Issue #317 – Mar 3, 2026

Announcements

Call for Submissions: Best Student Paper, Fourth International Conference [Deadline: March 15, 2026]

March 3, 2026 | Environmental Peacebuilding Association

The Award for Best Student Paper on Environmental Peacebuilding acknowledges and celebrates meaningful work produced by undergraduate and/or graduate students in the field of environmental peacebuilding.

Draft Agenda for the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding (NOW AVAILABLE)

March 2, 2026 | Environmental Peacebuilding Association and the University of Ottawa

The draft agenda for the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding is now available for review here!

Minorities in Peace and Security Mentoring Programme

February 19, 2026 | Minorities in Peace and Security
Minorities in Peace and Security UK

The MPS Mentorship Programme is a six-month transformative journey designed to support and empower emerging leaders from under-represented and marginalised communities who are committed to advancing peace, security, and social change.

Registration for the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding Is Now Open

February 3, 2026 | Environmental Peacebuilding Association and University of Ottawa

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association® (EnPAx®) and the University of Ottawa are delighted to announce that registration for the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding is now open.

Events

For more upcoming events on environmental peacebuilding, please visit our online calendar of events.

Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding

June 16, 2026 - 2026-06-19 Environmental Peacebuilding Association and University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Canada and online

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association® (EnPAx®) and the University of Ottawa are delighted to announce that the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding will be held on June 16-19, 2026.

Collaborating for Change: Research and Action on the Environmental Impacts of Conflict in Africa (A Path to Ottawa Event)

March 26, 2026 - 2026-03-27 Armed Conflict and Environment Research Program and Environmental Peacebuilding Association
Canterbury, UK and online

Although Africa is the continent most affected by armed conflict globally, there remains a significant gap in research examining the environmental consequences of warfare across the region.

Leaving No One Behind: Climate Action in Contested Spaces (A Path to Ottawa Event)

March 25, 2026 Centre on Armed Groups
online

The event will present the findings of novel research the Centre on Armed Groups is undertaking on the environmental governance practices of non-state armed groups, their perceptions of climate risk, and what works…

A Close Look at the OTP-ICC Policy on Environmental Damage (A Path to Ottawa Event)

March 24, 2026 Environmental Peacebuilding Association, EnPAx Transitional Justice Interest Group
online

Environmental damage in conflict and post conflict societies, and its subsequent impacts on both ecosystems and the peoples’ human rights, has increasingly become a point of concern for practitioners from diverse fields.

Sulh for the Soil: Integrating Islamic Peacemaking and Environmental Justice in Family Dispute Resolution (A Path to Ottawa Event)

March 23, 2026 Sulha Solutions
online

How can culturally grounded conciliation resolve land disputes that have lasted not just decades—but generations?

Focus Group: Urban Environmental Peacebuilding (A Path to Ottawa Event)

March 18, 2026 Environmental Peacebuilding Association, EnPAx Urban Interest Group
online

This event consists of two parts: a presentation of a review study on urban environmental peacebuilding and a focus group conversation.

Pragmatic Peacebuilding for Climate Change in Cities (A Path to Ottawa Event)

March 11, 2026 Environmental Peacebuilding Association, EnPAx Urban Interest Group
online

This session aims to explore how conflict‑sensitive approaches, and “pragmatic peacebuilding” can make city adaptation more inclusive, trusted, and effective.

I3SMA Talk: Climate, Security and the Military in San Miguel de Allende

March 10, 2026 Institute for International Studies San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

The Institute for International Studies San Miguel de Allende (I3SMA) presents a lecture by Sherri Goodman, the Pentagon’s first Chief Environmental Officer, on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at 5 p. m.

Forest Conservation: From Conflict to Peace (A Path to Ottawa Event)

March 5, 2026 Environmental Peacebuilding Association, EnPAx Forest Interest Group
online

Forest conservation carries both conflict risks while offers powerful pathways to environmental peacebuilding, where resource conflicts are transformed into opportunities for cooperation.

Library

In the last two weeks, 7 new publications were added to our online library of materials on environmental peacebuilding.

China, Afghanistan, and Critical Minerals: Options for US Strategic Competition Below the Threshold of War

March 3, 2026 | Sean Ryan and Adib Farhadi
Small Wars Journal

Afghanistan remains relevant to the United States in the context of Great Power Competition.

Hidden Hunger: The Gendered Impacts of Food Security and Malnutrition on Women and Girls in the West Bank

March 3, 2026
UN Women and West Bank Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group

The West Bank Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group produced this Gender Matters Bulletin: Hidden Hunger to highlight the gender-specific impacts of the ongoing humanitarian crisis on the food security and nutrition…

Towards Environmental Peacebuilding in Nepal: Understanding Violence, Addressing Conflicts, and Strengthening Governance

March 3, 2026 | Pratiksha Giri, Dipin Subedi, Prasansa Thapa, Prakash Bhattarai, and Pawan Roy
Centre for Social Change

This report explores environmental peacebuilding as a strategy for converting shared environmental challenges into avenues for dialogue, cooperation, and trust among conflicting groups in Nepal.

Agenda for Environmental Peacebuilding in Nepal

March 3, 2026
Centre for Social Change

This ‘Agenda for Environmental Peacebuilding in Nepal’ addresses a critical challenge: environmental degradation, resource-based conflicts, and climate change are threatening not only ecosystems but the social cohesion and peace that hold communities together.

East Consortium: Research on Climate-Sensitive Programming and Social Cohesion in the DRC

March 3, 2026
Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, Concern Worldwide, Danish Refugee Council, and Première Urgence Internationale

The DRC has endured three decades of recurring crises, including armed conflicts, rebellions and community conflicts, leading to increased violence, widespread insecurity and mass displacement of populations.

Environmental Entry Points to Mediation

February 24, 2026 | Simon Mason, Sebastian Kratzer, and Edward Jackson
Center for Security Studies and ETH Zürich

The environmental peacebuilding field often advances the assumption that environmental issues present good entry points for dialogue, mediation, and peace. It is, however, often that straightforward.

Ungoverned Space and Regional Spillover, Rethinking Afghanistan’s Borders

February 23, 2026 | Sahibzada Usman
Modern Diplomacy

The Afghanistan crisis is generally spoken of as a crisis of the hour in terms of the Taliban, outside power intervention, or an unsuccessful election season.

L'adaptation au changement climatique : Vers une transformation structurelle du secteur de l'aide internationale

February 19, 2026 | Jérôme Faucet
Groupe URD

If current trends continue, the world is on course for a temperature increase of almost +2.

International News

In the last two weeks, 30 international news items on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website. The following is a sampling:

Iran: Three Days of Operation Epic Fury: A Rapid Overview of Environmental Harm in Iran and the Region

March 2, 2026 | Iryna Babanina, Eoghan Darbyshire, Rebekah Harries, Leon Moreland, Linas Svolkinas, and Jonathan Walsh
Conflict and Environment Observatory

A rapid overview of emerging environmental issues and risks in Iran and the wider region from Operation Epic Fury.

Conflict Minerals: Who Controls the 21st Century? The Critical Minerals Power Map Reveals a Dangerous Western Vulnerability

March 1, 2026
Rare Earth Exchanges

If oil defined the 20th century, critical minerals define the 21st. The difference is structural: oil markets eventually diversified across continents and companies.

Mali: From Conflict to Collaboration: How Local Conventions Are Transforming Natural Resource Management and Supporting Peace in Central Mali

February 25, 2026 | Baba Ba
Peace News Network

Preventing and resolving conflicts over land and natural resources has become one of the major global challenges for peace, stability, and security in the Sahel, where pressure on resources has been intensifying for…

Climate Security: Workshop on Strengthening Climate Security and Peacebuilding Capacities in Central Asia and Afghanistan

February 24, 2026
United Nations Climate Security Mechanism

The workshop was organized by the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), on behalf of the Climate Security Mechanism (CSM), and the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), in cooperation with the…

Ukraine/Russia: The Russia-Ukraine War and Global Food Security: Impacts Four Years Later

February 24, 2026 | Caitlin Welsh, Emma Curtis, Joseph Glauber, Antonina Broyaka, and Vitalii Dankevych
Center for Strategic & International Studies

The immediate impacts of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Ukraine’s agriculture sector were abrupt and widespread.

Water: Thirsty Planet, New Solutions: Three Lessons in Water Security

February 24, 2026 | Daniel Myers
Geopolitcal Monitor

Globally, 2. 2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water, and 3. 5 billion live without basic sanitation.

Somalia: WFP Warns of Catastrophic Shortfalls in Somalia with Millions at Risk of Deepening Hunger Crisis

February 20, 2026
World Food Programme

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is sounding the alarm that its life‑saving emergency food and nutrition assistance in Somalia is at imminent risk of grinding to a halt without new immediate…

Iraq: How Oil-Dependent Iraq Can No Longer Pay the Bills

February 20, 2026 | Sinan Mahmoud
National

Between falling oil prices, bloated public spending and desperate government measures seeking to remedy the situation, Iraq’s officials and citizens fear the nation is heading towards complete economic collapse.

Colombia: From Conflict Zones to Green Exports: Colombia’s Cocoa Sector Embraces Sustainable Trade

February 20, 2026
CoE-EDP, VisionRI

Colombia’s cocoa sector is using agroforestry, traceability and certification to align peacebuilding and rural development with rising global sustainability demands, especially from export markets.

Climate Security: New Report Suggests Climate Adaptation Is a Security Imperative for Africa

February 19, 2026
Pan African Visions

More frequent droughts, floods, and prolonged water stress are intensifying patterns of instability and conflict across the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, underscoring serious implications for international peace and security.

Liberia: Digital Mapping Key to Urbanization

February 17, 2026 | Ishmael F. Menkor
Observer

Geospatial experts in Liberia are urging the government to prioritize digital mapping as a key tool for urban development, saying the technology could transform city planning, infrastructure management, and investor confidence across the…

Blogs & Opinion

In the last two weeks, 18 blogs & opinion pieces on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website. Here is a sampling:

Nature, Peace and Security: Too Important to Leave to Governments

March 2, 2026 | Doug Weir

The message is clear, the UK’s spooks have consulted with experts and concluded that global biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are a serious threat to UK national security.

The New Age of Resource Competition Needs Transparency

February 27, 2026 | Helen Clark and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

As countries scramble to secure the minerals needed for clean energy, digital technologies, AI, and defense industries, the new era of resource competition implies both great promise and grave peril.

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association: Year in Review and What’s Ahead

February 25, 2026 | Karishma Goswami and Madeleine Loll

With a reduction in capacity of bilateral and multilateral institutions and a broader political retreat from environmental protection and peacebuilding, environmental peacebuilding reached a turning point in 2025.

Syria’s Environmental Woes Fueled Its Long Conflict. Left Unaddressed, They Will Do So Again

February 23, 2026 | Peter Schwartzstein

Peter Schwartzstein recently returned to Syria for his first peacetime visit. Unsurprisingly, the country is an awful mess.

Water as a Weapon: The New Frontier of an Old Conflict

February 22, 2026 | Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal

Parallel to the theatre of arms has been the subtler but no less consequential arena of water. The Indus basin is the lifeblood of Pakistan’s agriculture and, by extension, its economy.

The Indus Waters Treaty at Crossroads: Implications for Regional Peace & the Path Forward

February 20, 2026 | Mohammad Ishaq Rahman

The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 stands as one of the most significant achievements in transboundary water cooperation globally.

Pax Sinica vs Pax Silica: How China-US Mineral War Is Taking Shape

February 20, 2026 | Chenjie Song

If 2026 were a chess match, critical minerals would be the opening gambit, and both China and the United States are going all out.

Being There Is Not Enough: The Paradox of Land Restitution in Colombia

February 20, 2026 | María Socorro Granda Abella

Under the current government’s ‘Total Peace’ agenda, this territorial emphasis is invoked across state institutions through dialogue and negotiations with armed groups and criminal organisations, alongside participatory initiatives such as the Consejo de…

Iran’s Water Crisis: A National Security Imperative – Analysis

February 17, 2026 | Scott N. Romaniuk, Erzsébet N. Rózsa, and László Csicsmann

Iran is confronting an unprecedented water crisis.

Climate Security Should Be a Bigger Priority at the Munich Security Conference

February 13, 2026 | Beatrice Mosello

At the Munich Security Conference (MSC) – long a barometer of global security priorities – climate change is of reduced importance this year.

Join the Association

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association® (EnPAx®) is the leading global network that brings together practitioners, researchers, and decision makers working on environment, conflict, and peace. EnPAx includes both individual and institutional members. If you have any questions regarding membership, please contact us at membership@environmentalpeacebuilding.org.

Sharing and Posting Materials

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About Our Community of Practice

Environmental Peacebuilding is a knowledge platform and global community of practice on natural resources, conflict, and peace, hosted by the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. The platform unites a global network of researchers, practitioners, and decision makers in sharing experiences and lessons from managing natural resources in fragile states and conflict-affected settings. The platform also helps people to access new publications on the topic, conduct new research, and participate in events to support the growth of the field. As part of our Community of Practice, we bring you biweekly updates on recent developments, including news about our program as well as links to new publications, upcoming conferences and events, and job openings.

Please visit us at www.environmentalpeacebuilding.org for more information.

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Compiled by Buket Altınçelep, Maria Camilla Cadonici, Karishma Goswami, Amelie L'Henaff, Liz Hessami, Madeleine Loll, Kathleen McLean, Avery Thau, and Milen Yishak
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