Statement to the UN General Assembly First Committee on the Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflicts (PERAC)

Oct 12, 2016 | Jessica Dorsey
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As armed conflict affects the environment, and vice versa, this forms a vicious cycle in which civilians all too often bear the brunt, including those who find themselves wherever water infrastructure is damaged, a chemical factory or oil installation is destroyed, munitions containing toxics are used or unexploded ordnance blocks access to their land.

Because environmental considerations are often low on the priority list of States and international agencies, we must do more to emphasize the link between a healthy environment and the protection of civilians. Before an armed conflict arises, States must implement policy and legislation considering the environmental impact of armed conflict in their weapons reviews and targeting procedures. During an armed conflict, rules of engagement must be interpreted in light of environmental considerations and relevant legal obligations giving due deference to the effects on the environment that their military operations may have. Finally, post-conflict, establishing a robust framework for tackling the environmental consequences of conflict is imperative in order to assist in reconstruction and conflict prevention.