Year in Review: Environmental Peacebuilding in 2014

Jan 6, 2015 | ELI, UNEP, McGill University & University of Tokyo

In 2014, there was dramatic growth in the field of environmental peacebuilding.  We are pleased to share with you some highlights from the Environmental Peacebuilding partnership and from the broader field. 

It has been a privilege to work with hundreds of people to grow the field in 2014, and we look forward to a dynamic and exciting 2015.

Carl Bruch, Environmental Law Institute

David Jensen, United Nations Environment Programme

Jon Unruh, McGill University

Mikiyasu Nakayama, University of Tokyo

Accomplishments in 2014

Coordinated by Environmental Law Institute (ELI), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the University of Tokyo, and McGill University—and in partnership with many other institutions—Environmental Peacebuilding has collected, organized, and disseminated information on environmental peacebuilding; fostered dialogue and exchange; published a range of books and briefs; and broadly sought to consolidate the emerging field of environmental peacebuilding. 

Following are a few milestones from 2014:

• The Environmental Peacebuilding Knowledge Platform (www.environmentalpeacebuilding.org) has become the leading global platform on issues related to natural resources, conflict, and peace. It now hosts more than 1,100 publications including books, articles, and teaching curricula from over 120 countries. The Platform includes a curated list of relevant jobs, events, and international news items on natural resources, conflict, and peace that is updated frequently. In 2014, we posted 220 jobs, 126 events, and 1,213 international news items. The Environmental Peacebuilding website had over 15,000 visitors in 2014.

• Our Environmental Peacebuilding Community of Practice has grown rapidly in 2014. With more than 2100 members from more than 75 countries, the Community of Practice is enabling researchers, practitioners, and decision makers to share experiences and lessons; network; and learn about news, events, jobs, and other related opportunities.

• In January 2014, we inaugurated the Environmental Peacebuilding Update, our biweekly email newsletter on recent developments relating to natural resources, conflict, and peace, including links to new publications, international news, upcoming conferences and events, and job openings. Today marks the publication of the 26^th issue of the Update.

• The Environmental Peacebuilding Knowledge Platform adopted a new logo in November 2014, providing a visual identity for the initiative that will be used online and in print. The final logo design was chosen after a public logo design contest that received original submissions from around the world.

• In February 2014 we celebrated the publication of Water and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, the fourth in a series of books produced by ELI, UNEP, McGill University, and the University of Tokyo. The series will ultimately include 150 case studies and analyses from 60 conflict-affected countries, 77 of which are now available online.  In 2014, we also finalized Livelihoods, Natural Resources, and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding and made substantial progress on Governance, Natural Resources, and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, both of which will be published in the first half of 2015.

• We improved the functionality of the Environmental Peacebuilding website throughout 2014. We developed a new advanced search function and library browsing interface to help visitors find resources more easily, and added categories that allow users to view publications by topic. We also added foreign-language resources in French and Spanish.

• In September 2014 we launched the Environmental Peacebuilding Academy, an educational partnership initiative that engages professors and educators in cultivating the next generation of environmental peacebuilding practitioners, researchers, and decision makers. The Academy has grown to include 24 members.

• We published two new Policy Briefs in 2014: “Water and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding” and “Natural Resource Programming in Post-Conflict Situations.”

• We launched the Environmental Peacebuilding Perspectives series, which offers original viewpoints from leading thinkers in the field. The first Perspectives brief, from Michael Ross, is “Natural Resources and Conflict: A Glimpse Into the Future?”

• We continued to recognize leading thinkers in the field with the Second Annual Al-Moumin Distinguished Lecture on Environmental Peacebuilding, which featured Professor Jon Barnett of Melbourne University speaking on climate change and security. The event is held each year in partnership with the School of International Service at American University.

Favorites of 2014

With more than 2,000 news stories, books, articles, movies, and other items, there were many notable stories and publications in 2014.  Here are some of 2014’s most popular items on the Environmental Peacebuilding Knowledge Platform, as well as some editors’ picks:

Top 3 sources of news stories on environmental peacebuilding in 2014

(1)   Iraq

(2)   Myanmar

(3)   South Sudan

Top 3 downloaded chapters from the Environmental Peacebuilding book series in 2014

(1)   Land Conflicts and Land Registration in Cambodia, Manami Sekiguchi and Naomi Hatsukano

(2)   Diamonds in War, Diamonds for Peace: Diamond Sector Management and Kimberlite Mining in Sierra Leone, Kazumi Kawamoto

(3)   Beyond Land Redistribution: Lessons Learned from El Salvador’s Unfulfilled Agrarian Revolution, Alexandre Corriveau-Bourque

Editors Picks (10 selections from hundreds of noteworthy publications in 2014)

• Oil Sparks in the Amazon: Local Conflicts, Indigenous Populations, and Natural Resources, Patricia Vasquez

• Water and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, Erika Weinthal, Jessica Troell, and Mikiyasu Nakayama (eds.)

• High-Value Natural Resources: Linking Wildlife Conservation to International Conflict, Insecurity, and Development Concerns, Leo Douglas and Kelvin Alie

• Peace Ecology, Randall Amster

• Topic Guide: Conflict, Climate and Environment, Katie Peters and Janani Vivekananda

• Do Natural Resources Matter for Interstate and Intrastate Armed Conflict?, Vally Koubi, Gabriele Spilker, Tobias Böhmelt, and Thomas Bernauer

• From Fragility to Resilience: Managing Natural Resources in Fragile States in Africa (Summary Report), African Development Bank

• Green Planet Blues: Critical Perspectives on Global Environmental Politics, Ken Conca and Geoffrey D. Dabelko (eds.)

• The Rise of Hydro-Diplomacy, Benjamin Pohl et al.

• Confronting the Curse: The Economics and Geopolitics of Natural Resource Governance, Peterson Institute for International Economics