the many topics of concern for companies and investors interested in social responsibility is the use of minerals sourced from war zones and countries suffering under despotic regimes. Recent U. S.

High Concentrations of Lead and Barium in Hair of the Rural Population Caused by Water Pollution in the Thar Jath Oilfields in South Sudan

January 1, 2017 | Fritz Pragst, Klaus Stieglitz, Hella Runge, Klaus-Dietrich Runow, David Quig, Robert Osborne, Christian Runge, John Ariki
Forensic Science International

In the oil fields of Thar Jath, South Sudan, increasing salinity of drinking water was observed together with human incompatibilities and rise in livestock mortalities.

Resource Abundance and Internal Armed Conflict: Types of Natural Resources and the Incidence of 'New Wars'

January 1, 2008 | Heinz Welsch
Ecological Economics

Recent armed domestic conflicts have been described as being related to natural resource abundance and as being characterized by new features not present in earlier internal conflicts (multiplicity of actors, devastation of production…

Jobs

Please visit our jobs page to view these positions and other job opportunities.

Fully Funded PhD Studentship on Water Security in Cape Town

August 14, 2018 | Durham University

Durham University has established a new Global Challenges Research Fund Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) with fully funded PhD studentships beginning in February 2019.

Myanmar: Consultant - Development of a Forest Landscape Vision Plan

August 11, 2018 | World Wide Fund for Nature

WWF Myanmar is implementing a project ‘Stewards Of Natural Resources Strengthening Livelihoods For Communities’.

Liberia: Consultant - Communications Strategy for the National Oil Palm Technical Working Group

August 10, 2018 | Conservation International

Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, Conservation International (CI) empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the well-being of humanity.

Nigeria: Food Security Project Manager

August 6, 2018 | Premiere Urgence Internationale

Première Urgence Internationale is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious international NGO. It helps civilians who are marginalised or excluded as a result of natural disasters, war and economic collapse.

Angola: Emergency & WASH Programme Manager

August 6, 2018 | People in Need

People in Need (PIN) has been active in Angola since 2006. A team of 8 expatriates and approx.

South Sudan: Project Manager Food Security and Livelihoods

August 6, 2018 | ACTED

ACTED operations in South Sudan aim to improve food security, ensure access to livelihoods and develop resilience and emergency programmes.

Somalia: Health and Nutrition Programme Coordinator

August 6, 2018 | Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide is a global humanitarian organization focused on the world's extreme poor and most vulnerable recover from disaster, fight malnutrition and deadly diseases, strengthen their resilience to climate extremes, and more.

International News

In the last two weeks, 48 international news items on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website. The following is a sampling:

Syria/Kurdistan: Syrian Kurds Attempt to Stimulate their Economy through Oil Trade

May 12, 2018 | SOFREP

In northern Syria the economy is struggling in the wake of the Islamic State war, the Kurds of Rojava have resorted to the oil trade to stimulate it.

Syria/Kurdistan: Syrian Kurds Build on a Ramshackle Oil Industry [Photos]

May 11, 2018 | Hussein Malla, Associated Press

The Kurdish self-rule administration seized control of oil fields in northeastern Hassakeh province after the government pulled out of most of the Kurdish-majority regions in 2012 to fight rebels elsewhere.

Conflict Minerals: De Beers Tracks Diamonds through Supply Chain Using Blockchain

May 10, 2018 | Reuters

De Beers said on Thursday it had tracked 100 high-value diamonds from miner to retailer using blockchain, in the first effort of its kind to clear the supply chain of imposters and conflict…

Somalia: Champion of the Earth Fatima Jibrell Attends High-Level Talks on Somalia’s Illegal Charcoal Trade

May 10, 2018 | UN Environment

2014 UN Environment Champion of the Earth Fatima Jibrell once said: “People are fighting about limited resources, destroyed by displaced youth: a ready pool for hire for war lords, companies of charcoal; for…

Liberia: Senators Brace for Heated Land Rights Act Debate

May 9, 2018 | J. Burgess Carter, Observer

There are growing indications that the four year-old Land Rights Act (2014) will finally be passed by the senate, and sooner than expected, a source in the Senate Committee on Lands, Mines, Energy,…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Signs Deal with BP over Kirkuk Oil in Basra

May 8, 2018 | Baxtiyar Goran, Kurdistan 24

The Iraqi Ministry of Oil announced that it has signed a deal with the British Petroleum to develop oilfields in the disputed Kirkuk province.

Afghanistan/Iran: New Water Share Detente between Afghanistan and Iran?

May 7, 2018 | OOSKAnews

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told the country’s parliament May 6 that Afghanistan has pledged to let Iran have its share of water from the Hirmand River and the supply for feeding…

Combating Water Wars: What It Means to Manage Our Supply with Blockchain

May 7, 2018 | Samantha Radocchia, Forbes

Water isn’t just seen as a basic human need.

Somalia: Somalia Calls for International Cooperation to Stop Illegal Charcoal Trade

May 7, 2018 | UN Environment

At the opening of a two-day, UN-supported conference on charcoal in Mogadishu, the Federal Government of Somalia has called for international, African and Gulf States cooperation in halting the illegal export of charcoal from the…

Liberia: 5000 Cocoa Farmers to Benefit from New Project

April 30, 2018 | George Harris, Observer

At least five thousand cocoa farmers from Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties are to benefit from the Liberia Cocoa Improvement Program (LICSIP) that will officially be launched on Friday, May 4, in Bong…

Afghanistan: Afghan Farmers Stick to Growing Opium in the Face of Less Lucrative Options

April 29, 2018 | Ismail Sameem, Reuters

Afghan farmers are busy in their poppy fields as the annual opium harvest begins, underscoring the government’s failure to stamp out a crop that yields much of the world’s supply of heroin.

Conflict Minerals: IBM Is Tackling Blood Diamonds with Blockchain

April 26, 2018 | Olga Kharif, Bloomberg

International Business Machines Corp.

Liberia: “Corridors of Trouble” in Liberia Land Sector

April 23, 2018 | Simeon S. Wiakanty, Daily Observer

The Chairman of the Liberia Land Administration Project, Dr. Cecil Othello Brandy, has disclosed that a huge gap exists in the land sector.

Blogs & Opinion

In the last two weeks, 5 blogs & opinion pieces on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website.

Commentary: Think Outside of the Box to Tackle Water Scarcity

August 13, 2018 | Aloysius Chan

Water scarcity has been a ticking time bomb across the globe.

Iraq's Protests Are about More Than Corrupt Elites

August 8, 2018 | New Arab

Eleven people were killed during the protests that erupted in southern Iraq in early July, and over 800 others wounded.

A Rebuilt Economy Gives South Sudan Peace the Strongest Chance

August 6, 2018 | The National

The scenes of South Sudanese celebrating in the streets of Juba, matched by jubilation across the border in Khartoum, were both uplifting and inspiring as two men whose rivalry ignited a civil war…

Is the World Ready for Eco-Refugee Waves?

August 4, 2018 | Shehab Al-Makahleh

The upshots of ecological changes may cause the movement of more than 25-30 million people in the coming decade. How can this be handled?

Handover of the Tabqa Dam a Sign of Hope for Syrian Food and Water Security

August 1, 2018 | Phoebe Sleet

During July, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) ceded control of Tabqa Dam to the Syrian Government in Damascus.

Sharing and Posting Materials

The strength of the knowledge platform depends on submissions and suggestions on contents from users. To share publications and information on events, job opportunities, and other announcements, please contact share@environmentalpeacebuilding.org. Please also feel free to share ideas on how the platform can be further improved to meet your needs.

About Our Community of Practice

Environmental Peacebuilding is a knowledge platform and global community of practice on natural resources, conflict, and peace, hosted by the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. The platform unites a global network of researchers, practitioners, and decision makers in sharing experiences and lessons from managing natural resources in fragile states and conflict-affected settings. The platform also helps people to access new publications on the topic, conduct new research, and participate in events to support the growth of the field. As part of our Community of Practice, we bring you biweekly updates on recent developments, including news about our program as well as links to new publications, upcoming conferences and events, and job openings.

Please visit us at www.environmentalpeacebuilding.org for more information.

Compiled by Sonia Ahmad, Charlotte Collins, Scott Drinkall, Nina Hamilton, Liz Hessami, Marlotte de Jong, Alyssa Kann, Jacqueline Kessler, Marcella Kim, Isabelle Morley, and Erin Wenk
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Coordinated by Rachel Stern and Sierra Killian
Design by Graham Campbell
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