Blum Center Partners in First International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding
2019 conference brought together 250 peacebuilders from around the world
The environment, conflict, and peace are inextricably linked. And there is critical need to further the understanding of where positive interventions can be built into the conflict-environment cycle. In the interest of supporting this essentially important dialogue, the Blum Center partnered with the Environmental Peacebuilding Association to host the First International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding. The conference was hosted at the University of California, Irvine, and took place in October of 2019.
The event brought 250 scholars and practitioners from over 30 countries together, all with distinct backgrounds and experiences in the environmental peacebuilding field. These professionals were able to bridge disciplinary gaps and share valuable insights during the 7 roundtables, 27 panels, 9 training sessions, and 17 posters presented during the three-day event.
Environmental Peacebuilding in Colombia and the use of new technologies in the field were featured topics. However, the conference also included presentations on governance, law, and conflict prevention, gender, and peace-building in the context of a changing climate, among others. Within each topic, practitioners were invited to explore questions of how to build resilience, engage more stakeholders, and build better early warning systems.
In an effort to encourage alternative threads of discussion, the conference also featured opportunities to creatively engage with the content. This included a photographic exhibition exploring the impacts of conflict on vulnerable populations as well as a screening of ‘Fincas Bajo Fuego,’ a documentary highlighting the challenges faced by Colombian farmers despite the landmark peace agreement reached in 2016. These exhibitions served to ground the theoretical and academic approaches in the reality of the devastation faced by post-conflict societies.
This event was marked by participation from a range of dedicated professionals and leaders in the field. Distinguished participants included Gloria Amparo Rodriguez title, Inger Andersen and David Jensen of the United Nations Environment Program, and Silja Halle of the United Nations Joint Program on Women, Natural Resources, Climate and Peace. Other distinguished speakers included Alexander Roulin of UNIL, Achim Wennman of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, and Anne Hammill of the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
The Blum Center is dedicated to continuing the critical dialogue around these issues. Though the challenges faced are many, a range of dynamic, positive solutions are being developed by our colleagues around the globe. We look forward to continuing to support their work as we collectively face the most imperative issues of our time.
Written by Mckenna Coffey. Learn more about the Environmental Peacebuilding Association and UCI Blum Center initiatives.
