Issue #297 – May 27, 2025

Announcements

May 26, 2025 | Environmental Peacebuilding Association & University of Ottawa

In the lead-up to the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding–taking place in June 2026 in Ottawa, Canada–the Environmental Peacebuilding Association® (EnPAx®) and Conference partners are hosting the Path to Ottawa, a global,…

2025 Al-Moumin Award for Thought Leadership in Environmental Peacebuilding Awarded to Nada Majdalani, Yana Abu Taleb, Gidon Bromberg, and Tareq Abu Hamed

April 29, 2025 | Environmental Peacebuilding Association

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association is pleased to award the 2025 Al-Moumin Award and Distinguished Lecture on Environmental Peacebuilding to Nada Majdalani, Yana Abu Taleb, Gidon Bromberg, and Tareq Abu Hamed.

EnPAx Launches New Website

April 25, 2025 | Environmental Peacebuilding Association

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx) is pleased to announce a major upgrade of the Environmental Peacebuilding Knowledge Platform (www. environmentalpeacebuilding. org).

Events

For more upcoming events on environmental peacebuilding, please visit our online calendar of events.

Specialization Course on Environmental Peacebuilding

November 23, 2025 - 2025-12-01 Austrian Centre for Peace
Stadtschlaining, Austria

The IPT Specialization Course on Environmental Peacebuilding will take place from 23 November - 1 December 2025 in Stadtschlaining. It offers a comprehensive training on the environment, climate, peace, and security nexus.

Environment, Peacebuilding, and Security Policy Working Group Session

July 22, 2025 Ecosystem for Peace
online

This new working group grew out of a breakout conversation in the January 2025 Policy Planning meeting.

Briefings on Hosting an Event on the Path to Ottawa

June 2, 2025 Environmental Peacebuilding Association & University of Ottawa
online

Information sessions were held online on 2 June to provide a detailed explanation of the Path to Ottawa, review the proposal process, and answer questions.

Make Room Study Session: Climate and National Security

May 29, 2025 Center for a New American Security
Washington, DC and online

Join the CNAS Make Room study session, Climate and National Security on Thursday, May 29 from 12:00-1:00 PM ET.

Library

In the last two weeks, 14 new publications were added to our online library of materials on environmental peacebuilding. Here is a sampling of the new additions:

15 Key Takeaways from a Decade of Climate Security Reporting

May 27, 2025 | Peter Schwartzstein
Environmental Change and Security Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

For nearly two decades, the connections between climate change and security have been debated and discussed in a diverse array of fora—from universities, think tanks, and the Pentagon, to the National Intelligence Council,…

The Nature of Peace: Trajectories of Environmental Peacebuilding between Dominant Narratives and Power Relations

May 27, 2025 | Fariborz Zelli and Torsten Krause
Ecology and Society

Peacebuilding initiatives play an important role in the reconstruction of political, economic, and social conditions after internal armed conflicts.

The Role of Land and Natural Resources in Negotiating Peace Agreements

May 26, 2025 | Saleem H. Ali, Nancy E. Boyer, Gabriela Mundaca, Lynette de Silva, Shaghayegh Jabalameli, and Jahan Taganova
Negotiation Journal

Drawing on the growing genre of literature on “environmental peacebuilding,” this article develops a qualitative model of how land and natural resources (including minerals, water, forests, and agricultural products) contribute to the framing…

Missing the Target: Examining the Causes of the Conflict on the Afghanistan-Iran Border in May 2023

May 25, 2025 | David Mansfield
ALCIS

This policy brief shares key findings and implications for policy from a forthcoming XCEPT study on the escalation in violence along the Afghanistan-Iran border on 27 May 2023.

Third Security and Development Dialogue on Environmental Crime: Advancing Multilateral and Multi-stakeholder Responses

May 21, 2025
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

This international conference was convened in recognition of environmental crimes as threat multipliers to an increasingly fractured and vulnerable planet.

The Environmental Costs of the War in Sudan

May 21, 2025
Conflict and Environment Observatory

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has profoundly impacted its environment but these consequences have received little attention.

Is Food Security National Security? [Audio]

May 21, 2025 | Caitlin Welsh
Center for Strategic and International Studies

US government investments in global food security have traditionally received strong bipartisan support from policymakers, either explicitly or implicitly, on moral, economic, and national security grounds.

Challenges of Environmental Governance in Afghanistan under Taliban 2.0

May 20, 2025 | Mohammad Reza Rafat and K. M. Sajad Ibrahim
Journal of Polity and Society

Afghanistan, a country with a rich tapestry of natural landscapes and diverse ecosystems, has faced numerous challenges over the past few decades, with environmental governance being one of the most critical yet often…

Jobs

Please visit our jobs page to view these positions and other job opportunities.

Yemen: Community Led Implementation Consultant (Fisheries Management Plan)

May 27, 2025
CTG (Committed To Good)

CTG staff and support humanitarian projects in fragile and conflict-affected countries around the world, providing a rapid and cost-effective service for development and humanitarian missions.

Syria: Request for Proposal - Consultancy Services for the Detailed Design of a Pilot Mini Hydropower Project for Syrian Arab Red Crescent

May 27, 2025
Norwegian Red Cross

The Norwegian Red Cross (NoRC) is one of 192 Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) national societies across the globe and has been part of the RCRC Movement since 1865.

Somalia: Water & Habitat Energy Project Manager, Mogadishu

May 27, 2025
International Committee of the Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) works worldwide to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict and armed violence.

DRC: Responsable de Recherche Unité Santé Publique

May 27, 2025
IMPACT Initiatives

Depuis 2016, IMPACT, - actuellement présente à Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu et Kalemie - fournit à travers ses trois initiatives REACH, AGORA et PANDA des évaluations rapides et approfondies, des services de gestion de…

Lebanon: Logistics Coordinator - Beirut

May 27, 2025
Solidarités International

Solidarités International (SI) is an international humanitarian aid association which, since more than 40 years, has been providing assistance to populations affected by armed conflicts and natural disasters by meeting their basic needs…

Kenya: Civil Peace Service Advisor - Environmental Peacebuilding and Dialogue

May 27, 2025
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

The Civil Peace Service (CPS) is a program for non-violent conflict transformation and peacebuilding in regions affected by crisis and conflict.

Germany: Advisor for Environmental Peacebuilding

May 27, 2025
AGIAMONDO e.V.

AGIAMONDO e. V. is the personnel service of German Catholics for development cooperation. In the Civil Peace Service, we offer professionals the opportunity for meaningful service in cooperation with local development actors.

USA: Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Sustainability

May 27, 2025
University of Notre Dame: Keough School of Global Affairs, Pulte Institute for Global Development

The University of Notre Dame announces a post-doctoral research fellow opportunity, beginning October 15, 2025 and focusing on “A Global Synthesis of Socioecological Contexts of Artisanal and Small-scale Mining.

International News

In the last two weeks, 22 international news items on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website. The following is a sampling:

Sudan: US to Sanction Sudan after Finding Chemical Weapons Used in Civil War

May 23, 2025
Al Jazeera

The United States will impose sanctions on Sudan after determining that the country’s military used chemical weapons last year while fighting against rival paramilitary forces.

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Says Direct US-Kurdistan Oil Deals Violate Constitution

May 23, 2025 | Charles Kennedy
Oilprice.com

While the federal government of Iraq welcomes cooperation with US energy firms, Baghdad noted on Friday that direct deals with the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region violate the Iraqi constitution and need to go through…

Afghanistan: Sowing Hope after Disaster—Rebuilding Lives through Agriculture in Herat

May 21, 2025
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

In October 2023, a devastating earthquake struck Herat province, severely impacting the districts of Zindajan and Guzara. Thousands of farming families lost their homes, livelihoods, and hope almost overnight.

Estonia: Russian Forces Seized Oil Tanker in Baltic Sea

May 19, 2025
StratNews Global

The Liberia-flagged ship Green Admire was leaving Sillamae port using a designated navigation channel that crosses Russian territorial waters, the ministry said in a statement.

Iraq: 'Leave Our Marshes Alone': Iraqis Fear Oil Drilling Would Destroy Fabled Wetlands

May 19, 2025
Agence France-Presse

Plans to drill for oil in the protected Mesopotamian Marshes of southern Iraq have galvanised villagers and activists determined to save the mythical wetlands already battered by years of drought.

Afghanistan/Iran: Taliban FM Promises Cooperation with Iran in Helmand River, Water Dispute

May 18, 2025
Iran Front Page

Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, has said that providing water to Iran’s drought-stricken population is a “religious duty” and stressed that Kabul bears no ill will toward its neighbor.

Iraq: Toxic Fallout: Iraq’s Basra Fight for Survival amid Oil Pollution Crisis

May 17, 2025
Shafaq News

Residents in northern Basra are grappling with a “deadly pollution crisis,” fueled by the unchecked expansion of oil operations near residential areas.

Colombia: Ripple and Mercy Corps Launch Blockchain Pilot for Colombian Farmers

May 17, 2025 | Bilal Hassan
LiveBitcoinNews

Ripple Impact has launched its second pilot of the year in partnership with Mercy Corps Ventures and WËIA. This new initiative is being carried out as part of the “Unlocking Opportunity” program.

India/Pakistan: Water Conflict: Indus Waters Treaty Suspension Escalates Tensions

May 16, 2025
Devdiscourse

India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan after blaming Islamabad for attacks in Kashmir. The tension risks water flow into Pakistan, impacting its agriculture.

China/Japan: China’s Moves in Disputed Waters Spark Concerns in Japan about ‘Incremental Control’

May 16, 2025 | Julian Ryall
South China Morning Post

Japan has lodged a protest with Beijing over the suspected construction of a new offshore platform in disputed waters of the East China Sea – a development that analysts say could signal China’s…

Climate Change: Including Military in Climate Action Incentivises Cooperation over Conflict, Says Water Expert [Interview]

May 14, 2025 | Simrin Sirur
Mongabay

Ashok Swain, Professor and Head of the Department of Peace and Conflict Research and UNESCO Chair on International Water Cooperation at Uppsala University, Sweden, draws the links between climate change and conflict in…

Climate Change: IGAD Unveils Early Warning Tools to Curb Climate-Linked Conflict in East Africa

May 14, 2025 | Paul Adude
Monitor

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has launched a new data-driven early warning system aimed at helping member states predict and prevent violent conflict driven by climate change in vulnerable cross-border regions.

Blogs & Opinion

In the last two weeks, 8 blogs & opinion pieces on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website.

Amber: The Hidden Cost of Myanmar’s Gem Trade

May 22, 2025 | Mancunion

Blood amber from Myanmar has yielded endless discoveries and taken the world by storm; the name seems fitting after the human rights atrocities tied to its trade.

Plastic Pollution from Fibre Optic Drones May Threaten Wildlife for Years

May 22, 2025 | Leon Moreland

Russia’s war in Ukraine has encouraged a rapid increase in the deployment of drones that use fibre optic cables to protect them from being jammed or downed by electronic warfare: the drones trail…

The US Should Aim Higher in Its ‘Minerals for Peace’ Deal with Congo

May 20, 2025 | Laura Kupe

In a small ceremony with oversized implications, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed his Congolese and Rwandan counterparts to Washington on April 25 for the signing of a US-brokered declaration of principles…

Is US Conflict Minerals Disclosure Nearing an End?

May 20, 2025 | Michael R. Littenberg, Marc Rotter, and Peter Witschi

SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda took a pretty big swing at the US Conflict Minerals Rule in his prepared remarks yesterday at Practical Law Institute’s annual “SEC Speaks” conference.

The Deadly Global Gold Rush: How to Stop the Illicit Mining and Trade That Fuel War and Repression

May 19, 2025 | Sasha Lezhnev and John Prendergast

Every year, illicit gold worth more than $30 billion flows across the globe, including gold originating in conflict zones and authoritarian states.

Terrorists Use Food as a Weapon: How Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab Exploit Hunger

May 18, 2025 | Simone Papale and Emanuele Castelli

Over the last decade, there has been growing international focus on the role of food in conflict, particularly in Africa. The continent has seen an increase in jihadist terrorism in several regions.

ECSA Launches New Working Group on Citizen Science in Areas Affected by Armed Conflict

May 14, 2025 | Anna Berti Suman and Doug Weir

Participatory community environmental research in areas affected by conflict could help empower people, groundtruth remote analysis, and contribute towards accountability processes and environmental peacebuilding.

The Importance of Tackling the Climate Impacts of UN Peacekeeping

May 13, 2025 | Ellie Kinney

To mark this week’s UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin, Ellie Kinney explains its potential role in improving transparency over the reporting of military GHG emissions and shares recommendations that would help encourage decarbonisation.

Join the Association

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association® (EnPAx®) is the leading global network that brings together practitioners, researchers, and decision makers working on environment, conflict, and peace. EnPAx includes both individual and institutional members. If you have any questions regarding membership, please contact us at membership@environmentalpeacebuilding.org.

Sharing and Posting Materials

The strength of the knowledge platform depends on submissions and suggestions on contents from users. To share publications and information on events, job opportunities, and other announcements, please contact share@environmentalpeacebuilding.org. Please also feel free to share ideas on how the platform can be further improved to meet your needs.

About Our Community of Practice

Environmental Peacebuilding is a knowledge platform and global community of practice on natural resources, conflict, and peace, hosted by the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. The platform unites a global network of researchers, practitioners, and decision makers in sharing experiences and lessons from managing natural resources in fragile states and conflict-affected settings. The platform also helps people to access new publications on the topic, conduct new research, and participate in events to support the growth of the field. As part of our Community of Practice, we bring you biweekly updates on recent developments, including news about our program as well as links to new publications, upcoming conferences and events, and job openings.

Please visit us at www.environmentalpeacebuilding.org for more information.

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