IEMA joins 102 NGOs and experts from 33 countries to mark the UN day on conflict and the environment by calling on the international community to take bold actions before, during and after armed conflicts to protect people and ecosystems.
The signatories underline their call by drawing attention to a series of serious incidents in ongoing conflicts that have harmed people and the environment. They argue that, although more attention than ever before is being paid to how environmental factors can lead to conflicts, how the environment is affected by conflicts, and how the environment can help restore peace, this has yet to translate into meaningful change on the ground.
The NGOs are active in the fields of human rights, humanitarian disarmament, development and environmental protection, and are joined by leading experts in conservation, international law, public health, peacebuilding and other fields.
“Peace, security and environmental protection go hand in hand. We fully support the UN International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, recognising that we need to act with greater urgency and coherence to reduce the threats armed conflicts pose to people, our environment and ultimately our health and livelihoods.” - Martin Baxter, Chief Policy Advisor
The full news release can be viewed via the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) website
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