News
Afghanistan: Afghan Women Take on Farming
Jun 23, 2016
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Arzo Mohammadai, Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Agriculture, a central pillar of Afghanistan’s economy, has traditionally been dominated by men. Women are sometimes recruited to work the fields or tend livestock, but…
Blog: We Need to Talk About Conflict and the Environment
Jun 22, 2016
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Doug Weir
Interest in protecting the environment from the impact and legacy of armed conflicts appears to go in roughly 20 year cycles. The two previous cycles,…
Why the House Must Stop the Last-Second FSGG Rider on Conflict Minerals
Jun 22, 2016
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Sasha Lezhnev and Holly Dranginis
Yesterday, Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) filed an 11th hour amendment to the financial services appropriations bill to de-fund enforcement of the conflict minerals provision in the Dodd-Frank Wall…
The EU Has Acted on Minerals that Underwrite Modern Slavery
Jun 22, 2016
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Seb Dance
After years of campaigning, the European Union has agreed an outline deal to combat the unchecked trade in natural resources, which fuels some of the…
Myanmar: The Opium Bulbs of Myanmar: Drug Crop or Lifeline for Poor Farmers?
Jun 22, 2016
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Paul Vrieze, Guardian
The trade in opium and its derivative heroin is controlled by many rebel groups and pro-government militias who use it to fund a long-running civil…
Myanmar: Myitsone Developer Releases Excerpts of Contract Agreement
Jun 22, 2016
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Ye Mon, Myanmar Times
Amid continued lobbying from China to restart the controversial Myitsone dam, the development company behind the project released excerpts of the contract agreement over the…
China/South China Sea: The Fishing Community at the Centre of China’s Maritime Conflict
Jun 22, 2016
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Suruchi Mazumdar, The Wire
In the controversial waters of the South China Sea, China’s modest fishermen double as Beijing’s foot soldiers, advancing the country’s sovereignty claims and economic rights.…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurds and Iran Eye an Oil Deal
Jun 22, 2016
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Mohammed A. Salih and Mustafa Naser, Al Jazeera
Iran and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have hammered out the technical details of a plan to build a pipeline that could transfer as much as…
Timor-Leste: Timor-Leste’s Non-Oil Economy Must Look to Tourism
Jun 22, 2016
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Susan Marx, Asia Foundation
Despite Timor-Leste’s obvious allure and ongoing economic improvements, it remains a heavily oil-dependent country – the second highest in the world behind South Sudan –…
Palestine’s ‘Prayer for Rain’: How Israel Uses Water as a Weapon of War
Jun 21, 2016
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Ramzy Baroud
Entire communities in the West Bank either have no access to water or have had their water supply reduced almost by half. This alarming development…
DRC: Rebels, Army Seen Profiting from Congo Gold Despite Controls
Jun 21, 2016
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Bloomberg, Thomas Wilson
International regulations aimed at curbing the trade in so-called conflict minerals have failed to stop rebel groups and elements of the army in eastern Democratic…
Myanmar: Suu Kyi Faces Dilemma over Controversial Dam Project
Jun 20, 2016
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Sebastian Strangio, Nikkei Asian Review
Since its suspension five years ago, the $3.6 billion Myitsone hydropower project has come to symbolize the bad old days in Myanmar.
Myanmar: Burmese Jade Mining Film Scoops Awards at Rangoon Festival
Jun 20, 2016
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San Yamin Aung, The Irrawaddy
A documentary about the deadly jade mining industry in Hpakant, Kachin State—where landslides have killed scores of small-scale miners over the last year—won two out…
Myanmar: Jade Miners’ Hopes of Fortune Often Become Tragedy of Addiction
Jun 20, 2016
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Htet Khaung Linn, Myanmar Now
An estimated 300,000 migrant workers have come from across Myanmar to scavenge through mining waste in the hope of finding jade stone. Daily income levels…
China/Indonesia/South China Sea: Indonesian Navy Fires on Chinese Boat Near Natuna Islands
Jun 20, 2016
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TRT World
Indonesia said on Monday it will continue to protect the sovereignty of its fishing grounds following reports of a fresh confrontation with Chinese vessels in the disputed South China…
Conflict Minerals: Fairphone Achieves Traceable Supply for All Four Conflict Minerals; Your Move, Industry
Jun 20, 2016
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Sustainable Brands
Today, Fairphone announced it is adding conflict-free tungsten from Rwanda into its supply chain. With this achievement, Fairphone has successfully managed to transparently source all…
Afgahnistan: Growing Poppies a Detested Yet Profitable Business for Farmers in Southern Afghanistan
Jun 20, 2016
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Abdul Haleem and Manan Arghand, Xinhua
The conflict-hit Afghanistan reportedly produces around 90 percent of opium poppies, the raw material used in the manufacturing of heroin to the world. The largest…
Myanmar: In Mon State, Expanding Quarries Threaten Farms
Jun 19, 2016
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Phyo Thiha Cho, Myanmar Now
Farmers in the area, which comprises six villages with Bamar, Karen, Pa-O and Mon residents, said that since 2011 authorities had allowed companies to rapidly…
Myanmar: In Mon State, Expanding Quarries Threaten Farms
Jun 19, 2016
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Phyo Thiha Cho, Myanmar Now
Farmers in Mon State, which comprises six villages with Bamar, Karen, Pa-O and Mon residents, said that since 2011 authorities had allowed companies to rapidly…
Uganda: Delay in Harmonising Regional Laws Affecting Mineral Exports - Expert
Jun 18, 2016
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Sandra Janet Birungi, The Monitor
The slow pace at which regional countries are harmonising laws regarding minerals continues to affect exports, the director of democracy and good governance programme at…
Afghanistan/Pakistan: Pakistan to Receive More as Afghanistan Abandons Share in CASA-1,000
Jun 17, 2016
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Zafar Bhutta, Tribune
Pakistan will receive 1,300 megawatts of cheap and clean electricity from Central Asian states, more than the initially planned 1,000MW, as Afghanistan has abandoned its…
Peasants Mobilized in Colombia: The Strike is Finished, the Struggle Continues
Jun 16, 2016
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Lyda Fernanda Forero and Danilo Urrea
On May 27th, the Cumbre Agraria, Campesina, Etnica y Popular called for a national Minga, a period of strikes and mobilizations across the country aiming…
Why China is Arming its Fishing Fleet
Jun 16, 2016
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Evan Rees
Over the past four decades, China has gradually abandoned its self-imposed isolation in favor of deep ties with global markets. Though the approach has pushed…
Natural Resources Can Pay for Burma's Needs
Jun 16, 2016
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Andrew Bauer and Matthiew Salomon
This is an important year for Burma. With expectations so high, the new government is under enormous pressure to prove that it can transform the…
Conflict Minerals: EU “Political Understanding” Reached on Conflict Minerals Law
Jun 16, 2016
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ELM Sustainability Partners
The European Commission announced that a “political understanding” was reached on the European conflict minerals law. As we understand it, this means that the relevant…
Conflict Minerals: LIVE EP Press conference Trilogue Negotiations on Conflict Minerals [Video]
Jun 16, 2016
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European Commission
Press conference by Gianni PITTELLA (IT), S&D Chair, and Maria ARENA (S&D, BE)
Conflict Minerals: EP Press Conference by Cecilia Malmström, Member of the EC, on Conflict Minerals [Video]
Jun 16, 2016
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European Commission
On 16 June 2016, Cecilia Malmström, Member of the EC in charge of Trade, together with Bernd Lange, chairman of the Committee on International Trade…
Myanmar: Junior Expert in Natural Resources Management
Jun 15, 2016
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Instituto Oikos
Istituto Oikos is a non-profit organisation that operates in Europe and developing countries to safeguard biodiversity. It promotes a responsible management of natural resources and…
Colombia: Chief of Party - Climate Change
Jun 15, 2016
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Abt Associates
The Chief of Party will provide overall technical, administrative and financial management leadership; prepare, review and monitor contract reporting and deliverables; and liaise with the…
Afghanistan: Afghanistan Signs Contract for a Major Dam in Farah Province
Jun 15, 2016
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Khaama Press
The Afghan government signed another contract for the construction of a dam in western Farah province of AFghanistan. The contract for the construction of Dam,…