Protecting the Environment Is Protecting Civilians: The Humanitarian Dimensions of the Environment, Peace and Security Agenda

May 26, 2021 | UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, Environmental Peacebuilding Association, and PAX
online
View Original

Please save the date for an upcoming PoC Week virtual side event co-hosted by the Governments of Belgium, Costa Rica, Niger, Switzerland, and Viet Nam, in partnership with the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, the Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx), and PAX.

In 2021, civilians living in conflict-zones have continued to see the detrimental impacts of conflict-related environmental damage and an increased vulnerability to climate and environmental health risks as violence wreaks havoc on governance and mitigation infrastructure. Direct and indirect impacts of military activities on critical environmental infrastructure have had deadly and potentially long-term effects on civilian lives and livelihoods, including contributing to food and water insecurity; exposure to toxic hazards from damaged industrial sites and/or remnants of war; and the destruction of necessary public health infrastructure; among others. Resulting breakdowns in civilian access to safe water supply, waste disposal, and pollution control services have further limited capabilities to protect human health and stem the spread of communicable diseases like COVID-19 in conflict-affected communities. Furthermore, as fighting has increasingly taken place in urban areas in recent years, the risk and magnitude of civilian exposure to environmental harm from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas has also increased. 

The event will feature a panel and Q&A session moderated by Dr. Erika Weinthal, Vice President of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association and Professor of Environmental and Public Policy at Duke University, and will include presentations from:

  • Ms. Johana Bretou-Klein, Researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Mr. Dominick de Waal, Senior Economist at the World Bank
  • Mr. Chris Harland, Deputy Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross Delegation in New York
  • Mr. Wim Zwijnenburg, Conflict and Environment Project Leader at PAX

Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Time: 1:00-2:30pm EST

Register here by May 25th by 5pm EST!