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Graduate School of Frontier Sciences and expressed her hope

that this may be the first of many. She noted that though
scattered and anecdotal accounts exist of the link between
natural resources and the environment, and their impact on
unu-ias conflict, peace and livelihoods, this United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) report is the first decisive
document to put the focus squarely on this dynamic to

meeting note provide researchers and policy-makers with a common


framework to consider more appropriate future responses.
Professor Mikiyasu Nakayama, Professor of the Department
of International Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences
at the University of Tokyo, outlined how his long-term
research interests moved towards the management of
International Seminar
natural resources and its implications for conflict resolution
Natural Resources and the Environment: and peacebuilding. For the past two years, he has been
Implications for Conflict Resolution, focusing on this important emerging topic in close
Peacebuilding and Livelihoods collaboration with the Environmental Law Institute (ELI),
UNEP, and others. Though his expertise is in the
WEDNESDAY, 22 April 2009 environmental management of river and lake basins such as
the Mekong Delta, this shift in focus to include livelihood and
UNU-IAS, Yokohama, Japan
security implications in his analysis was in part inspired by the
new topics prospective students at his university showed an
Introduction interest in to explore. Nakayama too expressed his hope that
this seminar would mark the beginning of new opportunities
Livelihoods in the developing world are often closely
to collaborate on research with UNU-IAS.
linked to natural resources, such as water, land, or timber.
Changes in the availability of these resources – through
UNEP Report Launch
climate and other environmental changes – coupled with
From Conflict to Peacebuilding: The Role of Natural
demographic changes and political factors are increasingly
Resources and the Environment
recognized as causes underlying conflict. As the UNEP report
From Conflict to Peacebuilding: The Role of Natural Resources Mr. David Jensen, Policy and Planning Coordinator for
and the Environment suggests, however, the environment UNEP’s Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch, and
also presents opportunities for achieving peace and primary author of the report, began his presentation stating
development. The sustainable use of natural resources can in that in this his experience, UN field personnel in the midst of
fact be a driver of livelihoods restoration, dialogue, conflict situations rarely believe that the environment should
confidence-building, peacebuilding, and economic prosperity. be a key priority in post-conflict situations. He explained that
United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies the goal of this UNEP report was to change this perception
(UNU-IAS) and the University of Tokyo Graduate School of and to convince field personnel, decision-makers and other
Frontier Sciences convened a joint International Seminar, key stakeholders that natural resources should be a priority,
titled Natural Resources and the Environment: Implications for three main reasons. First, natural resources underpin
for Conflict Resolution, Peacebuilding, and Livelihoods in April other priorities. Second, failure to properly manage natural
2009. The seminar served two purposes: it marked the Japan resources can create new sources of conflict. Third, co-
launch of the UNEP report, and was followed by a Research management of natural resources offers opportunities for
Roundtable to showcase emerging research at the two peacebuilding and confidence-building.
institutes, showing how the environment and the Jensen stated that since 1950, 40% of violent conflicts
management of natural resources are linked to the feasibility have been fuelled by natural resources, and that these
of livelihoods restoration and, in the long-term, peacebuilding. conflicts have been twice as likely to relapse within five years.
Jensen went on to identify three pathways whereby natural
Opening resources relate to conflict: Competition for access to and
Professor Govindan Parayil, Vice-Rector of UNU and ownership of resources may in fact be the underlying reason
Director of UNU-IAS, welcomed the speakers and participants for a conflict. Additionally, natural resources that monetarily
to the seminar. Dr. Claudia ten Have, Managing Research benefit participants in the conflict, giving them a vested
Fellow and Head of the Sustainable Development Governance interest in postponing peace. He also described how conflict
(SDG) Programme of UNU-IAS noted that this was the first impacts the environment. This impact can be the direct result
joint research showcase event with the University of Tokyo of combat, the indirect consequence of people attempting to

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survive in a conflict area, or the consequence of the contention, as well as opportunities for co-operation. He
breakdown of institutions. noted the danger of delaying difficult decisions on natural
However, Jensen also emphasized that natural resources resources in the interest of achieving an agreement. He also
can be used to consolidate peace. In this regard, he explained highlighted the importance of addressing the role of
how natural resources can kickstart economic recovery, resources as part of reforming the security sector, including
provide access to resources to sustain livelihoods, and the difficulties of regularizing a military with a history of
provide opportunities for co-operation and co-management, direct income from resource extraction during conflict times.
and ultimately trust-building, a key ingredient for long-term He also pointed specifically to the potential of natural
conflict resolution and peacebuilding. resources in demobilization and reintegration programmes.
Jensen concluded by offering recommendations to He observed that natural resources play a similar role in
systematically address this peace dividend intersection with economic rebuilding, the provision of basic services as peace
natural resources. In this regard, he particularly emphasized dividends, and the encouragement of reconciliation.
the importance of changing mindsets and building capacity to In conclusion, Bruch noted the role of resources in
reduce the potential of conflict relapse and to provide governance and law. He observed that post-conflict countries
positive incentives for peacebuilding. often rewrite their laws, and have to decide what parts of
their system to keep. In this regard, Bruch emphasized the
Commentary by Anita Pratap potential for multilateral environmental agreements and
efforts to put in place natural resource co-management
Ms. Anita Pratap, former South Asia Bureau Chief of CNN,
structures to provide for the reentry of post-conflict countries
remarked that her experience as a journalist for over 30 years
into the international community.
and reporting on conflicts in South Asia, showed that three
groups impact lives – the government, private industries, and
Commentary by Jon Unruh
civil society – and of the three, she prioritized the impacts of
government on livelihoods as the most consequential. Professor Jon Unruh, Professor in the Department of
Pratap pointed out that while there has been Geography at McGill University, underlined, as previous
unprecedented prosperity globally, as seen by recent food speakers did, the imperative to integrate environment and
price spikes; however, this prosperity was also accompanied natural resources into peace processes. He noted that many
by distress in agricultural developing country economies with still associate the environment and natural resources as
direct impacts on the livelihoods of millions. Governments supplementary policy goals for well-being and stability, as
have focused on industrial growth and underinvested in opposed to understand that targeted environmental resource
agriculture, resulting in, among other effects, rural collapses policy responses are in fact fundamental policy objectives, as
in India and acute pollution problems in China. In many parts resources are often the root causes of conflict. In many post-
of the world, the rural economy has become unsustainable conflict situations, the physical violence may end, however,
and unproductive, driving environmental degradation, rural the underlying reasons of the conflict, such as land
to urban migration and further burdened urban settings. In degradation and resources disputes, remain.
this context, she underlined the imperative for governmental According to Unruh, there are high costs associated with
action to focus on environmental management for broader not integrating natural resources, and concurrently, there are
employment and sustainable growth. simply many benefits for sustainable peacebuilding to tackle
Pratap spoke of her renewed hope for decided steps the resource question head-on. He underlined the
forward given Ambassador Richard Holbrooke efforts to bring importance of real analysis of the role of natural resources in
together the US, Japan, and India to revive the agricultural conflict and the imperative to pass this knowledge to external
sector in Afghanistan. She underlined that agricultural revival mediators. Many well-meaning external mediators simply are
with environmental standards in place requires good not familiar with the natural resource base of a given country,
governance and in conclusion, called for environment rights and may underestimate its impact on the long-term stability
to be highlighted in addition to human rights to enable of a peace plan, as a more informed local group may well be
growth, prosperity, and a sustainable and peaceful way of life. in the position to out-negotiate the third-party mediator.
Unruh agreed with the UNEP report’s recommendation
Commentary by Carl Bruch that there is much to be gained from building on existing
community-based systems and traditions of natural resource
Mr. Carl Bruch, Senior Attorney at the Environmental
management especially through the targeted inclusion of
Law Institute (ELI), described the need to place resources into
diverse local stakeholders. Without broad involvement, he
the conceptual frameworks used by post-conflict
concluded, an important opportunity for peace is lost.
practitioners, and outlined the cross-cutting role of resources
Lastly, Unruh called for new legal instruments to be
in a number of sectors of post-conflict activity.
developed to connect lines of diverging interests. In this
Bruch focused on the role of natural resources in peace
regard, he mentioned Liberia’s initiative to track timber. He
agreements, and their capacity to serve as major points of

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concluded challenging scholars to see the UNEP report as a Programme, spoke on the linkages between climate change,
list of research needs for the legal and academic community human security, and conflict. He argued that environmental
to support and join the work of UNEP and the UN. change, such as climate change, impacts on social interaction
and can lead to resource scarcity, which in turn can raise the
potential for direct conflict. He demonstrated a correlation
between rising temperatures and increased incidences of
intra-state conflict. Webersik conducted a spatial analysis on
the linkage between drought and conflict in Africa, and found
that the higher the degree of agricultural dependency, the
higher the risk of an outbreak of violence in a given drought
year. Other significant findings include that drought is only
one contributing factor, and economic shocks caused by
drought are more likely to cause political instability than re-
occurring dry periods.
Webersik then elaborated on his research to test this
linkage in the Central American context of Haiti and the
Dominican Republic. Both battered by severe tropical
From left to right: Jon Unruh, Carl Bruch, Anita Pratap cyclones, how was the political downfall of Jean-Bertrand
UNU-IAS/Mugi Akimoto Aristide related to these natural disasters? Webersik did not
find a direct link, though concluded that these natural
Report Launch Question and Answer/Discussion disasters lower economic growth and political violence
weakened coping mechanisms in Haiti to a far greater extent
Many participants expressed agreement with the
than in the Dominican Republic. The factors precipitating the
importance of natural resources in post-conflict situations,
violence in Haiti included political exclusion, extra-legal
and shared the concern that the role of resources had been ill
activities such as drug trafficking and money-laundering, and
understood in the past. One questioner emphasized the need
horizontal inequalities.
for a permanent UNEP presence in DRC. Jensen responded
that until, lack of funding had prevented a local presence, but
Demobilization, Reintegration, and Natural Resources in
this had recently been addressed with the opening of a UNEP
Afghanistan
office in Kinshasa.
Ms. Mami Sato, Graduate School of Frontier Science at
Jensen further re-emphasised that a key goal of the
the University of Tokyo, described disarmament,
UNEP report was to articulate the implications of this funding
demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programmes and
gap to policy-makers in UN donor countries, and highlighted
agricultural programmes implemented in Afghanistan by the
the report’s utility also for the Peacebuilding Commission.
Japanese government. She noted that Japan was the primary
Japan, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the
funder of reintegration programmes in Afghanistan. By the
European Commission were identified as donors particularly
end of the 2006 reintegration programme, 56,000
in tune with these concerns. It was emphasised though that
combatants had been reintegrated.
the complexity of post-conflict politics requires
Sato explained that of these reintegrated persons, 42.9%
responsiveness from a wider range of parties, including
opted for agricultural reintegration programmes while 21%
leaders within post-conflict countries.
chose vocational training. This occurred in a country where
Another discussion topic revolved around the role of
80% of the people rely on agriculture. This disparity may be
customary law in dealing with bioprospecting in post-conflict
accounted for by the refusal to allow Afghans without
situations. While this topic was beyond the direct scope of
landholdings and agricultural experience to opt for
this meeting, panellists agreed that properly valuing
agricultural integration. While those who elected educational
biodiversity and taking advantage of customary laws and
training had immediate job opportunities rebuilding
traditional institutions to better manage such resources was
Afghanistan’s infrastructure, Sato was sceptical that this level
an important consideration.
of vocational employment would be sustainable in the long-
term. Sato also observed that by disarming the victorious
Roundtable Showcasing Emerging Research at UNU-IAS and
Northern Alliance, the DDR programs unintentionally shifted
University of Tokyo
the balance of power towards the Taliban. Moreover, she
identified a lack of coordination between the Japanese
Climate Change, Conflict, and Livelihoods
reintegration effort and reform to the security sector led by
Dr. Christian Webersik, JSPS-UNU Postdoctoral Fellow in the United States and Germany.
the UNU-IAS Sustainable Development Governance

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In terms of agricultural programmes, Sato noted that Jensen described past UNEP attempts to serve as a neutral
Japan primarily funded irrigation projects, while NGOs facilitator, but regretted the recent breakdown of discussion.
provided training. She criticized the lack of coordination He expressed his hope that recent changes in US policy will
between the two groups. Sato also speculated that more lead to reengagement on this issue.
training on preservation technology and improved business One questioner asked about the relation of rises in
approaches for agriculture was needed to fully restore agricultural productivity to GDP growth in post-war Japan,
Afghanistan’s agricultural potential, and to counteract the and the connection between deforestation in Haiti and the
spread of poppy cultivation. Dominican Republic and GDP fluctuations. Sugiura allowed
for some connection, but stated that agricultural productivity
Water Resources Management, Agricultural Productivity, started from a low point that effects in GDP were minimal.
and Flood Control: A Case Study of Japanese Water Projects Webersik agreed on the intersection of deforestation and
after World War II economic and environmental vulnerability.

Dr. Mikiko Sugiura, Assistant Professor at the Graduate


Closing
School of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of
Tokyo, focused her case study on the period of 1945 to 1951, In closing, Bruch reiterated the importance of recognising,
which saw the sharpest increase of agricultural productivity articulating and acting on the intersection of conflict
and coincidentally the implementation of Japan’s National resolution, peacebuilding, and livelihoods. He pointed out
Agricultural Water Projects. Sugiura posed the question: that as an emerging research field, the intersection of natural
What factors in the period contributed to the increase in resources and post-conflict peacebuilding has yet to be
agricultural productivity, which resulted in Japan’s post-war recognised as a distinct scholarly domain, as the current
reconstruction? To answer this, she conducted a comparative absence of a dedicated journal and conferences attest.
analysis of water usage and flood control. The next step important for this emerging understanding
Literature on water irrigation projects states that is to focus on integrating what we are learning about the
centralized irrigation water project initiated and linkages into policy and operations on the ground. Different
implemented by government may negatively impact parts of the UN as well as regional institutions, whether
agricultural productivity, whereas a more decentralized working in peacekeeping, humanitarian or development,
approach may have a more positive impact. Sugiura simply have to be sensitised to the impact of natural
characterized Japan’s case, as transitional from decentralized resources in peacebuilding, both for better and for worse.
to centralized. She argued that in Japan’s case many gains In closing, Nakayama and Parayil thanked all speakers
were achieved in this move to a more centralised approach and participants, and expressed their hope for future
because it included active consultation and interaction opportunities for research collaboration between UNU-IAS
among grassroots stakeholders and the authorities. Bottom- and the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Frontier
up involvement in water usage management included, for Sciences.
example, the continuation of the pre-war custom of
monitoring and manage usage by villagers themselves.
However, while a more centralised approach with strong Speakers and Chairs
involvement of local stakeholders brought many gains in Govindan Parayil, Vice-Rector, UNU and Director, UNU-IAS
water management, she found no such benefits when it came Claudia ten Have, Managing Research Fellow, UNU-IAS
to a change to more centralised flood control management. Mikiyasu Nakayama, Professor, Graduate School of Frontier
Centralisation in flood control had in fact the opposite effect, Sciences, University of Tokyo
as it resulted in fewer incentives for interaction by and David Jensen, Policy and Planning Coordinator, UNEP
support of grassroots stakeholders. Anita Pratap, Former South Asia Bureau Chief, CNN
Carl Bruch, Senior Attorney and Co-Director of International
Roundtable Question and Answer/Discussion Programs, ELI
Regarding reintegration in Afghanistan, Jensen asked Jon Unruh, Professor, Department of Geography, McGill
whether the need to demonstrate land title ever caused University
conflict. Sato responded that customary law mechanisms Christian Webersik, JSPS-UNU Postdoctoral Fellow, UNU-IAS
seem to have been effective in adjudicating such disputes. Mami Sato, Graduate School of Frontier Science, University
of Tokyo
The current Afghan system prioritizes customary over
Mikiko Sugiura, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of
statutory law, which seems to be proving a successful model.
Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo
Another questioner asked about the state of international
policy concerning the Sistan Basin between Iran and
Afghanistan.
This unu-ias meeting note was written by Yoshie Oya of UNU-IAS and Ross Wolfarth of ELI, and edited by Claudia ten Have, PhD, of UNU-IAS.
For further information, contact: Yoshie Oya at oya@ias.unu.edu, +81-45-221-2300

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