Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding: addressing challenges and solutions in the Amazon

At the Third International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding, leading practitioners, academics and thought leaders will address pressing global challenges. The conference will take place from 18 until 21 June in The Hague. Critical issues will be covered, including climate change, water security, peace and justice, natural resource management and the role of digital technologies in environmental peacebuilding. On the final day of the conference, IUCN NL will host a panel discussion on environmental protection and peacebuilding in the Amazon Rainforest.

Header photo: Peruvian Amazon © Diego Pérez / SPDA

The event “Promoting Peace, Protecting the Environment: Challenges and Solutions in the Amazon Basin” will focus on pressing issues such as gender dimensions and violence against Indigenous women, vulnerability of Indigenous territories and illegal economies as well as the creation of an environmental conflict observatory: the Observatorio Amazonia.

Date: Friday, 21 June
Time:  14:00 – 15:30 CEST
Location: Leiden University, The Hague, Netherlands (room to be confirmed)

Peacebuilding and environmental protection are interconnected

The panel promises to provide valuable insights and practical solutions to address some of the most critical environmental and social issues in the Amazon region. By highlighting the interconnection of peacebuilding and environmental protection, the discussions will underline the importance of collaborative efforts in safeguarding the Amazon and its communities.

Indigenous women in environmental conflicts in Colombia and Peru

During the session on Friday, Laura Quintana, on behalf of IUCN NL, will address different kind of the violence’s affecting Indigenous women in the Amazon, examining specific incidents in Peru and Colombia. She will discuss how environmental conflicts intersect with gender-based violence and outline strategies for the protection and empowerment of Indigenous women. Case studies will highlight the severe impacts of such violence on local communities and provide comparative insights between Peru and Colombia.

In the coming weeks, IUCN NL will publish two relevant reports: one on environmental crime in the Colombian Amazon and one about gender dimensions and human rights in the context of deforestation in both the Colombian and Peruvian Amazon.

Read more about this topic:

• Understanding gender dynamics in the Colombian Amazon
• Human rights and gender in the new Global Biodiversity Framework
• Women environmental human rights defenders: facing gender-based violence in defense of land, natural resources and human rights

Vulnerability of Indigenous territories and environmental defenders in Madre de Dios

Silvana Baldovino from Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental (SPDA) will virtually talk about the vulnerability of Indigenous territories and environmental defenders in Madre de Dios in Peru. Her presentation will cover the significant environmental threats in the region and the critical role played by environmental defenders who face substantial risks. Baldovino will share policy recommendations to enhance the protection of defenders, supported by a detailed account of the challenges they encounter in Madre de Dios.

Relevant resources:

• PIDDA project: Inclusive protection of environmental defenders
• Environmental defenders: how to safeguard and support their work
• Website of Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental

Illegal economies and organised crime in the Amazon

Bram Ebus from the International Crisis Group and the Amazon Underworld project will delve into the illegal economies, such as mining and logging, and organised crime in the Amazon. His discussion will highlight the profound impact of these activities on the Amazon’s ecology and communities. Ebus will explore strategies to disrupt these illegal activities and promote sustainable practices, drawing on real-world examples from Colombia. The implications of these illegal economies for regional security and environmental health will be a focal point of his presentation.

More about crime in the Amazon:

• Crimes against the Climate: Violence and Deforestation in the Amazon
• Amazon Underworld: criminal economies in the world’s largest rainforest

Creation of an environmental conflict observatory

Rodrigo Botero is the director of Fundación para la Conservación y el Desarrollo Sostenible (FCDS) and one of delegates of the Colombian government at the peace dialogue table. At the event, he will discuss the creation of the “Observatorio Amazonia”: an environmental conflict observatory for the Colombian Amazon. Botero will outline the purpose and objectives of the observatory, the methodologies for monitoring and reporting conflicts, and the collaboration with local communities and international organisations. He will discuss the expected outcomes and impact on policy and practice, as well as plans for the observatory’s expansion and integration with other regional initiatives.

Relevant resources:

• Observatorio Amazonia: La voz de la Amazonia en conficto
• Rodrigo Botero en El Pais: “En Colombia es indispensable el reconocimiento del ambiente como víctima”
• IUCN NL: New ‘Observatorio Amazonia’ makes socio-environmental conflicts in Colombia visible
• Amazon rights in focus project