https://securesustain.org/environmental-peacebuilding/ Environmental Peacebuilding – A Quick Look at Leading Organizations

1. Environmental Peacebuilding – A Quick Look at
Leading Organizations
Climate Action and Environmental Peacebuilding aim to tackle
degradation caused by direct or indirect human activity that is impacting
societies around the world. In particular, without good governance and
government efforts to prepare for mitigation, those impacts will be
compounded even further in countries. For instance, extended droughts,
stronger storms, deforestation, desertification, topsoil erosion are just
some of the changes leading to scarcities of water, food, biomass, etc.
As a result, these events apply pressure to the stability of communities
and drive migration. Moreover, they can trigger, escalate or sustain
conflicts. To address conflict in a transformative way towards lasting
peace, peacebuilding can be defined as:
“measures targeted to reduce the risk of lapsing or
relapsing into conflict by strengthening national capacities
at all levels for conflict management and to lay the
foundation for sustainable peace and development . . . by
addressing the deep-rooted, structural causes of violent
conflict in a comprehensive manner”
The United Nations Department of
Peacekeeping Operations
Historically, peacebuilding efforts have mainly focused on social and
economic issues. However, this perspective omits environmental
degradation and the environmental impact of conflicts and military
activities amid derived humanitarian consequences for affected societies.
For this reason, environmental peacebuilding incorporates natural
resource management into peacebuilding activities. Those strategies
seek to support security, humanitarian, and development objectives to
avoid the vicious circle in which conflicts cause environmental problems
that later fuel and trigger more conflicts.
The organizations here are engaged with the academic and policymaker
community to share experiences and lessons from integrating natural
resource management in conflict-affected areas in conflict prevention,
mitigation, resolution, and recovery to build resilience in communities

2. affected by it. In other words, their research and field activities work for
a robust Environmental Peacebuilding hub to promote environmentally
friendly peace.
Selected organizations:
Environmental Peacebuilding Association (2018; Washington)
A global network of “practitioners, researchers, decisionmakers, and
students passionate about environmental
peacebuilding.” Thus, its goals are:
 foster knowledge development and exchange;
 build capacity and awareness; and
 strengthen relationships between the scholar and professional
communities working on issues related to environment, conflict, and
peace.
Staff: 11
Adelphi (2001; Berlin)
An independent think tank and international public policy consultancy
on climate, environment, and development. Its Peace and
Security section includes a specialized topic of Resources and Conflict.
Further, it offers consultancy, research, and training services to “use
conflict-sensitive approaches and to develop programmes that handle
environmental and peace development as early as the initial stages in an
integrated manner.”
Staff: 159
Alliance for Peacebuilding (2003; Washington)
A network of over 100 organizations. Aims to “bring together coalitions
in key areas of strategy and policy to elevate the entire peacebuilding
field, tackling issues too large for any one organization to address alone.”
Therefore, their work is based on “a systems approach to peacebuilding
that connects multiple sectors.”
Staff: 22 staff and fellows
Conflict and Environment Observatory (2017; West Yorkshire, UK)
A charity working with international organizations, civil society,
academia, and communities “to ensure that the environmental
consequences of armed conflicts and military activities are properly
documented and addressed and that those affected are assisted.”
Staff: 5
Center for Conservation Peacebuilding (2006; Washington)
A consulting organization advocating that “social conflicts related to
conservation issues are severe obstacles to wildlife conservation efforts

3. and local communities’ way of life.” Hence, applies conservation conflict
transformation (CCT) theory, skills, processes, and strategies to address
such conflicts.
International Institute for Sustainable Development (1990; Winnipeg,
Canada)
An independent think tank championing sustainable solutions to 21st-
century problems. Researches sustainable development to foster
innovation, enabling societies to live sustainably. Particularly,
its library contains high-quality research covering the Environment,
Conflict, and Peacebuilding intersection.
Staff: ~120
Environmental Law Institute (1969; Washington)
A “non-partisan research and education center to strengthen
environmental protection by improving law and governance worldwide.”
At the moment, it serves as the Secretariat for the Environmental
Peacebuilding Association. While improving Natural Resource
Management in Post-Conflict Countries, it has been conducting a project
to engage practitioners and scholars to “develop a roadmap for
strengthening post-conflict natural resource management and
peacebuilding.”
The latter has been managed in partnership with the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), the University of Tokyo, and the
Specialist Group on Armed Conflict and the Environment of the IUCN
Commission on Environmental Law.
Staff: ~60
United States Institute of Peace (1984, Washington)
A “national, nonpartisan, independent institute” working “with local
partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict to reduce
future crises and the need for costly interventions.” Besides, does this by
linking “research, policy, training, analysis, and direct action to support
those who are working to build a more peaceful, inclusive world.”
Recently, it gave eight grants to promote research and project
development in Environment, Conflict, and Peacebuilding. Those
organizations were:
1. Environmental Law Institute (Washington).
2. Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conflict
Transformation (Nanyuki, Kenya).
3. International Rescue Committee (New York).
4. Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR).
5. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong).

4. 6. Universidad del Rosario (Bogotá, Colombia).
7. University of Sheffield (Sheffield, England).
8. World Peace Foundation (Somerville, MA).
The Environment, Conflict, and Peacebuilding Competition winners
received a maximum of $300,000 to advance their capacity-building
projects. It conducts its project USIP Local Funding for Peace in Pakistan.
Additionally, the Peace and Conflict Research Fund sponsors research
governance and public policy issues, including natural resources
extraction, water- and energy service delivery, and associated conflict
management practices.
Staff: 85
International Alert (1986; London)
An international peacebuilding organization working “with local people
around the world to help them better understand conflict and build
peace.” In addition, its publications repository has many case studies
about natural resource management and conflict resolution sourced
from practitioners due to its notable presence in the field.
Staff: 279
Energy Peace Partners (2017; Sausalito, CA)
An organization that “leverages economic and climate solutions to
support peace in the world’s most fragile regions.” Above all, it works
towards paradigm shift through transformative clean energy transitions
in conflict and crisis settings.
Staff: 10
EcoPeace Middle East (1994; Tel Aviv)
A project-oriented NGO that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and
Israeli environmentalists. For this reason, their primary objective is the
promotion of cooperative efforts to protect their shared environmental
heritage. Hence, seeks “to advance sustainable regional development
and create necessary conditions for lasting peace in the region.”
Staff: ~40
Earth Institute (1995; New York)
A research institute founded to advance the basic understanding of
earth science and apply that knowledge to decisions made by
governments and businesses around the world. Likewise, its Advanced
Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity (AC4) conducts a
specialized research program on Environment, Peace, and
Sustainability focused “around local resource governance and conflict

5. management, generating knowledge and practice around environmental
conflict resolution and peacebuilding.”
Environmental Peacebuilding as an answer for the environmental
challenges towards peace
It is not surprising that developing countries where people depend on
subsistence agriculture tend to be the most affected by armed conflicts
and environmental degradation. Similarly, natural resources are often
overexploited due to the conflict parties’ material necessities, causing
grievances over them and their revenues contributing to the conflict’s
onset and continuation.
According to Environmental Peacebuilding Association, the “peace
following resource-related conflicts is fragile: countries with past
resource-related conflicts are more likely to relapse and do so twice as
quickly.” To achieve peace, land, forests, minerals, oil, water, and other
resources are essential for rebuilding communities and economies.
To sum up, as a rising multidisciplinary subfield, environmental
peacebuilding needs to identify research programs and best policy
practices, fostering knowledge and data exchange. The organizations
above aim to build capacity and awareness among practitioners to
advance the field. Further, by increase impact, encouraging interactions
among scholars, practitioners, decision-makers, and others across
disciplines, genders, geographical locations, and professional
development stages.