UN Peacekeepers Stress Natural Resources of War-Torn Countries

Convened by the UN Environment Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the workshop focused on the protection of the environment during conflict.

At the end of February, there were 90,605 UN peacekeepers serving as troops, police or military observers in 20 missions around the world, according to UN statistics, with 120 countries contributing uniformed personnel.

Members of the Polish contingent of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force on patrol on the Golan Heights, Syria. June 26, 2008. (Photo by Gernot Payer courtesy UN)

UN post-conflict assessments indicate that the stress placed on vulnerable environments by the needs of peacekeepers can be severe, from the timber used for construction and to drinking water and livestock for feeding the troops.

Yet, experts told the meeting that by adopting sustainable procurement policies the international community can make a major contribution to more sustainable peacekeeping and relief operations.

Better planning and management practices could reduce demand and even contribute to overall recovery, peacebuilding and development prospects in crisis-affected regions, says UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

"The primary role of international peacekeeping forces and aid agencies is to keep the peace and support vulnerable communities during difficult and distressing times. But they also have the responsibility to ensure that their presence and operations have a minimal ecological footprint and do not aggravate environmental degradation, which may be a dimension of the conflict," said Steiner.

The meeting, hosted by UNEP and co-organized by the Swedish Defence Research Agency, the UN Department of Field Support, the UN Mission in Sudan, and the Environmental Law Institute, looked at ways to integrate sustainable practices into peacekeeping and relief operations.

These include new technologies to ensure water and energy efficiency, or alternative construction techniques to minimize deforestation.

Peacekeepers serving the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste participate in the UN International Day of Peace celebration. September 21, 2008. (Photo by Martine Perret courtesy UN)

"There is a growing awareness of the need for action," said Steiner, "and momentum is now building to find ways of protecting the environment and the long-term livelihoods of affected communities."

"Some agencies are already leading the way. Their examples of good practice must be built upon to promote this important agenda," he said.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan, for example, is investing US$5 million to green the operations of its 10,000 troops spread across 25 bases.

Supported on a pilot basis by the government of Sweden, the mission is introducing new technologies for the treatment of waste and the efficient use of water and energy, with the goal of reducing water consumption by 30 percent, energy expenditure by 25 percent, and the volume of waste by 60 percent.

Experts are especially concerned over situations where natural resources and the environment have played a role in triggering or fueling conflict.

At least 18 violent conflicts since 1990 have been fueled by the exploitation of natural resources and at least 40 percent of all intrastate conflicts over the last 60 years have had a link to natural resources finds new UNEP report presented at the meeting.

"From Conflict to Peacebuilding: the Role of Natural Resources and the Environment," finds that during the past 60 years, conflicts associated with natural resources were twice as likely to relapse into conflict in the first five years of peace as conflicts over other issues.

Soldiers from the joint African Union - United Nations Mission in Darfur peacekeeping force guard a supply convoy. January 13, 2008. (Photo courtesy UN)

The report cites the conflict in the Sudanese region of Darfur as a case in point.

With the collapse of traditional livelihoods in Darfur, many people are turning to unsustainable means of subsistence, some of which are supported by the need for new accommodation for the peacekeeping and humanitarian community.

This rapid urbanization is causing an unprecedented demand for timber - over 52,000 trees worth of wood are consumed annually to fuel brick-kilns and provide for infrastructure projects.

This has led to the number of sawmills and carpentry workshops nearly tripling in the four major towns of Darfur and put pressure the region's forest reserves, which had already declined by a third since the early 1970s.

Water is also of concern in Darfur. While the current conflict has so far coincided with years of above average rainfall, a single year of drought could cause considerable suffering and further conflict. A contingency plan is urgently needed for both the potential social impacts and the peacekeeping mission itself.

In addition, 15 senior experts from legal, academic, military, UN and NGOs backgrounds are examining the bodies of international environmental, human rights and humanitarian law governing the protection of the environment during armed conflict.

They are identifying the gaps and weaknesses within the existing legal framework and will propose an action plan to enhance implementation and enforcement, and eventually reach a higher level of legal protection for the environment during armed conflicts.

Click here to read "From Conflict to Peacebuilding: the Role of Natural Resources and the Environment."

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