Environmental Peacebuilding Association

International

Liberia: NOCAL Holds on to EITI to Keep IMF/WB Funding

Sep 24, 2019 | Africa Intelligence

For the past few weeks, the managing director of the National Oil Company of Liberia (Nocal), Saifuah-Mai Gray has been pushing to keep IMF/WB funding.

Colombia: Oil Palm, Cattle and Coca Take a Toll on Colombia’s Indigenous Jiw

Sep 24, 2019 | Maria Fernanda Lizcano, Mongabay

In the Caño La Sal reservation in central Colombia, the Jiw indigenous community lives on a shrinking amount of land. Several armed groups have begun…

Amazon Deforestation Not a Local Issue When It Comes to Pollution

Sep 24, 2019 | Andrew Wright, Forbes

According to scientists in Latin America, the out-of-control blazes in the Amazon that seized international attention in August 2019 are releasing a hidden danger –…

Myanmar: Myanmar Draws up Standards for 26 Agricultural Products to Boost Export

Sep 23, 2019 | Xinhua

Myanmar has drawn up standards and specifications for 26 agricultural products to ensure them meet international standards and to bolster export through improving the quality…

Yemen: Yemen Upcycles Shot-up Buses to Ease Water Shortage

Sep 23, 2019 | Agence France-Presse

Once a bus wreck peppered with bullet holes, the pristine white water tanker parked in front of a Yemen university now delivers water to students…

South Sudan: South Sudan to Host Oil and Gas Conference to Woo Int'l Investors

Sep 21, 2019 | Xinhua

South Sudan will host an international energy conference in October to woo global investors amid quest to boost the growth of the country's economy, officials…

Afghanistan: Fixing Afghanistan’s Security of Tenure Crisis

Sep 20, 2019 | Ahmad Bilal Khalil and Noorullah Farajid, Diplomat

Based on preliminary findings by the Afghan government, out of half a million properties surveyed and registered in the eight provincial capitals of Afghanistan, only…

Myanmar: Myanmar Court Jails Farmers for Using Vacant Land

Sep 20, 2019 | Salai Thant Zin, Irrawaddy

Maubin Township Court in Irrawaddy Region on Wednesday sentenced eight farmers to two years in prison for farming land owned by a private company. Orchard…

Afghanistan: Former Owner of Marble Mining Company in Afghanistan Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding US Government Agency, Leading to Default on a $15.8 Million Loan

Sep 19, 2019 | US Department of Justice

The former owner of a marble mining company in Afghanistan was sentenced to 54 months in prison today for his role in a scheme to…

DRC: USAID Fund Ensures DRC Mines Operate Transparently

Sep 19, 2019 | Mining Review

The US government, through its Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded sustainable mine site validation project (SMSV) project, implemented by non-profit international development organization Pact, will help…

South Sudan: South Sudan Oil Consortium Funded Militias Accused of Atrocities, Report Says

Sep 19, 2019 | Megan Specia, New York Times

A South Sudanese oil consortium directly financed militias accused of committing atrocities in the country’s civil war, according to an investigative report released on Thursday…

South Sudan: Watchdog Report Claims Profiteers Have Looted Billions from South Sudan

Sep 19, 2019 | Carol Van Dam, Voice of America

A large array of international players, including corporate giants in the United States and China, have profited from South Sudan's long civil war, according to…

South Sudan: South Sudan Signs Mineral Exploration Agreement with US, Canada Firms

Sep 18, 2019 | AlBawaba

South Sudan has signed a mineral exploration agreement with two mining and metal refining companies in Canada and the USA. The pact allows the mining…

Yemen: Fishing for a Future

Sep 18, 2019 | Paul Ireland, Norwegian Refugee Council

Coastal communities have suffered greatly in Yemen’s ongoing bloody conflict. Fishing boats, ports and processing sites have been destroyed or damaged, and many fishermen have…

Colombia: Deforestation Increase Dovetails with Armed Conflict in Colombia, Study Finds

Sep 18, 2019 | Antonio José Paz Cardona, Mongabay

Colombia is home to so many species that it is considered “megadiverse,” and it has also experienced relatively high levels of armed conflict. A new…

Colombia: Linking Climate Change and Peacebuilding in Colombia through Land Access

Sep 18, 2019 | Sebastian Lema and Johanna Kleffmann, Climate Diplomacy

Colombia’s long-standing internal conflict and the country’s contribution to climate change share one common root cause: land concentration. Policies to strengthen access to land and…

Conflict Minerals: London Metal Exchange to Delay Ban on Tainted Metal until 2025 - Sources

Sep 18, 2019 | Pratima Desai, Zandi Shabalala, and Tom Daly, Reuters

The London Metal Exchange (LME) will postpone plans to ban metal tainted by human rights abuses until 2025, giving producers three more years to comply…

Syria: Modest Recovery in Syrian Agriculture Masks Ongoing and Intractable Problems

Sep 18, 2019 | Phoebe Sleet, Future Directions International

A recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization predicted that Syrian wheat production would double this year. The report estimates that wheat production will…

Liberia: Stakeholders Want Forest Reforms Law Amended for Effective Management, Benefit Sharing

Sep 16, 2019 | Gerald C. Koinyeneh, FrontPage Africa

Stakeholders including lawmakers and environmental experts have made a commitment to initiate activities aimed at promoting effective management of Liberia’s forest to enhance its economic,…

Climate Change: Why Climate Change Is a National Security Issue [Video]

Sep 16, 2019 | Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle, MSNBC

President Trump doesn’t acknowledge that climate change is real, but the Pentagon does. Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle are joined by the director of the…

Liberia: Beekeeping Has a Big Impact in Liberia Thanks to North Shore Foundation

Sep 15, 2019 | Gordon McIntyre, Vancouver Sun

People ask them when they’re coming home. In fact, Kent Bubbs Jr. and Landis Wyatt arrived home on Friday when they landed at Monrovia, the…

China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Digs in on South China Sea Oil and Gas Projects amid Chinese Pressure

Sep 14, 2019 | Tan Hui Yee, Eleven

Vietnam, locked in one of its most protracted test of wills with China of late, is trying to allay fears that yet another foreign joint…

Saudi Arabia: Drones Just Attacked the World’s Largest Oil Refinery

Sep 14, 2019 | Justin Rohrlich, Quartz

Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an armed drone attack early today (Sept. 14) on Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq refinery, the world’s largest oil processing…

India: India Is Working on Climate Change and Biodiversity: Prakash Javadekar Calls for Synergy Between All Three Rio Conventions

Sep 13, 2019 | 5 Dariya News

The 12-day long 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has come to a close today, with thought-provoking discussions…

Colombia: Women in Colombia Are Risking Their Lives Every Day to Clear the Minefields Left After 50 Years of Armed Conflict

Sep 13, 2019 | Luke Taylor, i News

When Paola Sanchez heard she was being recruited for a job in late 2018 after a friend had recommended her, she knew little more than…