Issue #166 – May 19, 2020

Announcements

EnPAx Launches Microsite on COVID-19 and Environmental Peacebuilding

May 19, 2020 | Environmental Peacebuilding Association

Recognizing the many diverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on environmental peacebuilding and the environmental peacebuilding community, the Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx) is pleased to announce the launch of a new microsite (http://www.

Registration Open for Water Conflict Management and Transformation Workshop

May 18, 2020 | Oregon State University

From June 15 – 22, 2020, Oregon State University will be offering a week-long workshop on water conflict management and transformation.

EnPAx Mourns the Passing of Arthur H. Westing

May 6, 2020 | Environmental Peacebuilding Association

Members of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association are mourning the passing of Arthur H. Westing. Arthur died April 30, in Shelburne, Vermont; he was 91.

Events

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

Webinar on “The Afghan Emerald Trade: Challenges and Opportunities” (Third in an Occasional Series of Discussions on Environment, Conflict, and Peace in Afghanistan)

June 10, 2020 Environmental Peacebuilding Association
online

This webinar will examine the burgeoning commercial trade in one of Afghanistan’s most beautiful and prized natural resources -- Panjshir Emeralds.

AGENT Webinar: Gender-Based Violence and Environment Linkages - Key Issues and Strategies for Change

June 4, 2020 International Union for Conservation of Nature and USAID
Online

Join IUCN, USAID, and other partners for the first in a series of webinars and presenting AGENT research and key findings on linkages related to: Access and control of land and natural resources…

Land Rights Implications of COVID-19

June 3, 2020 - 2020-06-24 Land Portal, Landesa, the Global Protection Cluster HLP AOR, GIZ, Environmental Peacebuilding Association, LANDac, New America, and the UK's Department for International Development (DFID)
online

As governments press pause on economic activities and people change their work and social behaviors to halt the spread of COVID-19, there are several hidden dimensions that can put pressure on land governance…

Migration, Displacement, and De-urbanization in the Context of COVID-19

May 28, 2020 Land Portal, Landesa, the Global Protection Cluster HLP AOR, GIZ, Environmental Peacebuilding Association, LANDac, New America, and the UK's Department for International Development (DFID)
online

De-urbanization is a growing issue that is emerging in the context of the covid-19 crisis throughout the developing world.

Eviction Response during and after COVID-19

May 27, 2020 Land Portal, Landesa, the Global Protection Cluster HLP AOR, GIZ, Environmental Peacebuilding Association, LANDac, New America, and the UK's Department for International Development (DFID)
online

Evictions have emerged as the most common housing, land and property risk globally associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in spite of the fact that access to adequate housing is essential to reduce the…

Women’s Housing and Land Rights and COVID-19

May 26, 2020 Land Portal, Landesa, the Global Protection Cluster HLP AOR, GIZ, Environmental Peacebuilding Association, LANDac, New America, and UK's Department for International Development (DFID)
Online

Rural women make up a quarter of the world’s population, but many face legal and social barriers that limit their ability to access, use and benefit from the land they tend and depend…

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, 19 new publications were added to our online library of materials on environmental peacebuilding. Here is a sampling of the new additions:

Quantitative Assessment of Contested Water Uses and Management in the Conflict-Torn Yarmouk River Basin

January 1, 2020 | Nicolas Avisse, Amaury Tilmant, David Rosenberg, and Samer Talozi
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management

The Yarmouk River basin is shared between Syria, Jordan, and Israel. Since the 1960s, Yarmouk River flows have declined more than 85% despite the signature of bilateral agreements.

Facilitating Collaboration in Forest Management: Assessing the Benefits of Collaborative Policy Innovations

January 1, 2020 | Kathleen B. McIntyre and Courtney A. Schultz
Land Use Policy

Collaborative governance and landscape approaches have become a more prevalent in public land management in the United States in the face of increasing ecological and societal complexity and decreasing government resources and capacity.

Environmental Land Use Conflicts in a Macroscale River Basin: A Preliminary Study Based on the Ruggedness Number

January 1, 2020 | Janaína Guidolini, Jean Ometto, Gustavo Arcoverde, and Angélica Giarolla
Water

Inadequate land use planning is one of the main driving forces leading to the occurrence of erosion and environmental degradation.

Come Rain, or Come Wells: How Access to Groundwater Affects Communal Violence

January 1, 2020 | Stefan Döring
Political Geography

This article empirically analyzes the relationship between groundwater scarcity and incidences of communal violence.

MERS Guidance in Response to COVID-19

January 1, 2020
The SEEP Network

Markets play a critical role in how people survive, as well as being physical places where people meet to buy and sell goods.

Conflict in Abundance and Peacebuilding in Scarcity: Challenges and Opportunities in Addressing Climate Change and Conflict

January 1, 2020 | Daniel Abrahams
World Development

Over the past decade, academic and policy communities have given significant attention to the potential connections between climate change and conflict (climate-conflict).

Far from Heaven, Grounded on Earth: Environmental (In)justice in South Korea

January 1, 2020 | Antonio Ortega Santos, Susana Herráiz Martin, and Enrique Mora Roás
Universidad de Granada

For years several research projects have been developing in the field of environmental history, paying special attention to studies on environmental conflict.

A Heated Debate: Climate Change and Conflict in Africa

January 1, 2020 | Christian von Soest
German Institute of Global And Area Studies

The worst drought in a century in Southern Africa at the end of last year slowed the iconic Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean–Zambian border to a rill, fuelling renewed discussion about climate change.

The Relationship between Climate Change and Political Instability: The Case of MENA Countries

January 1, 2020 | Emrah Sofuoğlu and Ahmet Ay
Environmental Science and Pollution Research

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between climate change and political instability in the MENA region.

Unpacking Covid-19 and the Connections Between Ecosystems, Human Health, and Security [Audio]

January 1, 2020 | Eliana Guterman
New Security Beat

“What are the underlying drivers of risk that created the conditions for Covid-19 to emerge, and how do we better address them?

The Horn: Climate, Conflict and Peacekeeping’s Unwanted Footprint [Audio]

January 1, 2019 | Alan Boswell and David Mozersky
International Crisis Group

Africa has been hit with a double punch. The economic fallout of COVID-19 has preceded the health crisis, resulting in job losses and endangering food supplies.

What Constitutes an Equitable Water Share? A Reassessment of Equitable Apportionment in the Jordan-Israel Water Agreement 25 Years Later

January 1, 2019 | Samer Talozi, Amelia Altz-Stamm, Hussam Hussein, and Peter Reich
Water Policy

The water agreement between Jordan and Israel, created as part of their peace treaty in 1994, set out detailed allocations terms to which both countries have respectively abided since its inception.

Jobs

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

PhD Recruitment (13 openings): Next Generation Water Governance

May 19, 2020 | NEWAVE

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is largely affecting mobility worldwide and triggering changes in lifestyles of the affected countries.

Syria: Country Director

May 16, 2020 | Cooperazione Internazionale

Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) is an Italian humanitarian non-governmental organization founded in Milan in 1965.

Programme Manager for Natural Resources and Human Rights

May 16, 2020 | Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, an international non-profit organization tracking the human rights impacts of over 9000 companies worldwide, is seeking a Programme Manager to help implement and expand its work…

DRC: Expert in Agroecology for Agricultural Development (French fluency required)

May 16, 2020 | Enabel

Enabel is the Belgian Development Agency. It executes and coordinates Belgian international development policy, and works mainly on behalf of the Belgian State.

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

May 16, 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…

Somalia: Technical Adviser for Somali Water and Land Information Management

May 16, 2020 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

The main aim of FAO Somalia is to assist government towards strengthened institutional capacity and decision support for Somalia's agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors and natural resource management.

Afghanistan: Environmental Specialist (Local Recruitment)

May 16, 2020 | World Bank

The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and…

PhD Multi-level Assessment of Water Stress and Institutional Dynamics in the Water-Climate-Conflict Nexus in Myanmar

May 16, 2020 | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, founded in 1880, and ranked among the world's top 150 universities by four major ranking tables.

International News

In the last two weeks, 17 international news items on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website. The following is a sampling:

Liberia: At 22, This Liberian Created a Sustainable Way to Increase Palm Oil Yields to Curb Deforestation

January 20, 2020 | Theodora Aidoo, Face2Face Africa

Liberian entrepreneur, Mahmud Johnson, has come up with a possible solution for deforestation caused by oil palms which are already threatening biodiversity.

Sudan: Darfur Holdout Group Strengthens Military Capacity Thanks to Gold Mining

January 19, 2020 | Sudan Tribune

The holdout Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) has strengthened its military capability thanks to the significant goldfields in a rebel-controlled area in Jebel Marra, said a recent report by…

Vietnam: Dong Tam Village: Anger in Vietnam over Deadly 'Land Grab' Raid

January 16, 2020 | BBC

Three Vietnamese policemen who died during clashes over a land rights dispute have been buried with honours in Hanoi.

Israel/Palestine: Israel to Open Seven New Nature Reserves in Occupied West Bank

January 16, 2020 | Bel Trew, Independent

Israel has announced that it will open seven new nature reserves in the occupied West Bank, the first time it has made such a move in 25 years.

Myanmar: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Vows Probe into Kayah Farmland Seizures by Myanmar Military

January 15, 2020 | Zaw Zaw Htwe, Irrawaddy

Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has promised to review the military’s confiscation of farmland and its lawsuits against 40 farmers in Kayah State.

Myanmar: Copper Mine Recommendations Still Not Implemented

January 15, 2020 | Mizzima

Villagers who live in a copper mining area of northwestern Myanmar’s Sagaing region have said that previous recommendations by a parliamentary commission about a Chinese-backed mine project have yet to be implemented and…

Syria: Trump Says US Troops Stayed in Syria 'Because I Kept the Oil'

January 15, 2020 | David Brennan, Newsweek

At a Wisconsin rally on Tuesday, President Donald Trump lauded his decision to retain troops in eastern Syria to control oil fields there, despite warnings that such a move could constitute a war…

Tanzania: Women Crave for More Say Over Land Ownership

January 8, 2020 | Tanzania Daily News

Struggling over land rights among women in Tanzania and Africa in general, has remained as one of the social challenges despite efforts by relevant authorities to solve the problem.

Water Wars: Early Warning Tool Uses Climate Data to Predict Conflict Hotspots

January 8, 2020 | Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Guardian

Researchers from six organisations have developed an early warning system to help predict potential water conflicts as violence associated with water surges globally.

Myanmar: Jade and Gem Sales Fetch over Ks 59 Billion

January 8, 2020 | Eleven

Myanmar fetched over Ks 59 billion from the sale of 3,500 jade and gem lots at the gem emporium held from January 2 to 7 at Maniyadana Jade Hall in the capital city,…

Afghanistan: Honey Production Grows up in Northern Afghanistan

January 7, 2020 | Xinhua

The industry for beekeeping has been on the rise in Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan province as honey production in the relatively peaceful province has reached to 283 tons, the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and…

Blogs & Opinion

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

AU Leadership Absent From Egypt and Ethiopia Dam Dispute

May 14, 2020 | Alvin Young

After years of negotiations, Egypt has written to the UN Security Council about what it considers to be Ethiopia's failure to reach an agreement over the filling and operations of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam…

In Memoriam: Arthur H. Westing (1928–2020)

May 6, 2020 | Nils Petter Gleditsch

An in memoriam of Arthur H. Westing, forest ecologist and pioneer in the field of environmental peacebuilding.

COVID-19 Shows Why Protecting Water in Conflict Is Vital

May 6, 2020 | Mara Tignino and Tadesse Kebebew

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted normal livelihoods around the world and hammered home the centrality of water and water infrastructure for human existence.

Geodiversity Also Needs Protection during Armed Conflicts

May 6, 2020 | Kevin Kiernan

The IUCN motion on the Protection of the environment in relation to armed conflict acknowledges that in addition to the harm that armed conflict causes to biota it “also generates the loss of geodiversity and its geological…

No, Cobalt Is Not a Conflict Mineral

May 5, 2020 | Patricia Ndagano

Wakanda’s vibranium extolled in Black Panther may be fictional but is not very far from reality.

Join the Association

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association® (EnPAx®) is the leading global network that brings together practitioners, researchers, and decision makers working on environment, conflict, and peace. EnPAx includes both individual and institutional members. If you have any questions regarding membership, please contact us at membership@environmentalpeacebuilding.org.

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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 Andrew Blunt, Rollin Bresson, Alex Caplan, Jordan Dieni, Claire Doyle, Matthew Gallagher, Giovanni Galli, Emma Gillies, Bay Hanson, Desirée De Haven, Liz Hessami, Ellen Johnson, Chiara Maero, Marie Mavrikios, Julia Monsarrat, Lucy Rosen, Rachel Stern, and Sammy Wong
Edited by Joel Young
Coordinated by Sierra Killian and Rachel Stromsta
Design by Graham Campbell
Managed and edited by Carl Bruch and David Jensen