IUCN AEL Call for Papers: Workshop 2017

Oct 25, 2016 | IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Research Committee

Notwithstanding the protection afforded by domestic, regional and international legal instruments, the environment is often the mute victim of armed conflicts, from civil wars, drug wars, terrorism and other forms of violence that rage across many parts of the world. From Sudan to Syria, violent conflict has often severely damaged the environment and the communities whose livelihoods depend on its natural resources. While environmental damage is most commonly incurred as collateral impacts, in some instances the environment is deliberately targeted, as when the United States defoliated Vietnamese forests with Agent Orange. In addition, natural resources have frequently been looted to fund conflicts, as in the case of “blood diamonds” and wildlife poaching. Wars themselves no doubt are sometimes also triggered by simmering conflicts over control of natural resources, such as oil or water, and climate change risks further social turmoil and displacement. What role does, and should, the legal system including informal and non-state governance mechanisms play in protecting the environment in these situations and building peace? And in the aftermath of hostilities, how can environmental governance be quickly re-established and by whom? These questions involve both conceptual and operational issues in the law. In exploring these themes, the workshop seeks to go beyond the “doom and gloom” narrative to investigate success stories. These may be local communities taking the initiative in lawless power vacuums to protect critical natural resources for their survival, or combatants themselves accepting restraints so as to minimize collateral environmental damage for their mutual benefit. And when hostilities cease, innovative peacebuilding initiatives may ensue, ranging from early intervention of international peace-keeping operations to longer-term solutions such as transboundary peace parks. Overall, the workshop aims to go beyond the well-versed doctrinal analyses of the international law of armed conflicts to understand what happens in practice and to draw attention to unconventional sources of governance success in the midst of seemingly lawless struggles.

In particular, the workshop will consider:

  • Application of international humanitarian, criminal and environmental law to conflicts and their consequences.
  • Development of integrated legal frameworks for social and environmental peace.
  • Local communities, including Indigenous peoples, in environmental protection during conflicts and their aftermath.
  • Multinational corporations and their resource development activities (eg, minerals) in conflicts and their resolution.
  • Relevance of environmental changes, including water scarcity and climate change, to conflicts and their governance.
  • Environmental-related initiatives in UN and other peacekeeping operations, such as land mines removal and other forms of environmental restoration.
  • Transboundary “peace parks” in post-conflict governance
  • Accountability (eg, government, corporate and individuals) for environmental damage.

From these and other issues, the workshop will identify and evaluate success stories from which to build some general conclusions about how environmental governance can work during and after hostilities.

Format and output:

The workshop will be a full-day event, held immediately prior to the IUCN Academy’s annual colloquium. The workshop will feature approximately 8 to 10 presenters followed by moderated roundtable discussions. The workshop papers, once revised in light of the workshop discussions and guidance from the workshop conveners, will be published as either a book, with the IUCN Academy’s preferred publisher, Edward Elgar Publishing, or as a special edition of a quality academic journal. Submission of paper abstracts Authors interested in submitting a paper are invited to submit an abstract of not more than 700 words, outlining the aims, methodology, theoretical framework and thesis of the proposed paper. In particular, the abstract must explain the novelty and significance of the paper as a contribution to the scholarly literature. In addition, the abstract must identify all authors, their institutional affiliations and contact information. The workshop organizers, in consultation with other experts from the IUCN Academy Environmental Law Research Committee, will review the abstracts and make final selection decisions.

Key dates and deadlines:

Submission of paper abstract: 16 December 2016

Notification of acceptances: Early January

Submission of full paper (8,000 words): 1 May

Workshop: 30 May

Post-workshop revised paper: 1 September

Publication: In 2018, to be determined

Submissions and Enquiries:

The workshop and publication of papers will be coordinated by

Professor Benjamin J. Richardson (University of Tasmania) and Professor

Nathalie Herve-Fournereau (Université de Rennes).

Any correspondence should be submitted jointly to them, at:

B.J.Richardson@utas.edu.au

nathalie.herve-fournereau@univ-rennes1.fr