Issue #315 – Feb 3, 2026

Announcements

Environment and Peace – International Call for Proposals (Deadline: February 16, 2026)

February 3, 2026 | PeaceNexus

Environmental organisations play a critical role in the fight against biodiversity loss and climate change. In doing so, they navigate complex social dynamics and tensions.

Registration for the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding Is Now Open

February 3, 2026 | Environmental Peacebuilding Association and University of Ottawa

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association® (EnPAx®) and the University of Ottawa are delighted to announce that registration for the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding is now open.

Applications Open for IPT Specialization Course on Environmental Peacebuilding

January 24, 2026 | Austrian Centre for Peace

Climate change and environmental degradation affect human security in diverse and intersecting ways and can amplify existing conflicts and humanitarian crises.

Call for Submissions — Environmental Research Letters Focus Issue: Focus on Initial and Enduring Environmental Consequences of Armed Conflict

January 20, 2026 | Environmental Research Letters

Recent years have seen a sharp rise in armed conflicts worldwide with some estimates pointing to a roughly 25% increase in conflict events each year since 2020, alongside a growing population directly affected…

Events

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

Sulh for the Soil: Integrating Islamic Peacemaking and Environmental Justice in Family Dispute Resolution (A Path to Ottawa Event)

March 23, 2026 Sulha Solutions
online

How can culturally grounded conciliation resolve land disputes that have lasted not just decades—but generations?

Leaving No One Behind: Climate Action in Contested Spaces (A Path to Ottawa Event)

March 19, 2026 Centre on Armed Groups
online

The event will present the findings of novel research the Centre on Armed Groups is undertaking on the environmental governance practices of non-state armed groups, their perceptions of climate risk, and what works…

GundxChange: Defueling Conflict: Practical Advice for Environmental Peacebuilding in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings

March 6, 2026 Gund Institute for Environment
Burlington, VT and online

In these weekly talks, hosted by the Gund Institute for Environment, scholars and leaders exchange ("xChange") new research and solutions for people and planet.

Environmental Peacebuilding (Practitioner Training Course)

March 2, 2026 - 2026-03-06 KURVE Wustrow
Wustrow, Germany

Building peace can only be truly successful if also the environment is protected. In violent conflicts, ecosystems are often suffering, if not destroyed.

Peace with the Land: Reconciliation, Environmental Peacebuilding, and Indigenous Environmental Stewardship in Canada (Turtle Island) (A Path to Ottawa Event)

February 11, 2026 University of Ottawa and Environmental Peacebuilding Association
Ottawa, Canada

The objective of the event is to facilitate an interdisciplinary dialogue around Indigenous environmental stewardship, reconciliation, and environmental peacebuilding in the settler-colonial context (Turtle Island (Canada)), thus generating insights relevant to the Environmental…

Environmental Peacebuilding in Transboundary River Catchments (A Path to Ottawa Event)

February 10, 2026 Environmental Peacebuilding Association
online

Climate change is fueling human conflicts around the world. Degradation of ecosystems, including land and water resources, has forced mass migration among communities, both within nations and internationally.

After COP30: Securing Peace in a Warming World (A Path to Ottawa Event)

February 4, 2026 Surge Africa Organisation (SAO)
online

This will be an online discussion examining how peace and security featured before, during, and after COP30, and why the nexus remained largely peripheral within formal UNFCCC negotiations.

Library

In the last two weeks, 10 new publications were added to our online library of materials on environmental peacebuilding. Here is a sampling of the new additions:

Environmental Peacebuilding: The Year in Review and the Year Ahead [Video]

February 3, 2026
Environmental Peacebuilding Association

EnPAx held its annual Year in Review and the Year Ahead Webinar which discussed the global developments in Environmental Peacebuilding during 2025 and the things to look forward to in 2026.

The Effects of Climate Change on Security

February 3, 2026
NATO Science and Technology Organization

This report analyses how climate change rapidly transforms NATO’s strategic environment. Four case studies are presented: the northwestern parts of Africa, the Arctic, the east flank (Dnipro watershed), and military mitigation efforts.

"We Are Building a Fortress on Quicksand": The Fatal Flaw in Europe’s Defense Boom [Video]

February 3, 2026 | Florian Krampe

At the Austrian National Bank, Dr Florian Krampe delivers a wake-up call to European policymakers: The massive reallocation of capital toward defense is destined to fail if it ignores the physical realities of…

Climate, Conflict and the Development Squeeze [Audio]

February 3, 2026 | Florian Krampe and Dan Banik
In Pursuit of Development

Dan Banik and Florian Krampe explore how climate change is reshaping development and security debates -- not as a single cause of conflict, but as a force that intensifies existing vulnerabilities in fragile…

From Crisis to Resilience: Climate Solutions for Positive Peacebuilding

February 3, 2026
UNDP Climate Promise

This publication brings together practical, country-led experiences that illustrate how climate action can also contribute to peace and stability in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Critical Minerals and Contested Sovereignty: Inside the US–DRC Agreement

February 3, 2026
Public Citizen, Friends of the Congo, United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society, and Earthworks

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has endured escalating violence and upheaval since the 2022 revival of a historic regional conflict.

Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era

February 3, 2026 | Kaveh Madani
United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health

Published on the occasion of UNU-INWEH’s 30th anniversary, and ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference, this flagship report, Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era, argues that…

January 23, 2026 | Tobias Ide, Ore Koren, and Luke Derrick
Environment and Security

Concerns about climate change and conflict are ubiquitous.

Jobs

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

Sweden: Professor of Peace and Conflict Research

February 3, 2026 | Uppsala University, Deparment of Peace and Conflict Reserach

The Department of Peace and Conflict Reserach is one of the world’s leading research environments in peace and conflict research with nearly forty faculty and researchers working at the forefront on topics related…

Colombia: FEWS NET Colombia Country Technical Senior Specialist - Conflict

February 3, 2026 | Chemonics

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Government (USG) and is intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food insecurity…

DRC: Explosive Ordnance Threat Mitigation (EOTM) Trainer (EOD / IED)

February 3, 2026 | CTG (Committed To Good)

CTG was established in 2006, almost 20 years ago, in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Humanitarian Advocacy and External Communications Expert

February 3, 2026 | Action contre la Faim France

Created in 1979, Action contre la Faim is a non-governmental organization that fights against hunger.

Ukraine: Senior Assessment Officer, Based in Kyiv

February 3, 2026 | IMPACT Initiatives

IMPACT Initiatives is a Geneva-based humanitarian NGO, aimed to improve the impact of humanitarian, stabilization, and development action through data, partnerships and capacity building programmes.

UK: Climate Data Analyst

February 3, 2026 | International Rescue Committee

To support IRC’s growing portfolio of climate resilience programming— including anticipatory action, disaster risk finance, climate adaptive livelihoods, etc— IRC is increasing its climate data analysis capacity to forecast climate hazards and analyze…

Yemen: Policy, Advocacy and Communication Expert

February 3, 2026 | Action contre la Faim France

Created in 1979, Action contre la Faim is a non-governmental organization that fights against hunger.

International News

In the last two weeks, 27 international news items on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website. The following is a sampling:

DRC: Gold and Geopolitical Risk: M23 War Chest Swells in Eastern DRC

January 30, 2026 | Zachary Fillingham
Geopolitical Monitor

Gold prices are up by 84% over the year as global investors flock to safe havens.

Liberia: Liberia Moves to Build Agricultural Commodity Traceability System

January 30, 2026
Ecofin Agency

In Liberia, the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) is drafting a roadmap to establish a National Agricultural Traceability System designed to track the origin of raw agricultural commodities from farm to market.

Sudan: Saudi Fund for Development and UNHCR Partner to Improve Water Access in Sudan

January 28, 2026
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Africa

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by HE Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) signed today a USD 10 million grant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Office…

Myanmar: How CERF-Supported Solar Power Is Transforming Life and Dignity in Myanmar’s Dry Zone

January 28, 2026
UN Children's Fund and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

UNICEF, through critical funding from the OCHA-managed UN Global Emergency Fund (CERF), helped install a fully solar-powered water system bringing clean, reliable water directly to every household compound in the village.

Afghanistan: Kabul on the Brink of Collapse: The Ground beneath Millions Is Sinking

January 26, 2026 | Kazim Homayoun
Hasht-e-Subh Daily

Imagine a city of more than six million people where the ground beneath their feet sinks a little more each day.

India: Securing Animals' Food Sources Reduces Conflict with Humans

January 26, 2026 | Aditya Pandey and Sudeshna Chowdhury

In India’s north‑eastern state of Assam, growing human‑elephant conflict is revealing how fragile food security and shrinking habitats affect both people and wildlife.

Nigeria: Ranching as a Path to Ending Herder–Farmer Conflicts

January 23, 2026 | Humaid Rabiu Shehu
PRNigeria

For decades, the farmers–herders conflict has ranked among Nigeria’s most persistent and destabilising internal security challenges.

Mali/Mauritania/Senegal: Senegal, Mali, Mauritania Launch $7M Cross-Border Water Project for Peace

January 22, 2026 | Lydie Mobio
Ecofin Agency

Senegal, Mali, and Mauritania have launched a cross-border project aimed at making sustainable water management a strategic tool for cooperation, peace, and climate resilience in the border areas of the three countries, according…

Water: Humanity Is Running out of Water and It Could Mean War, UN Warns

January 21, 2026 | Adam Vidler
9NEWS

Every human life, household, and community on the planet is sustained by water - to bathe, to grow food, and of course, to drink.

Nature Loss Is a National Security Risk, Intelligence Group Warns

January 21, 2026 | Mark Poynting
BBC

The decline in the health of nature around the world poses a threat to the UK's security and prosperity, an intelligence committee has concluded in a long-awaited report.

Blogs & Opinion

In the last two weeks, 11 blogs & opinion pieces on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website. Here is a sampling:

Local Resilience Can Mitigate Climate Conflicts in the Pacific

January 31, 2026 | Tobias Ide

The Pacific Island countries are at the frontline of climate change. Their territories mostly consist of small, low-lying islands, with long coastlines and vast ocean spaces between them.

Critical Minerals: Licensing, Tariffs, and the New Supply-Chain Risk

January 29, 2026 | Mark R. Ludwikowski, Kelsey Christensen, and Ashley Gifford

Critical minerals are no longer just industrial inputs. They are now strategic assets treated by governments as both economic infrastructure and national security leverage.

The Double Threat: How Conflict and Climate Change Disrupt Agricultural Input Use

January 29, 2026 | Rajalakshmi Nirmal

We often talk about war and weather as separate disasters. But for a farmer, they are a combined force.

Water Cooperation Is Under Threat

January 26, 2026 | Susanne Schmeier, Melissa McCracken, and Aaron Wolf

Rivers, lakes, and aquifers ignore borders and politics, binding countries, people, and ecosystems together. This shared reality has long required cooperation, even among states divided by tensions or conflict.

The Looming Hydrological Crisis: How Water Weaponization Threatens Regional Stability and International Order

January 24, 2026 | Jamal Khan

Rising tensions over shared rivers in South Asia highlight how water management disputes increasingly threaten regional stability, human security, and broader international order.

Afghanistan’s Secret Gold Rush Risks Poisoning Its Waters

January 23, 2026 | Shahla Muram and Nadja Kunz

Afghanistan is one of the countries most affected by climate change, and the largely hidden gold rush in Badakhshan is not only endangering the lives and livelihoods of its more than 1 million…

Getting Critical Minerals Certification and Due Diligence Right in the DRC-Rwanda Accord and beyond (With a Lesson from a Punk Band?)

January 21, 2026 | Brad Brooks-Rubin

Most current analysis focuses on the core challenge of how critical minerals can be extracted in a smooth and efficient manner, on the one hand, and how supply chain certification and due diligence…

The Arctic Illusion: Why Greenland Proves That Climate Cooperation Is a Myth

January 20, 2026 | Anusreeta Dutta

For decades, the Arctic has been portrayed as an outlier in world politics, where science prevails over enmity and climate cooperation trumps strategic conflict.

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.

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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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Compiled by Buket Altınçelep, Maria Camilla Cadonici, Karishma Goswami, Amelie L'Henaff, Liz Hessami, Madeleine Loll, Kathleen McLean, Avery Thau, and Milen Yishak
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