New York, 25 April 2012
- Some 70 ambassadors, international experts
and researchers met this week to examine
recent lessons from more than 60 countries
in managing natural resources to support
peacebuilding and conflict management.
The event marked the
formal launch of a series of six flagship
books on the topic developed by the Environmental
Law Institute, the United Nations Environment
Programme, the University of Tokyo, and
McGill University.
In opening the event,
Ambassador Jarmo Viinanen, the Permanent
Representative of Finland to the United
Nations, noted that "linkages among
natural resources, environment, and security
are prominent features of Finnish foreign
policy and we are proud to actively promote
the use of mediation in conflict prevention
and resolution."
Published by Earthscan,
the book series analyzes experiences in
post-conflict peacebuilding and natural
resource management, identifies lessons,
and raises awareness among practitioners
and scholars.
The major output of
a four-year research program, the publications
include over 150 case studies from conflict-affected
countries and territories, written by more
than 225 scholars, practitioners, and decision
makers from around the world.
Past experiences in
managing land, minerals and water after
conflict highlight the importance of natural
resources to peacebuilding as well as a
range of innovative approaches.
"Natural resources
cut across the peacebuilding priorities
identified by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,"
observed Carl Bruch of the Environmental
Law Institute, "and we have learned
much about approaches for managing natural
resources to support peacebuilding."
There are no simple solutions, though. Professor
Jeffrey D. Sachs of Columbia University
noted that "Mastering complexity is
at the core of peacebuilding, and we must
avoid oversimplifying both the issues and
our responses."
Many of the emerging
tools for managing natural resources in
post-conflict countries emphasize transparency.
These include, for example, the Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative, environmental
impact assessment, and making concession
contracts and wealth sharing provisions
publicly available. Sierra Leone and other
countries have made progress in promoting
transparency in the governance of natural
resources. Where countries have made progress,
it is usually due to political will and
leadership. For example, Haddijatou Jallow,
the head of the Environment Protection Agency-Sierra
Leone, reported that "political commitment
at the highest level of government to transparency
and good governance of natural resources
was essential to the progress made by Sierra
Leone."
The experts and ambassadors
highlighted the importance of strengthening
peace mediation initiatives through better
understanding of how conflicts over natural
resources drive, reinforce, or compound
political, security, or socio-economic tensions
and stress factors.
Establishing local level
dispute resolution capacity and effective
mechanisms for resolving grievances over
natural resource access and ownership were
also identified as key needs. Noting that
"Local conflicts over natural resources
can easily escalate," Judy Cheng Hopkins,
the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding
Support, called for "more consistent
international action to effectively mediate
disputes over natural resources and to ensure
the benefits of resource extraction are
shared more equitably". In many cases,
however, she noted that there are difficulties
in national leaders and international organizations
in connecting with civil society and gaining
their trust.
Noting experiences in
their own conflict-affected countries, ambassadors
from both Nepal and Somalia emphasized the
importance of decentralization and public
participation in resource management, as
well as being realistic about the challenges
facing post-conflict societies. They also
called on the UN system to make more technical
expertise and resources available to help
countries avoid the perils, and capitalize
on the opportunities, presented by natural
resources. In this regard, Professor Sachs
noted that the series of books provide "an
extraordinary, unique, and invaluable resource
for practitioners, researchers, and decision
makers" to meet these needs.
In closing the meeting,
Ambassador Jan Grauls, the Permanent Representative
of Belgium to the United Nations, highlighted
a proposal by Belgium, Gabon, and a Group
of Friends on Natural Resources-including
Finland-for a draft resolution on natural
resource governance and transparency in
the next session of the General Assembly.
He also stressed the importance of the fact
that hitherto autonomous topics such as
mediation, peacebuilding, and transparency
are now converging into a nexus of related
and mutually reinforcing elements.
This meeting is part
of a week-long series of events on peacebuilding
and natural resources convened in New York
for political missions, UN staff, experts,
and researchers. These events seek to share
findings, raise awareness, and catalyze
action, including the development of curricula
for courses and training programs.
The new book series
and its associated research project is the
largest undertaking of its kind and will
become a major milestone toward improving
post-conflict resource management.
David Jensen, of the
United Nations Environment Programme, said:
"This series is an extraordinary step
forward in terms of understanding how to
sustain peace after conflict using the natural
resource base." The research outcomes
will be used for further policy development,
technical assistance, staff training, and
field-level capacity building programs globally.
