Description
Environmental treaties could have a particular role in peacebuilding as initiatives can be launched under these to invoke sustainable development and international cooperation in post-conflict states. Such initiatives are often undertaken by international actors forming an environmental governance structure in war-torn states. They can fill an institutional gap in post-conflict states often lacking the ability to implement the treaties. The World Heritage Convention has been applied in this manner to protect the world heritage sites during and after the armed conflicts taking place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It has functioned as vehicle to invoke a network of various actors to engage in environmental peacebuilding. Under the World Heritage Convention, international actors have mobilized recovery measures through establish funds for reconstruction, capacity building, cooperative relations with various international and local actors by entering partnerships etc. Several initiatives are launched aiming at social and economic progress and at the same time safeguarding world heritage sites in the DRC. The mix of environmental protection as well as social and economic development embodies the principle or concept of sustainable development – one of the foremost environmental norms in international environmental law. However, other measures launched under the World Heritage Convention in the DRC have contributed to militarize the world heritage sites by providing means to install armed and military trained guards that drive local communities out of the sites. Thus, the conservation activities may have destabilisation effects contrary to the aim of peacebuilding. In this paper, I argue that environmental treaties can have an important role in peacebuilding but they need to be implemented with precaution to ensure that they do not interfere with the peace process.| Period | 2017 |
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| Event title | IUCN Academy of Environmental Law : 15th Annual Colloquium |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Cebu, PhilippinesShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |