Members Urge States and the IUCN to Address Conflicts and Biodiversity

Mar 31, 2020 | Stavros Pantazopoulos
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The topic of the protection of the environment in relation armed conflicts (PERAC) is increasingly attracting the attention of the international community. The UN Environment Assembly adopted resolutions on the ‘Protection of the environment in areas affected by armed conflict’ in 2016, and on ‘Pollution mitigation and control in areas affected by armed conflict or terrorism’ in 2017. The UN Security Council held a second Arria-formula meeting in December 2019 on the environmental impact of conflicts, while the International Committee of the Red Cross is expected to issue its revised military guidelines on PERAC this year. And of course, the UN International Law Commission (ILC) adopted, on first reading, 28 legal draft principles (DPs) on PERAC last year, which will be finalised in 2021.