Issue #161 – Mar 10, 2020

Events

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

Training Course: "Humanitarian Action and the Environment"

June 9, 2020 - 2020-06-11 Groupe URD and UNEP/ OCHA Joint Environment Unit
Plaisians, France

In partnership with UNEP / OCHA Joint Environment Unit, this training will give you the concepts, methods and tools to understand and anticipate the impacts of humanitarian action on the environment and, thus,…

US Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution: Understanding Conflict and Planning for Successful Collaboration

June 3, 2020 - 2020-06-04 Udall Foundation
Arlington, VA

Participants experience training that is dynamic, problem-based, and highly interactive.

Self-Paced MOOC on Environmental Security & Sustaining Peace (CLOSING SOON)

January 30, 2020 - 2020-06-23 Environmental Peacebuilding Association, UN Environment, ELI, Columbia University, Duke University, UC Irvine, UNDP, and SDG Academy
online

Conflicts over natural resources and the environment are among the greatest challenges in 21st-century geopolitics. These conflicts present serious threats to human security at both the national and local levels.

Library

In the last two weeks, 29 new publications were added to our online library of materials on environmental peacebuilding. Here is a sampling of the new additions:

International Conflict and Cooperation over Freshwater Resources

January 1, 2020 | Thomas Bernauer and Tobias Bohmelt
Nature Sustainability

Unsustainable use of freshwater resources worldwide creates enormous challenges for human societies populating these natural systems, and these challenges are likely to grow with climate change.

Use of Force in Crisis: A Comparative Look at the Domestic and International Laws Governing the Use of U.S. Military Force to Respond to Mass Climate Refugee Migration

January 1, 2020 | Holly Locke
Hastings Environmental Law Journal

Since the late 20th century, nations increasingly task their militaries with managing and responding to the influx of migration and refugees into sovereign nations. As a result, the U. S.

Climate Security in the European Union’s Foreign Policy: Addressing the Responsibility to Prepare for Conflict Prevention

January 1, 2020 | Beatriz Pérez de las Heras
Journal of Contemporary European Studies

Climate change is increasingly acknowledged as a threat to international stability.

Environmental Conflicts, Migration, and Governance

January 1, 2020 | Tim Krieger, Diana Panke, and Michael Pregernig
Bristol University Press

The globalized era is characterized by a high degree of interconnectedness across borders and continents and this includes human migration.

Ambivalent Greenings, Collateral Conservation: Negotiating Ecology in a United Nations Buffer Zone

January 1, 2020 | Costas M. Constantinou, Maria Hadjimichael, and Evi Eftychiou
Political Geography

This article focuses on the politics of environmental conservation in the UN Buffer Zone (BZ) that divides the island of Cyprus.

Participation of Civil Society in Decisions to Mitigate Environmental Degradation in Post-Conflict Societies: Evidence from Somalia

January 1, 2020 | Osman M. Jama, Guijian Liu, Abdishakur W. Diriye, Balal Yousaf, Ibrahim Basiru, and Abdulhakim M. Adbi
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management

The question of the degree to which participation by civil society contributes to environmental decisions in post-conflict societies has received little attention.

The International Law and Politics of Water Access: Experiences of Displacement, Statelessness, and Armed Conflict

January 1, 2020 | Carly A. Krakow
London School of Economics and Political Science

This article analyses international law regarding the human right to water as it impacts people who are stateless, displaced, and/or residents of armed conflict zones in the contemporary Middle East.

The World Climate and Security Report 2020

January 1, 2020
International Military Council on Climate and Security

The inaugural World Climate and Security Report 2020 from the Expert Group of the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) provides global and regional assessments of the security risks of a…

Losing Land in Times of Peace: Post-War Agrarian Capitalism in Colombia and Côte d'Ivoire

January 1, 2020 | Jacobo Grajales
Journal of Peasant Studies

Recent scholarly interest in the implementation of land policies in post-conflict settings has been focused on ‘best practices'.

The NAP Process and Peacebuilding

January 1, 2020 | Alec Crawford and Clare Church
International Institute for Sustainable Development

For states struggling to prevent, mitigate or recover from conflict and fragility, the road to stability and sustainability is fraught with challenges.

Climate-Fragility Risk: South Asia

January 1, 2019 | Dhanasree J. Ayaram
Climate Security Expert Network

This convergence of challenges implies that climate change not only undermines human security, but could also heighten conflict risks in South Asia.

Climate-Fragility Risk: The Pacific Islands Region

January 1, 2019 | Coral Pasisi
Climate Security Expert Network

A range of critical climate-fragility risks are emerging in the Pacific region, and they will require greater examination, monitoring and coordinated action by various stakeholders at the national, regional and international levels.

Jobs

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

Myanmar: Project Manager / Chief Technical Advisor, Governance for Resilience and Sustainability Project (GRSP)

March 7, 2020 | UNDP

The UNDP Country Office in Myanmar is a key interlocutor and advisor to the government at the national and sub-national on sustainable and inclusive growth, (including economic, environment, climate change and disaster risk…

DPRK: Programme Manager - Livelihoods

March 7, 2020 | Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Consultant/Researcher: Supporting EITI Actors to Diagnose Extractive Sector Corruption Risks

March 7, 2020 | Natural Resource Governance Institute

The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) is a not-for-profit group that promotes transparency and good governance in the oil, gas and mining sector.

International News

In the last two weeks, 25 international news items on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website. The following is a sampling:

Myanmar: Pearl Farm Plan Could Spell Doom for Myanmar’s Nomadic ‘Sea Gypsies’

November 12, 2019 | Radio Free Asia

The seafaring livelihoods of Myanmar’s “sea gypsies,” a nomadic ethnic group also known as Moken or Salone in Burmese, are being threatened by a plan to expand pearl farming in an archipelago they…

Syria: Pentagon Promises to Give Syrian Oil Revenue to Kurds

November 8, 2019 | Sydney Morning Herald

The Pentagon has said revenue from oilfields protected by US forces in northeastern Syria will go to its Kurdish allies.

Conflict Minerals: Volvo to Trace Battery Cobalt Supply Chain Using Blockchain

November 6, 2019 | Coinfomania, Ibiam Wayas

Gothenburg-based car manufacturing company, Volvo, has revealed plans to use blockchain technology in tracking the global supply chain of the Cobalt used in its electric car batteries, according to a Wednesday report.

Exploitation of the Environment in Conflict-Affected Areas on the Increase

November 6, 2019 | Cheryl Kahla, South African

The International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict came into effect on 5 November 2001, when the United General Assembly declared that the day will be…

China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Mulls Legal Action over South China Sea Dispute

November 6, 2019 | James Pearson and Khanh Vu, Reuters

Vietnam could explore legal action among various options in its territorial dispute with powerful neighbor China in the South China Sea, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

Global Trailblazer in Environmental Peacebuilding to Deliver Coca-Cola World Fund Lecture

November 6, 2019 | Yale MacMillan Center

Gidon Bromberg, the co-founder and Israeli co-director of EcoPeace Middle East, a unique organization that brings together Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis to promote environmental sustainability and advance peace efforts in the Middle East (link is external), will give the…

Democratic Republic of the Congo: How The Mining Business is Helping Women in Congo Escape Isolation

November 5, 2019 | Eleonora Vio, TRT World

Congolese women entered the mining sector in the late 90s and ever since they have been fighting discrimination, superstition and outdated customs, while they successfully bring more and more women into the workforce.

Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Diamond Mine: Legal Action over Land Grab

November 5, 2019 | Ahmed Idris, Al Jazeera

A community in Sierra Leone has taken a diamond mining company to court.

Wildlife: Armed Conflicts Affect Environment and Wildlife: Experts

November 5, 2019 | James Tasamba, Anadolu Agency

As the world observes International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, on Wednesday, experts believe that it was an opportunity to reflect on the role of…

Colombia: Colombia's Growing Sustainable Farming Movement

November 3, 2019 | Andrew J. Wight, Public Radio International

In the developed world, concerns around pesticides, herbicides, and industrial fertilizers are often framed around their impact on the environment, but for Carlos Osorio and many other farmers in Colombia, health concerns are…

Iraq: How a Collective of Iraqi Women Is Bringing the Country Closer to Peace

November 1, 2019 | WLPF International

A delegation representing the Iraqi Women’s Network attended the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) session on the 20th and 21st October 2019 and briefed the UN…

Blogs & Opinion

In the last two weeks, 8 blogs & opinion pieces on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website.

International Women's Day 2020: Women, War and Water in Yemen

March 6, 2020 | Leonie Nimmo

On International Women’s Day 2018 the UN Envoy to Yemen received an open letter calling on him to take a firm stand on women’s demands and to prioritise women in peace processes.

Revisiting Conflict Minerals Compliance - Developments, Trends and Action Items for the Current Reporting Year

March 4, 2020 | Michael R. Littenberg, Anne-Marie L. Beliveau, and Nellie V. Binder

The EU Conflict Minerals Regulation takes effect on January 1, 2021.

In Eastern Myanmar, the Karen Watch over a Revolutionary Forest

March 4, 2020 | Benjamin D. Hodgdon

For more than 70 years, since shortly after the country formerly known as Burma gained independence, a low-boil insurgency has fought for Karen self-determination, promised first by the British and then the Burmese.

Are We Radically Underestimating the Effects of Climate on Armed Conflict?

March 3, 2020 | Cullen Hendrix

Climate change is widely recognized as a “threat multiplier.

The Climate-Conflict Connection: Why Aren’t We Acting on It?

March 2, 2020 | International Institute for Sustainable Development

Somalia is one of the most fragile states in the world, while also being among the most vulnerable to climate change and least prepared to adapt.

Can Artificial Intelligence Predict the Middle East's Next Conflict?

February 28, 2020 | Robert Tollast

In January 2014, most Iraq analysts knew security in the country was rapidly deteriorating. Beyond general warnings, however, few predicted exactly how bad the situation would become.

Why Has the AU Been Silent on the Ethiopian Dam Dispute?

February 25, 2020 | Meressa K. Dessu, Dawit Yohannes, and Roba D. Sharamo

Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are currently engaged in vital talks over the dispute relating to the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River.

Why Climate and Conflict Are Shaping the Crises of Our Time (and What to Do about It)

February 24, 2020 | Janani Vivekananda

Humanitarian need is increasing. Crises are becoming more complex through the interactions between climate change, disasters, and conflicts.

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 Rollin Bresson, Elen Bueno, Alex Caplan, Jasmine Chen, Charlotte Collins, Jordan Dieni, Kevin Eggert, Flavia Eichmann, Giovanni Gio, Nina Hamilton, Desirée De Haven, Liz Hessami, Ellen Johnson, Chiara Maero, Marie Mavrikios, Julia Monsarrat, and Alex Paige
Edited by Joel Young
Coordinated by Sierra Killian and Rachel Stromsta
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