Issue #102 – Dec 5, 2017

Announcements

November 30, 2017 | ELI

We wanted to apologize for unwanted email traffic on Tuesday, November 21. We aim to send out only one email every other week – the Environmental Peacebuilding Update.

Volunteer Opportunity for MOOC Translators

November 30, 2017

We are launching a massive open online course (MOOC) on Environmental Security and Sustaining Peace in early 2018.

Call for Papers: Special Issue on ‘Natural Resources and Subnational Constituencies: Is the Resource Curse Local?’

November 30, 2017 | Osmel Manzano (IESA) and Juan David Gutiérrez (Oxford University)

Most of the literature on the natural resource curse has focused on macroeconomic channels, and more specifically on the fiscal channel and rent sharing issues.

Seeking Panelists: The Political Ecology of Environmental Peacebuilding – Exploring its Values and Critiques in the Context of the Green Economy | POLLEN Biennial Conference 2018

November 26, 2017 | Political Ecology Network

The POLLEN Biennial Conference 2018, is looking for paper proposals and panelists for the "CfP POLLEN18: The Political Ecology of Environmental Peacebuilding – Exploring its Values and Critiques in the Context of the Green Economy"…

Events

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

Fifth Al-Moumin Distinguished Lecture on Environmental Peacebuilding – Ken Conca and Geoff Dabelko

January 30, 2018 American University, ELI, and UN Environment
Washington, DC

Fifteen years ago, Ken Conca and Geoff Dabelko published Environmental Peacemaking, a rejoinder to grim scenarios foreseeing environmental change as a driver of conflict.

Conflict and Natural Resource Management Panel

December 18, 2017 World Resources Institute
Washington, DC

This panel event will provide an overview of the environmental peacebuilding field and highlight, frame and analyze the efforts of three conservation organizations whose efforts in this area underscore the benefits of this…

Planetary Security Conference 2017

December 12, 2017 - 2017-12-13 Planetary Security Initiative and Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Hague, Netherlands

Climate-related risks are increasingly recognised as a key factor - and at times a key driver - of human insecurity and even conflict.

Criminal Elements: Illegal Wildlife Trafficking, Organized Crime, and National Security

December 6, 2017 Wilson Center
Washington, DC

Environmental crime is now the world’s fourth largest crime sector, estimated by UN Environment and Interpol to be worth more than $250 billion each year.

Library

In the last two weeks, 33 new publications were added to our online library of materials on environmental peacebuilding. Here is a sampling of the new additions:

Understanding Organised Violence and Crime in Political Settlements: Oil Wars, Petro-Criminality and Amnesty in the Niger Delta

January 1, 2017 | Markus Schultze-Kraft
Journal of International Development

The relationship between political settlements and organised violence and crime in the contemporary developing world is little understood.

Monitoring Ecological Change during Rapid Socio-Economic and Political Transitions: Colombian Ecosystems in the Post-Conflict Era

January 1, 2017 | Carlos A. Sierra, Miguel Mahecha, Germán Poveda, Esteban Álvarez-Dávila, Víctor H. Gutierrez-Velez, Björn Reuf, Hannes Feilhauerg, Jesús Anáyah, Dolors Armenterasi, Ana M. Benavides, Corina Buendia, Álvaro Duquec, Lina M. Estupiñan-Suarez, and Catalina Go
Science Direct

After more than 50-years of armed conflict, Colombia is now transitioning to a more stable social and political climate due to a series of peace agreements between the government and different armed groups.

Environmental Peacebuilding Training Manual

January 1, 2017 | Brittany Ajroud, Nathalie Al-Zyoud, Lydia Cardona, Janet Edmond, Danny Pavitt, and Amanda Woomer
Conservation International

Biodiversity conservation often involves conflict. Because it involves the management of natural resources on which many people depend, conservation is inherently complex, involving multiple actors and numerous issues.

Demand the Supply: Ranking Consumer Electronics and Jewelry Retail Companies on their Efforts to Develop Conflict-Free Minerals Supply Chains from Congo

January 1, 2017 | Annie Callaway
Enough Project

For decades, activists and affected communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have called attention to the links between their country’s minerals and its protracted armed conflicts.

Clean Energy and Water Conflicts: Contested Narratives of Small Hydropower in Mexico's Sierra Madre Oriental

January 1, 2017 | Noah Silber-Coats
Water Alternatives

Small hydropower is poised to undergo a global boom, potentially accounting for as much as 75% of new hydroelectric installations over the next two decades.

Central Highlands Program in Afghanistan [Video]

January 1, 2017
GERES Association

Implemented by a consortium of three French NGOs, the Central Highlands Program (CHP) focuses on increasing the living standards and quality of life of rural populations in the mountains by promoting a balanced…

“Just Women” Is Not Enough: Towards a Gender-Relational Approach to Water and Peacebuilding

January 1, 2017 | Janpeter Schilling, Rebecca Froese, and Jana Naujoks
Springer

Gender is a topic that every large development and peacebuilding organisation mainstreams in its programming. However, often “gender” implies a focus on women.

Calming the Waters, Ploughing the Sea – Can Gender-Responsive Approaches to Intra-State Water Conflicts Lead to Peacebuilding? Evidence from Lebanon and Nepal

January 1, 2017 | Henri Myrttinen
Springer

Access to water, among other resources, has been and continues to be an implicit or explicit driver of intra-state conflict, and both access to water and conflicts are intimately linked to gendered power…

Ecosystem-Based Adaptation in the Magdalena River Basin

January 1, 2017
USAID

As Colombia implements a peace agreement between the FARC and the Government of Colombia, protecting the country’s diverse ecosystems is critical to the peace accord’s long-term success.

A Casualty of Peace? Lessons on De-Militarizing Conservation in the Cordillera Del Condor Corridor (Chapter in "Collateral Values of Natural Capital")

January 1, 2017 | Saleem Hassan Ali
Social Science Research Network

The resolution in 1998 of the armed conflict between Peru and Ecuador through environmental peace-building negotiations creating a transboundary conservation area have been heralded as an exemplar of how ecological factors can foster…

The Impact of Mines and Explosive Remnants of War on Gender Groups

January 1, 2017 | Edward Laws
UK Department for International Development

There is an increasing recognition in the international community that different gender groups are affected differently by the threat posed by the presence of mines/ERWs in their communities.

Jobs

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

Myanmar: Disaster Risk Reduction Program Manager

November 27, 2017 | Action Contre la Faim

Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization which originated in France and is committed to ending world hunger.

Syria: WASH Technical Advisor

November 27, 2017 | Oxfam GB

Oxfam is an international confederation of 20 NGOs working with partners in over 90 countries to end the injustices that cause poverty.

Afghanistan: Programme Management Officer

November 27, 2017 | UN Environment

The United Nations Environment is the United Nations systems designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level.

GIS Analyst

November 27, 2017 | UN Office for Project Services

The Haiti Sustainable Energy Programme aims to improve access to sustainable energy in the Haiti Grand Sud Region through enhanced governance and education, renewable and rural electrification as well as sustainable cooking and…

Lebanon: Food Security and Livelihood Coordinator

November 27, 2017 | Première Urgence Internationale

Première Urgence Internationale (PUI) is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political and non-religious international aid organization.

International News

In the last two weeks, 45 international news items on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website. The following is a sampling:

DRC: Democratic Republic of Congo Army General Profits from Illegally Mining Conflict Gold

September 1, 2017 | Kate Hairsine, Deutsche Welle

As gold continues to fuel the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a UN report says Major General Gabriel Amisi Kumba with a history of serious human rights abuses is illegally running…

Colombia: Price of Peace: Deforestation in Colombia

August 31, 2017 | Chris Fitch, Geographical

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has rarely ever been credited with positive environmental outcomes, intentional or otherwise.

Liberia: Farmer: FAO and Partners Brainstorm on Responsible Governance of Land

August 31, 2017 | Judoemue Kollie, Daily Observer

The eradication of hunger and poverty and the sustainable use of the environment depend in large measure on how people, communities and others gain access to land, fisheries and forests.

China/India: India and China in a Water War

August 31, 2017 | Neeta Lal, Asia Sentinel

With more than 32 million people hit by floods in four Indian states so far this year, New Delhi is growing increasingly frustrated over China’s refusal to share current river data despite bilateral…

Iran: Al Qaeda Affiliate Mining Uranium to Send to Iran, Somali Official Warns US Ambassador

August 31, 2017 | Catherine Herridge and Jake Gibson, Fox News

An Al Qaeda affiliate has seized control of uranium mines in Africa with the intent of supplying the material to Iran, according to a diplomatic letter from a top Somali official appealing to…

Water: Over 180 Million People Lack Water in Conflict Zones Worldwide

August 30, 2017 | Prensa Latina

The United Nations Children''s Fund (UNICEF) warned today that more than 180 million people lack access to water in conflict zones throughout the world.

Colombia: Only 16% of Colombia’s Displaced Were Uprooted by Combat

August 29, 2017 | Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports

Colombia’s armed conflict has displaced more than 7 million Colombians in what increasingly appears to have been a major land theft operation as only 16% of displaced victims were uprooted by combat.

Afghanistan: How Climate Change is a 'Death Sentence' in Afghanistan's Highlands

August 28, 2017 | Sune Engel Rasmussen, Guardian

The central highlands of Afghanistan are a world away from the congested chaos of the country’s cities. Hills roll across colossal, uninhabited spaces fringed by snow-flecked mountains, set against blistering blue skies.

Myanmar: Floods Destroy 90,000 Acres of Paddy Field

August 28, 2017 | Su Phyo Win, Myanmar Times

SOME 90,000 acres of riceland have been destroyed due to flooding as of August 18, a huge decline compared to 300,000 acres of paddy washed out in 2015, the government said.

Liberia: ACDI VOCA Smallholder Oil Palm Shut Projects in Liberia

August 23, 2017 | Selma Lomax, FrontPageAfrica

The overall objectives of the project, according to Mr.

DRC: Alphamin Bisie Tin Mine on Track to Produce Conflict-Free Tin from 2019

August 23, 2017 | Mining Review

Alphamin Bisie tin mine holds significant value for the region as it brings employment while adding to the region’s infrastructure and social well-being.

Myanmar: Jade Exports Earnings Plummet Since Last Year

August 21, 2017 | Eleven

In the first four months of this fiscal year, jade export earnings reached US$24.

Myanmar: FDA Charges 17 Water Factories

August 20, 2017 | Ei Thinzar Kyaw, Eleven

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Yangon said it had taken action against 17 "undisciplined" bottled water factories in Hlegu Township in two months and suspended their operations for one week to…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq's Kurds Might Put off Independence Vote in Return for Concessions from Baghdad: Official

August 20, 2017 | Maher Chmaytelli, Reuters

Iraq’s Kurds may consider the possibility of postponing a planned Sept.

Colombia: Colombia Declares 166 Municipalities Free of Landmines

August 18, 2017 | teleSUR

Authorities in Colombia have declared that 166 of the country’s municipalities are free of anti-personnel landmines, adding that 14 other municipalities are free of suspicion of such weapons.

Blogs & Opinion

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

From Disaster Risk Reduction to Sustainable Peace: Reducing Vulnerability and Preventing Conflict at the Local Level

December 4, 2017 | Florian Krampe and Roberta Scassa

The summer of 2017 was a stark reminder that climate change exacerbates both the intensity and frequency of natural disasters—and that the most vulnerable people are most severely affected.

Forest Rights Create New Livelihoods in Myanmar

December 4, 2017 | Duncan Macqueen

It is impossible to talk about Myanmar without acknowledging the persecution of the Rohingya by the country's armed forces over which the NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi's governing party, has no constitutional control.

From Conflict to Climate Change, Are Policy Responses to Food Insecurity Getting Smarter?

November 27, 2017 | Ellen Laipson

This week, many Americans savor the seasonal culinary delights of Thanksgiving, while around the world, food insecurity is on the rise, particularly in places suffering from conflict or acute climate disruptions.

Absence of Water Diplomacy Leads to Ecological Disasters

November 27, 2017 | Financial Tribune

Many environmental challenges such as drought and dust storms are the outcomes of ineffective past water diplomacy, an expert on geopolitics said.

War Has Made Afghanistan's $1 Trillion in Minerals Worthless

November 27, 2017 | Eric Schewe

Middle East observers surfaced last month to remind the American public that the United States’ war in Afghanistan had entered its seventeenth year.

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 Anam Ahmed, Trevor Dolan, Luis Pérez Espinosa, Liz Foster, Liz Hessami, Jiameizi Jia, Sarita Ruiz Morato, Anya Raadam, Akriti Sharma, Emma Tulley, and Erin Wenk
Edited by Joel Young
Coordinated by Jessica Lis and Nora Moraga-Lewy
Design by Graham Campbell
Managed and edited by Carl Bruch and David Jensen