Linking the terms “environment” and “conflict” remains contentious in today’s international political arena. While most acknowledge that numerous conflicts have been fuelled by natural resources, UN Member States are divided on how to address the linkages. Some States express concern about protecting their sovereign right to use their resources according to their national interest. Many others consider environmental degradation and the illegal exploitation of natural resources as issues of international concern requiring a coordinated global approach. In their view, the potential impacts of climate change on the availability of natural resources, coupled with rising consumer demand and the free flow of international investment capital, only sharpen
the need for collective action.
This report discusses the key linkages between environment, conflict and peacebuilding, and provides recommendations on how these can be addressed more effectively by the international community. It has been developed in the context of UNEP’s mandate to “keep under review the world environmental situation in order to ensure that emerging environmental problems of wide international significance receive appropriate and adequate consideration by governments.”.