Ousseyni Kalilou

Co-chair of Forest Interest Group
Environmental Peacebuilding Association
United States

Feb 23, 2021

Ousseyni Kalilou is an environmental peacebuilding practitioner based in North Carolina. His work focuses on the opportunities for environmental peacebuilding in forested regions, specifically looking at the ways that the environment affects social dynamics and livelihoods and vice versa. Originally from Niger, Ousseyni earned a Master of Science in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance from New York University, a Master of Business Administration in International Business from Strayer University, and a Master of Public Administration from the National School of Administration in Algeria. He has held positions as a Student Ambassador at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs and as a Partner Scientist with the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy. In 2019, he received the Environmental Peacebuilding Award for Best Student Research Paper at the First International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding.

Ousseyni’s recent work has focused on the environmental peacebuilding potential of gum arabic in the Sahel region, a semi-arid region of Africa south of the Sahara. In particular, he has looked at how the production of gum arabic from the acacia tree supports climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience while also tackling the root causes of violent conflicts. His research shows how sustainable management of gum arabic production can provide opportunities to improve the environmental security, to promote economic growth and social cohesion and to address poverty, poor natural resource governance, and other known drivers of violent conflict. His work highlights the ways that climate mitigation and adaptation strategies can go hand in hand with social and economic development and provide an important contribution to the evidence base for environmental peacebuilding. His peer-reviewed article, “Climate change and conflict in the Sahel: the acacia gum tree as a tool for environmental peacebuilding”, has just been published in the January 2021 special issue of International Affairs. He has also written for the New Security Beat, including “How Gum Acacia Trees Could Help Build Peace in the Sahel”, and a co-authored post, “Pan-African Response to COVID-19: New Forms of Environmental Peacebuilding.” In his role as a partner scientist with the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy, Ousseyni is working with the United Nations Security Council on a report and ongoing book project on climate security, in which he is focusing on the case study of Niger.

When asked about the impact of COVID on environmental peacebuilding, Ousseyni noted the ways that COVID has helped democratize knowledge for academics and practitioners. In particular, he observed that the move to digital meetings, events, and talks has allowed him and others to attend and participate actively in more opportunities around the world. Ousseyni expressed optimism that sustaining this open access can strengthen the field of environmental peacebuilding as more people gain access to knowledge-sharing opportunities and add their voices to the global dialogue. 

For Ousseyni, environmental peacebuilding is more than just a practical and academic approach; it is deeply personal. He explains, “Writing about the Sahel through the lens of environmental peacebuilding helped me understand the connections between environment, conflict, and cooperation that I had seen throughout my various experiences. Environmental peacebuilding has helped reshape my purpose.” He also notes that the Environmental Peacebuilding Association has opened doors for him and allowed him to form connections with professionals, practitioners, and scholars who share his interests. Ousseyni has been very involved with the Association, especially in his role as Co-Chair of the Forest Interest Group and a co-founder of the Africa Interest Group. He is enthusiastic about his work on promoting collaborations with other interest groups and practitioners and participating actively in building the Association through events and interest groups.