Environmental Peacebuilding: 2018 in Review

Jan 1, 2019

2018 saw many practical, conceptual, and institutional developments in environmental peacebuilding. We are pleased to share with you some highlights from the year.

Accomplishments in 2018

2018 was a momentous year in many ways.  The International Law Commission continued its work on international law protecting the environment in relation to armed conflict, and the UN Security Council continued its targeted engagement on the linkages between environment and security. Scholarship and news coverage was robust.  And the launch of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association provides an institutional home for many of the ad hoc and informal initiatives to consolidate the field of environmental peacebuilding.

Here are a few milestones from 2018:

  • The big development in 2018 was the launch and growth of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. The Association was formally launched April 22, 2018 to support the consolidation of environmental peacebuilding as a field by: fostering knowledge development and exchange; building capacity and awareness; and strengthening relationships between scholars, practitioners, and decisionmakers working on issues related to environment, conflict, and peace. By the end of the year, there were more than 220 individual embers from 50 countries on 6 continents, and 10 institutional members of the Association. The membership composition is 80% professional and 20% student. The Association designated the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) as the Secretariat, and the Association now provides an enduring institutional home for many of the activities that ELI and UN Environment had been undertaking informally, including the maintenance and growth of the Environmental Peacebuilding Knowledge Platform, the Environmental Peacebuilding Community of Practice, the production of the biweekly Environmental Peacebuilding Update, and social media outreach. By the end of 2018, the Association had established four Interest Groups (on Water, Law, Disasters & Resilience, and Monitoring & Evaluation), and was exploring other Interest Groups.
  • The Environmental Peacebuilding Knowledge Platform (www.environmentalpeacebuilding.org/), the leading global platform on issues related to natural resources, conflict, and peacebuilding, continues to grow. This year, we added 649 Library items, 63 Announcements, 85 Events, 344 jobs, 999 International News articles, and 171 Blogs & Opinion pieces. At the end of 2018, we have almost 3,600 Library items.
  • The Environmental Peacebuilding Community of Practice added 402 members this year. The Community is now almost 3,400 people strong, with members from 101 countries.
  • This year we celebrated five years of publishing the Environmental Peacebuilding Update, our biweekly e-newsletter highlighting recent developments relating to natural resources, conflict, and peace, with links to new publications, international news, upcoming conferences and events, and job openings. Today marks the publication of the 130th issue.
  • Our presence on social media has continued to grow. This year, we posted 516 Tweets that generated over 242,000 impressions. A growing number of people follow @EnvPeacebuild on Twitter, increasing to more than 1,550 at the end of 2018 (a one-year increase of approximately 40%). The Environmental Peacebuilding Facebook page has continued to gain popularity, with almost 850 likes. Finally, the Environmental Peacebuilding LinkedIn group grew by more than 80% over the past year, now totaling 915 members.
  • Under the leadership of Dr. Marja Lehto, the Special Rapporteur on Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflict, the International Law Commission (ILC) continued its consideration of the topic, including its ongoing development of draft principles.
  • On January 30, 2018, the fifth Al-Moumin Award on Environmental Peacebuilding was presented to Dr. Ken Conca and Dr. Geoff Dabelko, who, fifteen years ago, published Environmental Peacemaking, a rejoinder to grim scenarios foreseeing environmental change as a driver of conflict, emphasizing the cooperative and peacebuilding potential of shared interest in the environment. Their Distinguished Lecture reflected on the evolution of environmental peacebuilding research and their long-term engagement with policymakers and practitioners applying these insights around the world. The annual Al-Moumin Award and Lecture recognizes leading thinkers who are shaping the field of environmental peacebuilding and is hosted by ELI, UN Environment, the School of International Service at American University, and the Environmental Peacebuilding Association.
  • The Association held its first webinars to foster discussion and learning on specific topics related to environment, conflict, and peace. The first two webinars were “Assessing Impact: Monitoring & Evaluation for Environmental Peacebuilding” and “Afghanistan: Water, Neighbors, and Conflict.”  More are planned for 2019.
  • The first running of a massive open online course (MOOC) on Environmental Security and Sustaining Peace attracted 10,000 people from 170 countries.  The 10-week MOOC was developed by UN Environment, ELI, UC-Irvine, Columbia University, and Duke University, in partnership with the nascent Environmental Peacebuilding Association. The MOOC will run a second time, starting February 10, 2019. More information is available at https://epmooc.org.
  • The Association started planning for the First International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding, which will be held October 23-25, 2019, at the University of California, Irvine.  The biennial conference brings together Association members and the international community more broadly to share experiences, learn from one another, and strengthen the bonds within the community. The first conference has two special themes: (1) technology and innovation in environmental peacebuilding, and (2) environmental peacebuilding in Colombia. The conference will also cover other important topics related to environmental conflict and peacebuilding.

Favorites of 2018

With over 3,500 Library items and over 5,200 International News items on the Environmental Peacebuilding Knowledge Platform, there is a lot to read. Here are some of the year’s most popular items and editor’s picks from 2018:

Most Popular Library Items Posted in 2018

Following are the five most frequently viewed publications posted in 2018:

Editors’ Picks

In 2018, 649 publications, videos, and other items were added to the online Library.  Here are 10 selected noteworthy publications:

Top News Stories on Environmental Peacebuilding in 2018

2018 was a busy year for environmental peacebuilding. Of the 999 news articles posted on the Knowledge Platform in 2018, here is a selection of the most striking and important stories from 2018:

  • Climate change, displacement, and conflict, especially in Syria and the Sahel, but with increasing concern about the potential in other regions of the world
  • Due diligence regulations and practice for conflict minerals, including new EU regulations and continuing corporate practice following rollback of protections under U.S. regulations
  • DRC new mining code that seeks to secure a greater share of mining revenues for the government
  • Development of blockchain technology to combat conflict resources
  • Colombia’s innovations and challenges managing natural resources after conflict (including, for example, increasing deforestation and illegal mining)
  • Security Council recognizes climate change as destabilizing factor in Somalia, and engages in other environment-related security dialogues
  • Afghanistan diversifying agricultural economy away from poppy cultivation (such as pistachio, saffron, hanging gardens) and strengthening women’s livelihoods
  • Droughts in Afghanistan
  • Liberia passes landmark law to secure ancestral land rights
  • Tensions over resource-rich territory in the South China Sea

Most Downloaded Chapters from the Post-Conflict Peacebuilding and Natural Resource Management Book Series in 2018

Following are chapters of the six-volume series on Post-Conflict Peacebuilding and Natural Resource Management (2012-2016) that were the most frequently downloaded:

As we look to 2019, we appreciate the support we receive from the Environmental Peacebuilding Community of Practice.  Please keep sharing your publications, job opportunities, and other news!