Blogs & Opinions
Chinese Delegation Blows up at Anti-Conflict Diamond Meeting to Sideline Taiwan
May 2, 2017
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Robbie Gramer
Australia kick-started an international meeting on conflict diamonds, the Kimberly Process, on Monday with an indigenous-themed welcome ceremony. It was supposed to be a nice…
Manufacturers Win if Conflict Minerals Requirements Are Axed – But That’s Not Likely
May 2, 2017
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Jennifer Hermes
Manufacturers stand to win if the current administration succeeds in its efforts to all but repeal The Dodd-Frank Act, which the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)…
GAO Issues Annual Report Showing Only Slight Progress in Disclosures on Conflict Minerals
May 2, 2017
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Cydney Posner
The GAO has recently issued its third annual report on conflict minerals. The GAO is required by Dodd-Frank to report annually on the effectiveness of the SEC’s…
The European Conflict Minerals Regulation – What Are the Key Take away Points?
Apr 28, 2017
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Paul Davies and Michael Green
The European Conflict Minerals Regulation (the Regulation) was approved by the European Council on 3 April, 2017. Publication in the Official Journal of the European…
De-Securitising the Indus
Apr 27, 2017
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D. Suba Chandran
During recent years, water-sharing arrangements between and within countries in South Asia have been rife with multiple problems. Some of these have even led to…
National Monitoring and Review of the Sustainable Development Goals and Development Justice
Apr 25, 2017
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ADWID
Since 2012, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) has been advocating for a transformative development framework that addresses the structural causes of…
The Water Mirage - Understanding Crisis Narratives around Water
Apr 21, 2017
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Charlotte Grech-Madin
Given the existential value of water for all, it is perhaps unsurprising that water is embedded in discourses of security and crisis. The field of…
Natural Resource Reform at Home – Not Walls – Will Stem the Tide of Migrants
Apr 21, 2017
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Michael Jenkins and Emily E. Harwell
The answer to stemming the flow of migrants from troubled countries is not concrete walls and stricter laws – as British Prime Minister Theresa May…
An Iconic River in Conflict: A Photo Journey along the Salween River
Apr 20, 2017
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International Rivers
The Salween River holds a unique place among the world’s great rivers, not only due to its vibrant ecosystem and the rich biodiversity that it…
Why is Coca Production on the Rise in Colombia?
Apr 19, 2017
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Ross Eventon
In early March 2017, the United States government and the United Nations announced large increases in the amount of coca being cultivated in Colombia. Speaking at the…
Violence and Water Scarcity Threaten Historic Quadruple Famine
Apr 19, 2017
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Erica Martin and Sara Merken
An international food crisis is currently unfolding on a scale not seen since World War II. More than 20 million people in Somalia, Nigeria, South…
Only Transparency Can Prevent Conflict Minerals from Harming People and Wildlife
Apr 18, 2017
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John Calvelli
There is beauty in the biodiverse wildlife that calls DRC home, including chimpanzees, okapi, and the critically endangered Grauer’s gorilla. And there is beauty in…
How Humans Have Fought over—and Weaponized—Water
Apr 18, 2017
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Kelsey Atherton
A timeline of all the reasons we've gone to battle over the H2O. Whether we're poisoning, drowning, or dehydrating our enemies into submission, we humans…
HotSpots H2O, April 18: Water and Sanitation Crises Jeopardize Health of Damascus Citizens
Apr 18, 2017
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Kayla Cragg
Water shortages and sewage system failures are compromising the health of millions in Damascus, Syria. According to the UNICEF Representative in Syria, Hanaa Singer, “In Syria, water…
China is Playing Peacemaker in Myanmar, but with an Ulterior Motive
Apr 18, 2017
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Doug Bock Clark and Corey Pattison
In early March, Myanmar’s government sat down with a coalition of ethnic rebel groups, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), trying to jump-start peace negotiations…
Enough Project Responds with Serious Concerns about SEC Statements on Conflict Minerals
Apr 12, 2017
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Enough Project
The Enough Project takes serious issue with recent statements by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Acting Chairman Michael Piwowar and the SEC Division of Corporate Finance regarding the…
Water and the Rise of Insurgencies in the “Arc of Instability”
Apr 12, 2017
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Azua (Zizhan) Luo
Water scarcity has contributed to an “arc of instability” characterized by conflict and displacement that stretches from West Africa to the Middle East, said a…
Reprehensible SEC Decision on Conflict Minerals Rule Undermines Global Efforts to Source Minerals Responsibly
Apr 11, 2017
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Global Witness
According to Global Witness, SEC Acting Chairman Michael Piwowar and the SEC Division of Corporation Finance’s recent actions questioning enforcement of an important aspect of…
Conflict Minerals Report No Longer Required? Wait — Not So Fast
Apr 10, 2017
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Dynda A. Thomas
Those hoping for updated SEC guidance that would relieve or reduce companies’ conflict minerals diligence and disclosure obligations for calendar year 2016 got only a…
Ending Wildlife Trafficking Will Help The Fight against Terrorism
Apr 8, 2017
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Emma O’Malley
Illegal wildlife trafficking is one of the lowest profile illegal activities, but is in fact the fourth-largest transnational crime in the world, averaging between $7.8-10 billion in sales…
Why IR Needs the Environment and the Environment Needs IR
Apr 7, 2017
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Jessica F. Green and Thomas N. Hale
The state of the global environment is terrible—and deteriorating. The globalization of industrial production and the consumptive habits of 7 billion people have created the…
Colombia's Fracking Boom Risks Deepening Environmental Conflicts
Apr 7, 2017
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Sebastian Ordoñez Muñoz
A multinational fracking boom has begun in Colombia. New concessions threaten the water supply to the capital city of Bogota.
Information from Colombia’s National Hydrocarbons Agency shows…
How Advocacy Gave Trump Ammunition on Conflict-Free Minerals
Apr 6, 2017
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Emmanuel Freudenthal
US President Donald Trump has signalled his intention to suspend the world’s first conflict-free minerals law, much to the consternation of advocacy groups and others…
"Disaster Foretold" Leaves Hundreds Dead in Colombia, Many of Them Kids
Apr 6, 2017
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Associated Press
People were caught off guard when a devastating flash flood surged through a small city in southern Colombia, but not everyone was surprised. Government agencies, land use…
Successful Colombian Rainforest Project Exposes Problems with Carbon Emissions Trading
Apr 6, 2017
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Bart Crezee
The Chocó-Darién Conservation Corridor, as the community’s REDD+ project is called, is the first REDD+ project to be certified in Colombia. In 2012 it was…
Repeal and Replacement of Conflict Minerals Rule 1502 Undermines Peace and Stability in the Congo
Apr 4, 2017
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Lauren Compere
The cell phone in your pocket or laptop you may be reading this on could contain minerals used to fund militia groups and war in…
A Survey of the “War on Wildlife”: How Conflict Affects Conservation
Apr 3, 2017
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Bethany N. Bella
Over the last 60 years, more than two-thirds of the world’s remaining biodiversity hotspots have experienced armed conflict. The effects have been myriad, from destruction as a…
State Department Ventures into Conflict Minerals
Mar 29, 2017
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Cydney S. Posner
Bloomberg BNA is reporting that the State Department has launched a new review of “how best to support responsible sourcing of conflict minerals,” which will continue…
Climate Change is a Security Threat
Mar 27, 2017
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Melanne Verveer
Climate change is a security threat and a vulnerability multiplier. It affects human security, food security, water security, energy security—and women’s security.
The security threat starts…
Myanmar Must Avoid Resource Curse
Mar 27, 2017
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Chan Mya Htwe
It is high time that Myanmar escape from overdependence on natural resource income, analysts have said.
“In the long run, Myanmar must escape from resource dependency. …