Natural Resources and Conflict: A Guide for Mediation Practitioners

Feb 19, 2015 | DPA and UNEP
New York, New York

Launch of the Department of of Political Affairs (DPA) and the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) joint guide on Natural Resources Conflict: A Guide to Practitioners offers practical advice, drawing from decades of experience, on the mediation of natural resource conflicts.

The guide aims to inform mediators and stakeholders addressing conflicts over natural resources — whether those disagreements are violent, have the potential to turn violent, or are part of a larger political struggle, including within a peace process. It draws on the field experiences of mediators and mediation experts. It also features lessons learned from UNEP's work on environmental diplomacy in different conflict affected countries, with a particular focus on how to use impartial technical knowledge to equalize stakeholder information in a mediation process. Helping to identify paths towards resolution through mediation and third-party involvement, the Guide can be applied for localized and transboundary conflicts, as well as natural resource disputes that arise in the context of broader peace negotiations. 

Please contact David Jensen, david.jensen@unep.org, for more information or to RSVP.