6 November 2012: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community to recognize peace and security as the “fourth dimension” of sustainable development, in his message on the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.

Ban said armed conflict and war “shred the fabric” of sustainable development, and post-conflict development and durable peace depend on environmental protection and good governance of natural resources. Ban highlighted examples of conflicts over natural resources, and said six UN peacekeeping missions had sought to re-establish control over such resource bases but more efforts are needed. Ban outlined how armed conflict and war weaken sustainable development, noting that they can undermine fundamental human rights, stunt opportunity and expand poverty. Ban underscored that no conflict-affected country has achieved a single Millennium Development Goal (MDG). Finally, he recommended stronger international focus on “the role of natural resource management in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.”

According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), at least 40% of internal conflicts over the past 60 years have been linked to natural resource exploitation, including diamonds, gold, oil and timber, or to scarce resources such as land and water. UNEP also found that natural resource conflicts are twice as likely to relapse into violence. The UN General Assembly (UNGA) established the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict in 2001 to raise awareness about the links between the environment and global and regional conflicts. [UN Press Release] [Statement of UN Secretary-General] [UN Website on the Day]