Land for Peace: Opportunities for the Peace Forest Initiative

Land and forest degradation in conflict areas is an emerging concern for the global community. Globally, around 1.8 billion people – over 20 per cent of the world’s population – live in fragile, conflict-affected countries. The long-term negative effects of conflict on communities undermine their resilience to climate-related disasters, such as extreme heat, droughts, and floods. At the same time, prolonged conflict is a significant root cause of degradation of natural resources and the ecosystem services they provide. There is an urgent need for interventions to protect environmental assets in conflict and post-conflict areas. 

To this end, the Peace Forest Initiative (PFI) was launched during the 14th Session of the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 2019. The objective of the PFI is to function as a platform to facilitate cooperation and collaboration on joint ecosystem restoration in fragile and conflict affected areas, with a view to further peace and stability. It aims to support participating countries in formulating transformative projects and programmes that promote confidence and peace, as well as land restoration and reforestation in transborder areas. 

To support the work of the Peace Forest Initiative (PFI), adelphi has been contracted by the UNCCD's Global Mechanism to produce a report on the nexus between land, peace and security. The report will provide an overview of the nexus between land, peace and security, showcase examples of good practices of nature conservation actions as a way to enhance peace and security, and make recommendations for potential land/ecosystem-based solutions to address peace and security-related challenges. While global in scope, the report will zoom in on PFI’s priority regions to identify challenges and opportunities for land/ecosystem-based approaches to promote peace and security there. Moreover, the analysis will adopt an intersectional approach – sensitive to gender, age, socioeconomic status and other key factors – to ensure that the differential risks and resilience-building opportunities faced by different members of society are considered.

To conduct the research, adelphi will set up a “community of experts”, consisting of relevant stakeholders with experience in the topics of the report, including from UN entities and INGOs. These will be consulted and involved in the research activities through research interviews, as well as two online webinars and an in-person workshop (organised and facilitated by adelphi), which will allow them to share their expertise, as well as validate the results of the study. The report will be launched at UNCCD COP16, currently planned for the period of 2-13 December 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as well as disseminated at other relevant events such as UNGA79, UNFCCC COP29, and BCSC 2024.