The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and the Global Infrastructure Fund (GIF) Research Foundation Japan are undertaking a project — with the support of the Center for Global Partnership (CGP) of the Japan Foundation — to improve post-conflict security and diplomacy. In particular, the project examines how natural resource management and infrastructure redevelopment can improve security, diplomacy, and peacebuilding after a conflict.
This project engages researchers and practitioners from Japan and the United States, two of the most significant sources of assistance to post-conflict countries. Together, the researchers are analyzing specific experiences in post-conflict natural resource management and infrastructure development from Asia and the Pacific, using a common template. Drawing upon the lessons learned from these case studies, the project will:
- Identify approaches and lessons learned;
- Seek to strengthen bilateral policies in post-conflict peacebuilding;
- Disseminate the research results widely to inform ongoing discussions regarding options for improving multilateral peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding efforts by better accounting for the potentially important role of natural resources and infrastructure; and
- Foster a sustained exchange of experiences and perspectives through networking, joint research, and collaborative publication and policy suggestions.
To facilitate the exchange of experiences, the project is convening a series of international symposia, including:
The First Symposium on Strengthening Post-Conflict Security and Diplomacy: Lessons Learned in Integrating Natural Resources, Infrastructure, and Peacebuilding
The Second Symposium on Strengthening Post-Conflict Security and Diplomacy: Policy Recommendations to Integrate Natural Resources, Infrastructure, and Peacebuilding
The third and fourth symposia will be held in 2011 in Washington, DC and in Tokyo.
This project complements a global initiative that ELI is undertaking in partnership with the University of Tokyo, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the Specialist Group on Armed Conflict & the Environment of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law. Together, these institutions are examining lessons learned in post-conflict natural resource management to improve peacebuilding.