Dr' Patricia KameriMbote

1
Environment Conflict Linkages Experiences from
the Great Lakes Region the Nile

• Dr. Patricia Kameri-Mbote
• Faculty of Law, University of
• Nairobi International Environmental Law
  Research Centre

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Outline

• Introduction
• Environment Security Work in East Africa
• African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS)
• UNEP
• Nile Basin
• HBF dialogues
• Conclusion

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Introduction

• Many of the African continents violent conflicts
  linked to NR (scarcity and/or abundance)
• Peace and security fundamental to Africas
  sustainable development (AU NEPAD)
• Broader Context for Envt-Conflict Linkages
• 1. Primacy of environmental/natural resources
• Poverty wealth linked to these resources
• Land tenure/ natural resource management
  interface
• Role of Policy Law as providing the governance
  context
• 2. Envt Conflict management a major policy
  challenge for Eastern African, Horn Great Lakes
  Region
• Among top ten refugee generators hosts

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Introduction (2)

• Challenges in envt-security discourse in the
  region
• Envtl scarcities per se not directly cause
  conflict (Intermediate effects)
• Envtl factors as triggers, sustainers sources
  of conflict
• Trigger Spark off escalate violent conflict
  e.g. severe drought, a devastating flood or a
  volcanic eruption
• Sustainer Aggravate, perpetuate conflict, spoil
  opportunities for peace, undermine possibilities
  for communication
• Sources
• Political, social, economic or ecological
  imbalances between different actors and groups
• E.g. Land, forest resources, pasture, minerals
• Lack of democratic legitimacy good governance
  (weakened states)
• Absence of opportunities for peaceful
  reconciliation of diverging needs and interests
  and
• Lack of an active and organized civil society
  (Weakened communities).

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Environment Security Work in East Africa

• Involvement in environment-security work at
  different levels
• 1. ACTS project on Ecological Sources of
  Conflict in SSA launched in 2000 concluded in
  2001
• 2. UNEP Nairobi Initiative to mainstream
  environment into the security discourse
• 3. Nile Basin Discourse
• 4. Engagement in fora discussing issues of
  security
• HBF Institute of Diplomacy International
  Studies Dialogue on Regional Security

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Work at ACTS

• Aims of the study
• 1. To identify and assess the extent to which
  environmental factors have been important sources
  of conflict in SSA
• 2. To promote the integration of environmental
  factors into regional and international processes
  for conflict management and prevention in SSA
• 3. To promote the integration of environmental
  factors into regional and international processes
  for conflict management and prevention in SSA
  (IGAD AU/NEPAD)
• Country studies Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan,
  Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi and DRC over a period of
  one year

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Work at ACTS (2)

• Findings
• Different ecological factors influence conflict
  triggering/fuelling
• Discovery of gold and diamonds and exploitation
  of coltan DRC
• Oil in Sudan
• Production and marketing of coffee in Burundi
• Access to and control over the allocation of the
  Nile waters
• Land scarcity ecological decline in Rwanda
• Local conflicts with global actors
• Work on land has been carried further with
  studies done on DRC, Burundi Rwanda
• Proposed work on Kenya

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UNEP Work

• Seeking to bring international discourse on envt
  security to the region
• Work on
• 1. Bringing environment to the dialogue on peace
  in the GL region
• 2. Stock-taking on institutions engaged in
  environment security work
• 3. Participation in an international group of
  experts discussing pertinent envt-security issues
  to contribute to UNEP work
• Challenge of bringing security work into the
  work of an envt focused institution
• Concern not to antagonise governments
• No naming discussion at general level
• Access to security people difficult

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UNEP Work (2)

• Mainstreaming envt into themes of GL Conference
• Peace Security
• Democracy Good Governance
• Economic Development Regional Integration
• Humanitarian Social issues
• Meeting of country reps from core GL countries in
  September (DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya,
  Tanzania Zambia)
• Statement for preparatory meeting
• Many people still not convinced
• Perception of envt as elitist concept detracting
  from development and poverty alleviation
• Statement from GL conference of heads of state
  awaited

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UNEP Work (2)

• Stocktaking of institutions
• Ongoing indicates lack of link between
  institutions working on conflict/security those
  working on environment
• Experts Group first meeting will be in March 2005
  in Bonn
• Ideas genesis at WWIC/UNEP meeting last
  December, followed by meeting with repves of
  regional groups in May 2004
• Terms of reference for the group evolving

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Nile Basin

• The Nile Basin covers ten countries Ethiopia,
  Eritrea, Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,
  DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and an area of about 3
  million square kilometres.
• The Nile Basin Initiative, developed over the
  years and formally established in 1999
• Brings Nile Basin countries to work together to
  develop the resources of the Nile for the benefit
  of all
• Context A long legacy of mutual recriminations,
  regional conflict, drought and other problems
• Initially cooperation was around scientific
  information sharing
• The shared vision of the Nile Basin Initiative is
  To achieve sustainable socio-economic
  development through equitable utilization of, and
  benefit from the common Nile basin water
  resources

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Nile Basin (2)

• The NBI organs
• The Council of Ministers (Nile-COM)
• The Technical Advisory Committee (Nile-TAC)
• The Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat (Nile-Sec)
• Programmes
• 1. The Shared Vision Programme (meant to help
  create an enabling environment for action on the
  ground) covering all riparian states and dealing
  with issues such as regional power trade, water
  resources planning, confidence building and
  stakeholder participation, socio-economic
  development and benefit-sharing among others.
• 2. Subsidiary Action Programme (Sub-basin
  projects)
• Eastern Nile Subsidiary Action Programme (ENSAP)
• Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Programme
  (NELSAP)

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Nile Basin Discourse

• The Nile Basin Discourse initiated to bring the
  voices of stakeholders other than government to
  the process of the development of the Nile basin
• Struggling to gain recognition of govt actors
  to marshall resources for meaningful engagement
• Has offices in Entebbe Uganda national forums
  in nine of the ten riparian countries

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Conclusion

• Peace and security predicated on addressing all
  causes of conflict involving all actors
• Security in our region a factor of internal
  relations
• State actors must co-opt participation of local
  actors to be successful
• Relationships between individuals in countries
  regions critical
• Powerful/powerless (socio-economic, gender etc)
• HBF work looking at regional security from gender
  angle how construction of masculinity
  femininity colours experience of security or lack
  of it
• Environmental resources come into sharp focus
  where countries very dependent on envtl resources
  for subsistence economic activities
• Gender variable critical here too

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Conclusion (2)

• Informing premise
• Our efforts must be seen in the larger context
  of our wide-ranging work to enhance human
  security in all its dimensions. National
  security and national interests can no longer
  be thought of in narrow terms, or as solely a
  question of military preparedness and might.
  Rather, our definition of security must encompass
  economic well-being, social justice,
  environmental protection, good governance and the
  rule of law (UN Chronicle Spring 1997)