Description

This UNEP report, which has been co-signed by Jane Holl Lute, Assistant Secretary General for Peacebuilding Support, addresses the critical role that natural resources and the environment can play in all aspects of the conflict cycle, from contributing to the outbreak and perpetuation of violence to supporting lasting peace and development in post-conflict societies.

Environmental factors are rarely, if ever, the sole cause of conflict. Yet the report finds that natural resources fueled at least eighteen violent conflicts since 1990, and were linked to at least forty percent of all intrastate conflicts over the last sixty years. Furthermore, conflicts with links to natural resources are twice as likely to relapse within the first five years of peace. Unfortunately, less than 25 percent of peace agreements designed to end resource-linked conflicts address these issues, leading to the risk of renewed tension and conflict relapse.

The study also shows that conflicts cause direct and indirect environmental damages that threaten people’s health, livelihoods and security. On the other hand, environmental cooperation and the shared management of natural resources can provide a unique platform for dialogue, confidence-building and reconciliation within or between conflict-affected countries and communities.

The report concludes that greater attention must be paid to natural resource management in all aspects of UN operations, from conflict prevention to peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. Investing in environmental management and the governance of natural resources should be a priority in post-conflict countries and fragile states that rely on natural resources for economic development and livelihoods. The paper provides six main recommendations on how this can be accomplished.