Environmental Peacebuilding Association

International

Iraq: Iraq, Torn by War and Strife, is Slowly Drawing the Notice of Investors

Nov 26, 2016 | Dawn Kissi, CNBC

One of the most unstable countries in the world also happens to have the distinction of being one of the fastest growing economies in the…

India/Pakistan: Pakistan Warns against Use of Water as an Instrument of Coercion

Nov 25, 2016 | Pres Trust of India

In an apparent reference to row over Indus Water Treaty, Pakistan has warned against use of water as an instrument of coercion or war and…

Iraq: Risking Flames and Mines, Iraq Oil Workers Battle to Cap Burning Wells

Nov 24, 2016 | John Davison, Reuters

Qayyara's burning oil fields vividly depict the destruction the group wrought on northern Iraq, as Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition battle to drive…

South Sudan: South Sudanese Lawmakers Want Oil Production Halted over Ailing Economy

Nov 24, 2016 | Sudan Tribune

South Sudan lawmakers proposed on Wednesday that the country’s oil production be halted due to what they described as “inappropriate financial assistance” given to Sudan.…

Colombia: Water Rights and the Peace Process in Colombia

Nov 24, 2016 | Gina Spigarelli, Open Democracy

Land disputes in Colombia often revolve around the use of one resource in particular: water. Colombia is one of the richest countries in the world…

Water Resources ‘a Reason for Cooperation, Not Conflict,’ Ban Tells Security Council

Nov 23, 2016 | UN

Noting that three quarters of UN Member States share rivers or lake basins with their neighbours, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today highlighted the value…

Afghanistan: Spice of Life: Saffron Harvest Offers Jobs, Opportunity in Afghanistan

Nov 23, 2016 | Jalil Ahmad Razayee, Reuters

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, selling for as much as $1,200-$1,800 a kilogram, and has long been seen as an alternative…

Conflict Minerals: EU Plan Aims to Restrict Trade in Gold Used to Fund Conflict

Nov 23, 2016 | Associated Press

European Union officials have announced a plan to restrict the trade of gold and other minerals used to finance armed conflicts. An agreement reached Tuesday…

Liberia: Mixed Bag for Frontier Oil Reserves Offshore Liberia

Nov 23, 2016 | Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International

A division of Exxon Mobil announced Wednesday it started drilling its first well targeting reserves off the coast of Liberia. Exxon's Liberian affiliate is working…

Land Mine Casualties Jump 75% as Funding for Their Removal Declines

Nov 23, 2016 | Rick Gladstone, New York Times

Despite a global treaty that bans land mines, casualties from those weapons and other unexploded munitions lurking in current and past war zones rose sharply…

South China Sea: Oil Becoming Code for Sovereignty in Contested South China Sea

Nov 23, 2016 | Ralph Jenning, Voice of America

The search for oil and natural gas is seen as a driving factor in rival claims to the South China Sea, with many of the…

Conflict Minerals: EU Agrees Law to Curb Flow of Conflict Minerals

Nov 22, 2016 | Reuters

The European Union agreed a deal on Tuesday to stem the flow of gold and other metals used to fund armed conflicts or produced in…

Myanmar: What Myanmar Could Learn from Singapore about Urban Water Management

Nov 21, 2016 | Aye Sapay Phyu, Myanmar Times

Here is a vision of Yangon’s future. Its 17 reservoirs, fed by 8000 kilometres (5000 miles) of drains, rivers and canals, provide ample fresh water…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Two Kirkuk Oil Fields to be Fenced Following Attacks by ISIS

Nov 21, 2016 | Rudaw

The Avana and Bai Hassan oilfields in Kirkuk province are to be fenced in the coming months in a step to upgrade security, following recent…

Colombia: Colombian Campesino Land Defender Assassinated

Nov 19, 2016 | teleSUR

Erley Monroy Fierro, director of Ascal-G, one of the most important campesino associations in the eastern amazonian region, was assassinated on Friday. Since discovering that…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq's Exports from Kirkuk Fields Drop on Power Outages - Official

Nov 19, 2016 | Reuters

Iraq's exports from the Kirkuk oil field through an export pipeline to Turkey have dropped because of power outages, an official at state-run North Oil…

Myanmar: Chinese Land Grabs Concern Kachin Villagers

Nov 18, 2016 | Eleven

The residents of Kachin State are worried by Chinese entrepreneurs’ massive land acquisition, sources say. The Chinese have acquired thousands of acres of vacant land,…

Colombia: OAS Says Armed Groups Occupying Land Abandoned by FARC

Nov 18, 2016 | Julián Villabona Galarza, PanAm Post

Roberto Menéndez, head of the OAS Support Mission to the peace process in Colombia, sounded the alarm in an interview given to the Colombian newspaper…

Iraq: Iraq's Oil Contracts Make Joining OPEC Output Cut More Painful

Nov 18, 2016 | Ahmad Ghaddar and Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters

Iraq would have to compensate international oil companies for limits placed on their production, according to industry sources and documents seen by Reuters, further reducing…

Afghanistan: USAID Expands Support for Afghan Agricultural Exports by $16 Million

Nov 18, 2016 | Khaama Press

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a three-year extension to its 2010-2016 Commercial Horticulture and Agricultural Marketing Program (CHAMP) to widen its…

China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Satellite Images Reveal the Island Runway That is Vietnam's Latest Move in its Escalating Row with Beijing over Influence in the South China Sea

Nov 18, 2016 | Thomas Burrows, Daily Mail.

Vietnam has extended its runway on an island in the South China Sea also claimed by Beijing in a move that will anger the regional…