Now Accepting Submissions in English, French, and Spanish! Call for Abstracts: Third International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding [Deadline: October 2, 2023]

Sep 18, 2023 | Environmental Peacebuilding Association
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LATEST UPDATE: We are now accepting abstract submissions in English, French, and Spanish. Please note that the working language of the Conference is English. We hope to be able to provide simultaneous interpretation (English-Spanish-French) for a number of sessions.  

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association® (EnPAx®) and the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies at Leiden University are pleased to announce the call for abstracts for the Third International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding. The partners invite abstracts for proposed presentations, panels, roundtables, workshopping sessions, and posters to be presented at the conference. The in-person conference will be held at Leiden University in The Hague, Netherlands, from June 19-21, 2024.

The deadline for priority consideration of abstracts submissions is October 2, 2023. Abstracts submitted after the priority date will be considered pending space in the agenda.

The Third Conference will feature 5 themes key to environmental peacebuilding as well as a 6^th Open theme:

• Climate Change: Climate change is a potential threat multiplier and conflict accelerant; it also presents opportunities for cooperation. Abstracts on this theme may address, for example, analysis of climate-conflict linkages; climate-induced migration and displacement, including the criminalization of climate migrants; climate change financing for fragile and conflict-affected situations; promoting just energy transitions and sustainable development goals; critical minerals and the “green resource curse”; extractives and conflict; climate-security nexus, including decarbonization of defense; Indigenous responses to climate change; the impact of climate change on women’s responsibilities and opportunities; and climate change, conflict, and food security.
• Water: Water is a basic human need, and the provision of safe water is among the highest priorities during post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding. Notwithstanding predictions of “water wars,” shared waters have proved to be the natural resource with the greatest potential for interstate cooperation and local confidence building. This theme examines water challenges and opportunities at the center of the nexus of peace, development, and humanitarian aid. Abstracts for this theme may explore, for example, water cooperation and confidence building, including around water quality and pollution; water as a weapon of war; women in water diplomacy; Indigenous water rights and management approaches; water issues in arid and semi-arid geographies; peacebuilding approaches to watershed management; and water security. 
• Peace, Justice, and Accountability: Peace, justice, and accountability are central to environmental peacebuilding. This theme focuses on the ways in which individuals, organizations, and states actors can be held accountable for environmental wartime harm; it also examines ways that marginalized populations have been disproportionately impacted by the environment-conflict nexus. Abstracts on this theme may, for example, examine the linkages of extractives, human rights, and conflict; accountability of non-state actors, such as armed groups and the private sector; legal protection of women’s rights to natural resources; Indigenous approaches to decision-making and accountability; critical analysis; the role of courts, tribunals and informal mechanisms, including transitional justice mechanisms, in promoting accountability; the role of fact-finding bodies in establishing evidence; and peaceful settlement of disputes over natural resources. 
• Natural Resources and Conservation: Natural resources and conservation can be substantial drivers and accelerators of conflict; they also play a critical role in shaping environmental peacebuilding trajectories. Abstracts on this theme may, for example, address critical raw material partnerships; environmental and human rights defenders; park rangers; protected areas, including peace parks; Arctic resources as a new arena for resource extraction and trade; gendered roles in natural resource management and conflict resolution; critical analyses; the roles of Indigenous Peoples and practices; and “Harmony with Nature” approaches as tools for environmental peacebuilding. 
• Data and Digital Technologies: Digital technologies—including big data—offer great potential for resilience planning, conflict and disaster early warning, conflict monitoring, negotiation and mediation, cooperative resource management, land use planning, and much more; at the same time, there are risks to privacy, accountability, accessibility, disinformation, data misuse, and other ethical dilemmas that must be managed. Under this theme, we encourage abstracts that explore issues and opportunities posed by big data and frontier technologies. These include, for example, accessibility of frontier technologies; community-based mapping; remote sensing; gendered participatory resource mapping; Indigenous Peoples and local spatial knowledge; water sensors; decision-making based on big data; and mapping of resources. 
• Open: Abstracts on other topics at the intersection of environment, conflict, and peace are also encouraged. Abstracts on this theme may include, for example, topics related to poly-crises and cascading disasters; weapons (e.g., chemical weapons, land mines, etc.); youth; and conflict reduction and conflict prevention.

NEW TO THE THIRD CONFERENCE!  We invite submissions for collaborative feedback sessions where people can present an issue they would like to think through, and solicit, through a facilitated discussion, feedback from a range of researchers, practitioners, decision-makers.

Submission Guidelines

WHAT TO PROPOSE

We invite abstracts for presentations/papers, panels, roundtable discussions, posters, workshopping sessions, and other contributions from practitioners, researchers, activists, students, journalists, and others. While we are soliciting submissions that relate to one or more conference themes, we also welcome abstracts on other themes on the environment, conflict, and peace. A person may submit more than one abstract (although in order to ensure that there are slots for as many people as possible there likely will be a limit regarding how many times any person may appear on the conference program). Panels, roundtables, and workshopping sessions will be 90 minutes long. Abstracts for panels and roundtables should only include people that have indicated their willingness to participate.

Abstracts can be submitted in English, French, or Spanish. If you have a speaker who would like to speak in another language, please let us know (either in the submission or by emailing conference@environmentalpeacebuilding.org) so we can discuss options.

Presentations and their length will depend on the number of presenters on that particular panel (each panels is 90 minutes). Presenters are not required to prepare a paper but may prepare a conference paper. Abstracts for individual papers should be 150 words or fewer.

Panels constitute a series of 3-5 presentations with adequate time for discussion; each panel will be 90 minutes. Panel submissions should include a summary abstract in addition to individual paper abstracts associated with each presentation. Abstracts with incomplete panels will be accepted, but we will ask that submissions include at least 2 panelist names. While submitters suggest panelists, the conference organizers reserve the right to make final decisions regarding panel composition. Panel submissions should include a summary abstract (~100 words) and a separate abstract for each individual paper/presentation submitted separately (150 words each or fewer). [For example, if you want to propose a panel with four presenters, you need to submit five abstracts, including one abstract for the panel (which includes a description of the panel and lists the four speakers) and four abstracts for the speakers (ideally mentioning that this speaker is part of the following panel).]  

Roundtables are discussion-oriented sessions without formal presentations; each roundtable will be 90 minutes. Abstracts for roundtables should include an abstract (200 words or fewer) describing the topic for discussion, the proposed participants, and format.

Collaborative Feedback sessions provide a dynamic opportunity to seek feedback on a complex issue, or otherwise crowdsource insights and potential actions; each workshopping session will be 90 minutes. This format is particularly suitable for topics that are highly interdisciplinary and would benefit from input by participants from different academic backgrounds as well as practitioners.  In this format, one or two framing presentations (15-20 minutes total) frame the context and issues for discussion. In the remainder of the session, a facilitator will guide the discussion. Abstracts for workshopping sessions should include an abstract (200 words or fewer) describing the topic for discussion, the desired outcomes or impact, and the proposed speaker(s) and facilitator.

Posters will be presented during a designated poster session during the conference. Posters will remain on display for the duration of the conference. Abstracts for proposed posters should be 150 words or fewer.

HOW TO PROPOSE

Abstracts and related information must be submitted via the submission form here. The submission form will require the following information:

• The name, email, country, and institutional affiliation of authors/panelists/presenters
• A proposed title 
• An abstract
• Selection of the submission’s topical theme(s) 
• An indication of whether the abstract is for a paper/presentation, panel, poster, roundtable, workshopping session, or other format [If other, please describe]

We highly encourage abstracts from students and early career professionals as well as by scholars and practitioners from developing countries. If you have any questions regarding the conference, submission ideas, the submission process, or otherwise, please do not hesitate to contact us at conference@environmentalpeacebuilding.org.

Anyone can submit an abstract.  It is not necessary to be a member of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association.

There is no fee associated with submitting an abstract. Successful submitters will need to register for the conference and pay the registration fee to save their slot on the agenda. All conference participants, including speakers, will have to pay for registration fees.  In-person fees are $295 for members of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association and $375 for non-members. Speakers who participate virtually in hybrid sessions will also need to register and pay registration fees.  There will be a separate day for entirely virtual sessions (tentatively scheduled for June 13, 2024); registration fees for the virtual day have not yet been set.  There is limited support for travel grants (more information will be made available on the conference website at a later date). 

TIMELINE

The deadline for priority submissions is October 2, 2023 at 11:59 PM EDT. All submissions will be peer-reviewed by the Scientific Committee. Those who submit by the priority deadline will be contacted by the Organizing Committee regarding whether their submission has been selected by the end of October.

Registration opens in late October/early November.

We will continue to accept and review abstracts until the conference program has been filled. 

In September 2023, the Association and Sage are launching a new peer-reviewed journal on Environment and Security.