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Environmental Peacebuilding Update Issue 99: 24 Oct 2017

Announcements

Progress Made on MOOC on Environmental Security and Sustaining Peace 24 October 2017

We are making progress on the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on EnvironmentalSecurity and Sustaining Peace! Editing and production of the video lectures are nearingcompletion, and a trailer is being developed. We look forward to sharing regularupdates on the status of the MOOC, which will launch in... Read More

Seeking Panelists for Session at the American Association of Geographers Annual

Meeting 22 October 2017 | Nature of Peace at Lund University

Our group Nature of Peace at Lund University explores the role of the naturalenvironment in post-conflict societies. We are organising a panel at the AAG Annualmeeting in New Orleans, April 10th-14th, 2018. Please send abstracts (max 300 words)by October 25 to the following email addresses for consideration: Read More

Events

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

Capacity Building in Environmental Conflict: An Intensive 30-Hour Workshop 25 March 2018 – 28 March 2018 | Four Worlds, Troutdale, OR

Four Worlds will be hosting a 30-hour intensive workshop which will teach participantshow to navigate the complex world of disputes over water, forestry and climate changedebates. Internationally recognized experts and real-world practitioners will be leadingthe workshop. Read More

Library

In the last two weeks, 15 new publications were added to our online library of materialson environmental peacebuilding. Here is a sampling of the new additions:

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Mining Disclosures 2017: An Investor Guide to Conflict Minerals Reporting in Year

Four Raphaël Deberdt and Patricia Jurewicz (Responsible Sourcing Network, 2017)

In the fourth consecutive year of analyzing companies’ conflict minerals complianceand reporting, Responsible Sourcing Network’s (RSN) research unveils a troubling trendwidely spread among companies and industries. For the 2017 Mining the Disclosuresreport, RSN performed a year-on-year comparison between the scores achieved in2016 and 2017. Read More

Oil and Borders: How to Fix Iraq’s Kurdish Crisis International Crisis Group, 2017

What happened? On 16 October 2017, the Iraqi federal government launched anoperation to restore Iraqi sovereignty over the disputed territories, including Kirkuk andits oil fields. This reversed the situation in place since the Iraqi army collapsed in theface of an onslaught by the Islamic State in June 2014. Read More

How Conflict Affects Land Use: Agricultural Activity in Areas Seized by the Islamic

State Lina Eklund, Michael Degerald, Martin Brandt, Alexander V. Prishchepov, and Petter

Pilesjö (Environ, 2017) Socio-economic shocks, technogenic catastrophes, and armed conflicts often have

drastic impacts on local and regional food security through disruption of agriculturalproduction and food trade, reduced investments, and deterioration of land andinfrastructure. Recently, more research has focused on the effects of armed conflict onland systems, but still little... Read More

Building in Post-War Environments Giovanni Tortorici and Francesco Fiorito (Procedia Engineering, 2017)

Modern wars generate devastating effects on the environment by using chemical,biological, radioactive weapons. Toxic effects persist for long time on war fields.Negative environmental impacts such as desertification, migrant masses, depletion ofnatural resources (food, water, wood, etc.), and induced biodiversity produce, in turn,conflicts. Read More

Congo's Environmental Paradox: Potential and Predation in a Land of Plenty Pádraig Carmody (International Affairs Journal, 2017)

This is an unusual, fascinating and important book. The role of resources in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo's conflict(s) has received much media and academicattention in recent decades. However, this is the first book—that I am aware of—whichexplicitly focuses on a wide range of Congo's resources and... Read More

Enclosure, Dispossession, and the Green Economy: New Contours of Internal

Displacement in Liberia and Sierra Leone? Connor Joseph Cavanagh (African Geographical Review, 2017)

Through a review of recent writings in political ecology and agrarian studies, this paper

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appraises the potential for emerging forms of ‘green economy’ initiatives to catalyzenew forms of internal displacement in West Africa, with specific emphasis on thepostwar contexts of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Read More

Gold Mining in Colombia, Post-War Crime and the Peace Agreement with the FARC Frédéric Massé and Philippe Le Billon (Third World Thematics, 2017)

Peace negotiations with left-wing insurgent groups have brought hope for a reductionin illegal economic activities in Colombia, including gold mining. We consider theimpact of a transition to peace on possible trajectories of post-war crime in the goldsector, focusing on its major conflict-crime connections and responses by governmentauthorities. Read More

Toward Sustainable Peace: A New Research Agenda for Post-Conflict Natural

Resource Management Florian Krampe (Global Environmental Politics Journal, 2017)

This forum reflects upon the current state of research on post-conflict natural resourcemanagement. It identifies two dominant perspectives on environmental peacebuildingin the literature: one focused on environmental cooperation, the other on resource risk.Both perspectives share a concern for the sustainable management of natural resourcesin post-conflict settings... Read More

Leaving the Beaten Track? The EU Regulation on Conflict Minerals Jeroen Cuvelier (Royal Institute for International Relations, 2017)

Since the end of the 1990s, natural resources have been the focus point ofpolicymakers, academics, journalists, NGO activists and other observers trying to find asolution to the enduring armed conflict in Africa’s Great Lakes region. Read More

Environmental Issues in Areas Retaken from ISIL: Mosul, Iraq UN Environment, 2017

During his visit to Iraq in May 2017, Erik Solheim responded positively to thegovernment’s request for support in conducting an assessment of the environmentalimpacts in areas formerly occupied by ISIL (so-called Islamic State in Iraq and theLevant, alias Daesh). Read More

Horn of Africa: A Call for Action UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2017

The 2016 Deyr or short rains season (October to December) brought severely low levelsof rainfall to the region. The rainfall deficit was particularly acute across Somalia,southern and southeastern Ethiopia, northern and coastal Kenya and – to a lesserextent – southwestern Ethiopia and central and southwestern Uganda and... Read More

Jobs

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

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Jordan: Food Security Analyst (Deadline: 2017-10-25)

20 October 2017 | iMMAP iMMAP is a pioneering humanitarian organization that is leading the way forward in the

effective use of information management practices and principles in the service ofhumanitarian relief and development. The aim of this project based in Jordan is toprovide Information Management support to the Food Security Cluster and... Read More

Iraq: Food Security and Livelihoods (Deadline: 2017-10-31)

20 October 2017 | Solidarités International Solidarités International is committed to working to implement a clear mandate by

helping men, women and children who are hit by war, epidemics and natural disasters,delivering effective and appropriately targeted humanitarian aid directly to those inneed, without discriminating against nationality, race, gender or religion, taking on key,demanding responsibilities,... Read More

Nigeria: Food Security Project Manager (Deadline: 2017-11-01)

22 October 2017 | INTERSOS INTERSOS is an Italian humanitarian organization on the first line that works all over the

world bringing assistance to people in danger victims of natural disasters and armedconflicts. Read More

The Impact of Armed Conflict on Hunger and Food Insecurity – Consultancy

(Deadline: 2017-11-01)

22 October 2017 | Concern Worldwide Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organisation dedicated to tackling

poverty and suffering in the world’s poorest countries. Concern works in partnershipwith the very poorest people in these countries, directly enabling them to improve theirlives, as well as using our knowledge and experience to influence decisions made at alocal,... Read More

DRC: Law Enforcement Advisor (Deadline: 2017-11-05)

22 October 2017 | World Wide Fund For Nature For more than half a century, WWF has been working to protect the world's species and

natural places, pushing for a more sustainable world. By working with localcommunities, governments, businesses, and other NGOs we are defining new ways ofworking that will make a difference at a scale... Read More

Yemen: Consortium Coordinator (Deadline: 2017-11-09)

22 October 2017 | ACTED Since 1993, as an international non-governmental organization, ACTED has been

committed to immediate humanitarian relief to support those in urgent need andprotect people’s dignity, while co-creating longer term opportunities for sustainablegrowth and fulfilling people’s potential.ACTED endeavors to respond to humanitariancrises and build resilience; promote inclusive and sustainable... Read More

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Kenya: Extractive Hub Consultant (Deadline: 2017-11-17)

22 October 2017 | UN Environment The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental

authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherentimplementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within theUnited Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the globalenvironment. Read More

International News

Afghanistan: Agriculture Fair Held in Afghanistan to Promote Production, Investment 20 October 2017 | Farid Behbud, Xinhua

Hundreds of people have visited the agriculture fair held at Badam Bagh, the biggestagricultural products and handicrafts farm in the Afghan capital. The farm, with non-asphalted pathways and sidewalks and located on the outskirts of the city, has installeda total of 240 booths full of agricultural products, handicrafts and machinery. ReadMore

Colombia: Peace Gives Colombian Coffee an Extra Shot 19 October 2017 | Marcy Nicholson, Retuers

Farmers who fled war in the Colombian Andes are returning to revive their abandonedland, cultivating coffee trees that are boosting global supplies of the highest-qualitybeans. Colombia’s five-decade civil war, the longest in the Americas, displaced millionsand disrupted farming for decades in areas that produce coffee for the most... ReadMore

Sudan: AfDB Commits to Help Sudan Build Resilience and Tackle Fragility 18 October 2017 | African Development Bank

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) on Wednesday,18 October 2017 approved Sudan’s Country Brief 2017-2019, designed to help thecountry build resilience and address core issues of fragility. Board memberscommended the recent lifting of US sanction on the country and emphasized the needto... Read More

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Forces Retake All Oil Fields in Disputed Areas as Kurds Retreat 17 October 2017 | David Zucchino, New York Times

Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq surrendered all disputed oil fields to Iraq’s militaryon Tuesday, retreating in the face of overwhelming force that appeared to halt, at leastfor now, their independence hopes from a referendum held less than a month ago. In aswift and largely nonviolent operation that came a day... Read More

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqis Seize Military Base, Oil Field from Kurdish Forces near

Contested Kirkuk 16 October 2017 | Loveday Morris and Mustafa Salim, Washington Post

Iraqi forces said Monday they seized a military base, an oil field and other key

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infrastructure from Kurdish soldiers near the northern city of Kirkuk, as the two U.S.allies face off over territory and oil in the wake of the Kurdish region’s independencevote last month. Read More

Afghanistan/Pakistan: A River Runs through It: Scientific Border Tales from

Afghanistan and Pakistan 16 October 2017 | Jason Porter and Callie Raulfs-Wang, USAID

Like many sources of water all over the world, the Kabul River and its tributaries are atthe center of a looming crisis—a limited supply of water and many people who dependon it to survive and prosper. But there has been a challenge in this relationship:Communication is difficult. Read More

South Sudan: USAID Launches New Sustainable Agriculture Program in S. Sudan 14 October 2017 | Sudan Tribune

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced athree-year Sustainable Agriculture for Economic Resiliency project in war-torn SouthSudan. The program, it said, will address widespread food and nutrition deficienciesand help communities become increasingly resilient to shocks, including conflict,economic and environment-related shocks. Read More

Myanmar: Myanmar Takes Another Step to Join EU-Led Forest Protection Agreement 13 October 2017 | Khin Su Wai, Myanmar Times

Myanmar has taken another step to join a EU-led agreement to combat illegal loggingand forest management, which will eventually help ease timber exports to the Europeanmarket. Various stakeholders, from all states and regions, have established anexecutive committee that will negotiate to be part of the EU-led Forest Law,... ReadMore

Food Security: Relief Aid is Saving Lives, but World Must Tackle Root Cause of

Famine: Conflict – UN Chief 12 October 2017 | UN

Until fighting stops and development takes root, communities and entire regions willcontinue to face hunger, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told theSecurity Council on Thursday, underscoring the link between conflict and famine.“Conflict in one country creates demands on its neighbours to provide food and basicservices to refugees. Read More

Myanmar: DVB Documentary Sheds Light on High Profile Land Dispute, Corruption 11 October 2017 | Nyo Me, Myanmar Times

A new documentary produced by the Democratic Voice of Burma(DVB), looks at thelasting legacy military land grabs have on business and bureaucracy in Myanmar.Crocodile Tears, which screens at 6:30pm this Thursday on DVB TV, follows theongoing dispute between two well connected business people over a plot of... ReadMore

Timor-Leste: Timor-Leste Open to Investment in Oil, Gas, Tourism, Agriculture and

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Fisheries, Says Ambassador 11 October 2017 | Business Advantage PNG

With its longstanding dispute with Australia over the Timor Sea resolved, neighbouringTimor-Leste looks set to expand its petroleum and mineral industries. Meanwhile, itsgovernment is actively seeking investors in agriculture and fisheries, tourism andservices, according to Abel Guterres, Timor-Leste Ambassador to Australia. Read More

Blogs & Opinion

In the last two weeks, 13 blogs & opinion pieces on environmental peacebuilding wereposted on our website. Here is a sampling:

The Environmental Consequences of the Use of Armed Drones 20 October 2017 | Doug Weir

To date, debate over the implications of the growing use of armed drones has focusedon human rights, on the expansion of the use of force into new contexts, and on theimbalances created by the newfound ability to project violence at a distance. Read More

Hazardous Legacies: An Open-Source Overview of the Destruction of Deir ez-Zor’s

Oil Industry 20 October 2017 | Wim Zwijnenburg

Now that the so-called Islamic State (IS) is rapidly losing terrain in eastern Syria, a raceis underway to capture the oil-rich Deir ez-Zor governorate. The Syrian Arab Army(SAA) and militias loyal to the Syrian government, under cover of the Russian airstrikes,rush towards the fields east of the... Read More

Could Oil Bring the World to Finally Support the Kurds? 17 October 2017 | Ellen R. Wald

One month after the KRG voted in favor of a referendum to seek independence fromIraq, Baghdad finally responded. In the early morning hours of October 16, Iraqi forcesengaged Kurdish troops in Taza Khurmatu, a city just south of Kirkuk. All evidencepoints to Iraqi and Iranian forces focusing their... Read More

The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Assisting Victims and Remediating the

Environment 17 October 2017 | Elizabeth Minor

In a remarkable achievement this summer, States concluded negotiations on the Treatyon the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Having opened for signature inSeptember, the TPNW will be a key topic for States at the UN General Assembly’s FirstCommittee in the coming weeks. Read More

Indigenous Resistance: My Fight for Land and Life in Colombia 16 October 2017 | Angelica Ortiz

My name is Angelica Ortiz. I am a Wayuu woman from the Ipuana clan of the Lomomatoindigenous reserve in La Guajira, Colombia. I am a human rights defender and part of

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the Wayuu Women's Force Movement. I am also a mother. Read More

NATO and Climate Change: The Need for a More Coherent Approach 16 October 2017 | Amar Causevic

Climate change represents a non-traditional threat to international security and thefuture existence of modern civilization. Year after year, drought, fam ine, storms andflooding become increasingly frequent and destructive. Be sides being a non-traditionalthreat, climate change impacts are a threat multi plier, reflecting a worsened ability forfamilies to provide for... Read More

On Trump, Afghanistan, and the Plunder Doctrine 16 October 2017 | Kate Harveston

Plunder. It’s a word typically reserved for the likes of pirates, but it seems somehowappropriate when used next to the name Donald Trump. Perhaps it’s his shoot-from-the-hip style. Trump’s military doctrine could easily be compared to that of manyfictional pirates: Use what you’ve got to get what you want. Read More

About Our Community of Practice

Environmental Peacebuilding is a knowledge platform and global community of practiceon natural resources, conflict, and peace, hosted by the Environmental Law Institute(ELI), UN Environment, McGill University, and the University of Tokyo. The platformunites a global network of researchers, practitioners, and decision makers in sharingexperiences and lessons from managing natural resources in fragile states and conflict-affected settings. The platform also helps people to access new publications on thetopic, conduct new research, and participate in events to support the growth of thefield. As part of our Community of Practice, we bring you biweekly updates on recentdevelopments, 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. Financialsupport for the platform has been provided by the Government of Finland, USAID, andthe European Commission. 

Sharing and Posting Materials

The strength of the knowledge platform depends on submissions and suggestions oncontents from users. To share publications and information on events, jobopportunities, and other announcements, pleasecontact share@environmentalpeacebuilding.org. Please also feel free to share ideas onhow the platform can be further improved to meet your needs.

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

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