Issue #179 – Nov 17, 2020

Events

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

Consultation on Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkits for Environmental Peacebuilding

December 8, 2020 Environmental Law Institute, Environmental Peacebuilding Association, and UN Environment Programme
online

The Environmental Law Institute, in partnership with the Environmental Peacebuilding Association and the UN Environment Programme, and with support from the United States Institute of Peace to take stock of approaches and lessons…

Consultation on Developing a Typology of Environmental Peacebuilding

December 1, 2020 Environmental Law Institute and Environmental Peacebuilding Association
online

Environmental peacebuilding provides an overarching framework for a wide range of activities and dynamics at the intersection of peace, conflict, and the environment.

EcoPeace Middle East Annual Environmental Peacebuilding Conference (A Road to Geneva Event)

November 30, 2020 - 2020-12-02 EcoPeace Middle East, Environmental Peacebuilding Association Education Interest Group and Young Professionals Interest Group
hybrid

The EcoPeace Annual Conference has taken place every year for close to 20 years.

Water and Peace Social Hour (space limited; pre-registration required)

November 25, 2020 Young Professionals and Water Interest Groups of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association
online

On behalf of the Young Professionals and Water Interest Groups of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx), we would like to invite you to a networking session for young professionals and students working at…

WaterTalk: Charting the New Geography of Water Conflict and Cooperation

November 18, 2020 University of Waterloo and Water Institute
online

As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series, Dustin Garrick, associate professor of Environmental Management with a joint appointment at the School of Geography and the Environment and the Smith School of…

Library

In the last two weeks, 13 new publications were added to our online library of materials on environmental peacebuilding. Here is a sampling of the new additions:

Improving Governance of Tenure in Policy and Practice: The Case of Myanmar

January 1, 2021 | Louisa J.M. Jansen, Patrick P. Kalas, and Marianna Bicchieri
Land Use Policy

With increasing pressures on scarce land and natural resources, responsible governance of tenure to protect rights and right holders of these resources becomes pivotal.

Guidelines on Protection of Natural Environment in Armed Conflict

January 1, 2020
International Committee of the Red Cross

The natural environment has frequently remained a silent casualty of war. The consequences of environmental damage for conflict-affected populations are severe and complex, affecting their well-being, health and survival.

Desk Study on the Opportunities and Implications of Releasing Treated Effluent in the Lower Stretches on the Jordan River and Dead Sea

January 1, 2020 | Amanda Lounsbury, Dina Kolker, and Revital Bookman
EcoPeace Middle East and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung

The Dead Sea, bordered by Jordan, Israel, and Palestine, is a natural wonder with unique geological, ecological, and historical importance that is valued world-wide by the general public, both locally and globally, as…

Reducing Deforestation through Value Chain Interventions in Countries Emerging from Conflict: The Case of the Colombian Cocoa Sector

January 1, 2020 | Augusto Castro-Nunez, Andres Charry, Fabio Castro-Llanos, Janelle Sylvester, and Vincent Bax
Applied Geography

Sustainability commitments by private sector actors are emerging as interventions to help reduce global deforestation.

Sudan: First State of Environment and Outlook Report 2020

January 1, 2020
UNEP

The Sudan State of the Environment and Outlook Report 2020 is the first of its kind to comprehensively take stock of the condition of the country’s environment and the trends affecting it.

Reaching for the Mountains at the End of a Rebelocracy: Changes in Land and Water Access in Colombia's Highlands during the Post-Peace Agreement Phase

January 1, 2020 | Laura Betancur-Alarcón and Torsten Krause
Frontiers in Environmental Science and Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies

The armed conflict shaped and determined land-uses, water access and social and environmental norms in highlands regions in Colombia for several decades.

Illegal Trade in Wildlife Animals and Derived Products during Armed Conflicts: What Role for International Wildlife Agreements?

January 1, 2020 | Karsten Nowrot
Rechtswissenschaftliche Beiträge der Hamburger Sozialökonomie

Disputes over the use and distribution of natural resources are comparatively rarely the primary reason for the outbreak of civil wars and the accompanying formation of armed rebel groups.

The Victims in International Environmental Criminal Law

January 1, 2020 | Eliseus Wilson Onilor and Ikenga Oraegbunam
International Journal of Comparative Law and Legal Philosophy

Capitalistic engines of the modern economy, led by states and multinational corporations, have operated and perpetrated, directly and indirectly, many international environmental crimes with impunity and remained unsanctioned due to the weaknesses of…

Using Reuse of Debris of Damaged Buildings by Armed Conflicts in Libya and Mill Scale Scrap to Produce Sustainable Concrete

January 1, 2020 | Faesal Alatshan, Abdelmajeed Altlomate, and Muhammad Farooq Ahmed
Sirte Univeristy Scientific Journal

In Libya, recycling of waste materials is not a common practice.

Reducing Deforestation in Colombia While Building Peace and Pursuing Business as Usual Extractvisim?

January 1, 2020 | Torsten Krause
Journal of Political Ecology

In this article, the author examines the contradictions and tensions in Colombia's simultaneous embrace of REDD+ and a peace-building process premised on continued extractivism.

Land Cover Change on the Isthmus of Karelia 1939–2005: Agricultural Abandonment and Natural Succession

January 1, 2016 | Aapo Rautiainen, Tarmo Virtanen, and Pekka E. Kauppi
Environmental Science & Policy

The Isthmus of Karelia is located in North-West Russia, between Lake Ladoga and the Baltic Sea.

Jobs

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

Environmental Security Advisor

November 14, 2020 | UNDP

The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network.

Consultancy: Assessing Livestock Herd Management Practices in Isiolo County Project, Building Drought Resilience in Isiolo County through Sustainable Livelihoods

November 14, 2020 | Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse

Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse is an international network of non-profit organizations working all over the world in the field of agriculture and livestock production, animal health and animal welfare, to support small-scale farmers.

Research Consultant: Analyzing Intersection between Conflict, Climate and Hunger

November 14, 2020 | Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide is Ireland's largest aid and humanitarian agency. Since its foundation 50 years ago it has worked in 50 countries.

Sudan: WASH Officer

November 14, 2020 | Norwegian Refugee Council

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee.

Environmental Change and Security Program Internships

November 11, 2020 | Wilson Center

Since 1994, the Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP) has actively pursued the connections between the environment, health, population, development, conflict, and security.

International News

In the last two weeks, 7 international news items on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website.

Afghanistan: Afghan Women Spin New Careers by Reviving Ancient Silk Road Crafts

July 9, 2020 | Stefanie Glinski, Thomson Reuters Foundation

Once an important Silk Road trading hub, the Afghan city of Herat has long been a cultural centre, but decades of war have ravaged its ancient traditional crafts.

Iraq/Kurdistan: Glencore Restructures $500 Million Oil Loan With Iraqi Kurdistan

July 9, 2020 | Javier Blas and Jack Farchy, Bloomberg

Glencore Plc has restructured a $500 million oil-for-cash loan to Kurdistan in northern Iraq, reducing payments for 2020 as the semi-autonomous region struggles due to low petroleum prices.

China/Philippines/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam, Philippines Denounce China Military Drills in Disputed Waters

July 2, 2020 | Phuong Nguyen and Neil Jerome Morales, Reuters

Vietnam and the Philippines on Thursday criticised China’s holding of military drills in a disputed part of the South China, warning it could create tension in the region and impact Beijing’s relationship with…

Rwanda: How Rwanda’s New Export Certificate Will Curb Illegal Mineral Imports

July 1, 2020 | Ishioma Emi, Ventures

The Rwandan government recently launched a new mineral export certificate to curb the illegal smuggling of precious metals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Syria: A River of Toxic Waste Flows through Syria

July 1, 2020 | PAX

Rivers of crude oil and oil waste are flowing through northeast Syria, with no solution in sight for the thousands of people affected by the pollution.

Syria: US Troops 'Secure' Northeast Syria Oil, as Contamination from It Imperils Lives

June 30, 2020 | Dan Wilkofsky and Amberin Zaman, Al-Monitor

The Kurds of northeast Syria shot to global renown for their valiance against the Islamic State (IS).

Egypt/Ethiopia: Egypt, Ethiopia Discuss Nile Dam Dispute at UN Security Council

June 30, 2020 | James Bays, Al Jazeera

Egypt has told the United Nations it faces an existential threat, from a hydroelectric dam that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile River.

Blogs & Opinion

In the last two weeks, 6 blogs & opinion pieces on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website.

The Ancient Band of Shepherds Taking on a NATO Land Grab in Montenegro

November 13, 2020 | Pablo Dominguez

While all eyes were focused on elections in the US, few noticed that a new government was to be sworn in in Montenegro.

The Weaponisation of Environmental Information in the Era of Fake News

November 12, 2020 | Doug Weir

Environmental disaster? War crime? Ecological terrorism? A polarised and omnipresent social media is turbocharging the manipulation of environmental information during conflicts.

The Psychological Barriers Preventing Environmental Protection in War

November 12, 2020 | Gabriela Kolpak and Klaudija Visockyte

It’s a widely held view that environmental damage is inevitable in war.

A Digital Revolution to Save Nature and Build Peace

November 12, 2020 | Wim Zwijnenburg

The revolution in space-based technologies is creating a wealth of opportunities to track environmental degradation and its impact on lives and livelihoods.

Digging in the Past: A New Look at the Customary Land Conflict in Liberia

November 12, 2020 | D. Otheil Forte

In 2018, the Land Rights Law of Liberia was passed into law.

A Danish Approach to the Arctic

November 12, 2020 | Zach Simon

Today, climate change has brought Greenland and the Arctic back into the spotlight.

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 Rosabella Bojin, Amber Bosse, Elen Bueno, Alex Caplan, Miriam Dangasuk, Jordan Dieni, Claire Doyle, Matthew Gallagher, Giovanni Galli, Bay Hanson, Desirée De Haven, Liz Hessami, Ellen Johnson, Avak Kahramanian, Andrew Light, Christopher Marchesano, Marie Mavrikios, Charly McConaghy, Anna Rossi, and Rachel Stern
Edited by Joel Young
Coordinated by Shehla Chowdhury and Rachel Stromsta
Design by Graham Campbell
Managed and edited by Carl Bruch and David Jensen