News


Sierra Leone: WASH Technical Advisor

Nov 6, 2016 | Oxfam GB

The Consortium Coordination Unit is seeking a WASH Technical Advisor to ensure the continued positive impact of our programme and ensure learning across the Consortium…


South Sudan: Consultant/s required for Final Evaluation – “Inspiring Healthy Communities…”

Nov 6, 2016 | Action Against Hunger UK

ACF-UK is currently recruiting a consultant or a team of consultants with experience in WaSH (specifically water supply and sanitation infrastructures, hygiene promotion, WaSH governance),…


Environment is the ‘Silent Casualty’ of Armed Conflict

Nov 6, 2016 | UN Environment Programme, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

As the world marks the international day to protect the environment during armed conflict, the scorched earth tactics being used by embattled ISIL militants in…


Afghanistan: Illegal Mining, Weak Government Help Taliban Expand in Afghan North

Nov 6, 2016 | Jawad Kakar, Reuters

Afghan Taliban militants have strengthened their grip on lucrative illegal mining operations in the north of the country, as security forces focus most of their…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Document Obtained by NRT Reveals KRG Corruption over Oil Sector

Nov 6, 2016 | NRT

NRT is revealing a secret document, which was obtained from a foreign source, for the first time. The document includes new and secret information as…


Iraq: ISIL's Scorched Earth Policy is Wrecking Iraq's Environment and Creating a Public Health Nightmare

Nov 6, 2016 | Alternet

Civilians in Northern Iraq are suffering suffocation and respiratory illnesses due to what appears to be a scorched-earth policy employed by retreating ISIL militants following…


Conflict Minerals: Conflict Diamonds May Not Be on the Radar, but They're Still a Worry for Some

Nov 6, 2016 | Natalia Wojcik, CNBC

More than a decade ago, the illicit diamond trade was among the most urgent of humanitarian causes, with governments and celebrities rallying around efforts to…


Water Wars: All Eyes Turn to Scarborough Shoal

Nov 4, 2016 | Chris Mirasola

Two weeks ago Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte visited Beijing, where he signed a number of memoranda of understanding promising greater economic and military cooperation. Since that meeting…


Myanmar: Logging Exposé Leads to Threats against Fishermen

Nov 4, 2016 | Nang Mya Nadi, Democratic Voice of Burma

Fishermen in Tenasserim Division’s Dawei District have been receiving death threats from a gang of illegal loggers who have accused them of exposing their activities.…


Myanmar: Kayin Farmers Criminalised for Fighting Land Grabs: HRW Report

Nov 4, 2016 | Su Phyo Win and Myat Nyein Aye, Myanmar Times

Kayin State villagers are losing their land and are routinely persecuted through threats, arson and arbitrary arrest if they attempt to fight the unlawful seizures,…


Top UN Official: Environmental Protection in War More Urgent Than Ever

Nov 3, 2016 | UNEP

In a year dominated by the tragedy of war, there is no more urgent time to address the need to protect the environment in armed…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Mosul Battle Triggers Environmental Damage

Nov 3, 2016 | Environment News Service

Civilians in Northern Iraq are suffering suffocation and respiratory illnesses due to what appears to be a scorched-earth policy employed by retreating ISIL militants following…


Conflict Minerals: RSN Reveals Annual Conflict Minerals Rankings in Highly Anticipated Webinar Hosted by Source Intelligence & Ropes & Gray

Nov 3, 2016 | JustMeans

While leading brands proactively monitor and mitigate risk, laggards provide little evidence of good faith efforts. Berkshire Hathaway faulted suppliers for weak reporting and declined…


Myanmar: Myanmar's Farmers Face Criminal Charges over Land Rights

Nov 3, 2016 | Associated Press

Despite the process of democratic transition, farmers in Myanmar's Karen state are being pushed off their land and face arrest and prison for standing up…


Conflict Minerals: US Trade Body Calls for Reexamination of Conflict Mineral Reporting

Nov 3, 2016 | Chemical Watch

The National Association of Manufacturers (Nam) has called for the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Congress to reexamine conflict mineral reporting requirements. Its…


Colombia: Colombia Court Orders Top Companies to Return Stolen Lands

Nov 3, 2016 | teleSUR

A Colombian court has ordered 19 companies, including the country’s largest bank, Bancolombia, to return land that was stolen and ended up in private hands…


Impact of Conflict Minerals Ruling Begins to be Seen

Nov 2, 2016 | Celia Taylor

Perhaps the most important result of the long and tortured legal proceedings in Nat'l Ass'n of Mfrs. v. SEC ("NAM") is the ultimate finding that…


Myanmar: Pyin Oo Lwin Farmers Ask Government about Arrested Protesters

Nov 2, 2016 | Htay Hla Aung, Eleven

Farmers in  Pyin Oo Lwin Township, Mandalay Region, asked government about the prosecution of farmers who staged a ploughing protest on their seized farmland. Pyin…


Colombia: Analysis of the Conflict and Impact of the Referendum on Agriculture

Nov 2, 2016 | Luis Alfonso Moreno Ayala, Government of Colombia

The Colombian Government, in its efforts to achieve a ceasefire and lasting peace, managed to reach an agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia…


South Sudan: South Sudan Directs Oil Companies to Reinstate Former Employees

Nov 1, 2016 | Sudan Tribune

South Sudan’s ministry of Petroleum has directed the Joint Operating Companies, a consortium of oil companies operating in the oil sector in the country, to…


China/India: China and India's Slow-Moving Path to 'Water Wars'

Nov 1, 2016 | Satu Limaye, Joel Wuthnow, and Nilanthi Samaranayake, National Interest

China’s September 30 announcement that it would temporarily divert the Xiabuqu—a domestic river that feeds into the mighty Brahmaputra running from Tibet through Northeast India…


Scarred Lands & Wounded Lives: The Environmental Footprint of War

Oct 31, 2016 | The Video Project

The award winning documentary Scarred Lands & Wounded Lives: The Environmental Footprint of War and five companion shorts are now available at no charge.  Visit…


Invitation: Environmental Peacebuilding Lecture with Ambassador Marie Jacobsson

Oct 31, 2016 | Britta Sjöstedt

At the event, to be held on 3 November in Washington, Ambassador Marie Jacobsson will receive the prominent Al-Moumin Award for her exceptional contributions to…


Myanmar: Myanmar Seizes over 27,000 Tons Illegal Timber in 7 Months

Oct 31, 2016 | Xinhua

Myanmar authorities seized over 27,000 tons of illegal logs and timber in the first seven months of the 2016-17 fiscal year, the the Ministry of…


Rising Water Wars between Indian States

Oct 30, 2016 | Dr. Yogesh Sharma

India has been facing friction over the sharing of river waters. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been fighting like two warring nations over sharing of…


In Palm Oil, Liberia Sees Economic Boom — but Forests May Lose

Oct 28, 2016 | Sophie Bertazzo

Liberia views palm oil development as a huge opportunity for economic growth and international trade. But embracing the booming industry is not without its costs. Without proper…


Liberia's Land Bill in Limbo

Oct 28, 2016 | Sumit Galhotra

A narrow window is quickly drawing shut for Liberia to enact a landmark law that would guarantee millions of its people the right to formally…


Water Wars: Sifting through the Tea Leaves in the South China Sea

Oct 28, 2016 | Chris Mirasola

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Beijing last week precipitated a busy news week as commentators and government officials tried to discern how closer Philippine-Chinese cooperation would…


ICC Expands Remit to Environmental Crimes: Is This What the People of Cambodia Have Been Waiting for?

Oct 28, 2016 | Hannah Gerber

Cambodia’s land reforms in 2001 have led to over 10 years of violent and coercive land grabs, damaging the livelihoods of nearly 10,000 Cambodian citizens.…


Afghanistan: How Opium Fuels the Taliban’s War Machine in Afghanistan

Oct 28, 2016 | Hashim Wahdatyar, Diplomat

The nexus between the Taliban and opium cultivation stems from the establishment of its regime. In 1997, only Pakistan and Saudi Arabia recognized the Taliban…