Peace Building Across the Lake Albert

Peace Building Across the Lake Albert

Description

In the face of multiple violent conflicts, researchers and practitioners alike debate the potential and limits of peacebuilding. The role of the environment and natural resource management in this context is particularly important, as it can facilitate trust-building and benefit sharing. The analysis of the case of Lake Albert, shared by Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), shows that peacebuilding opportunities exist when initiatives integrate and rely on local stakeholders, even in cases of lacking high-level political agreements.

The study of three domains of environmental interaction (environment and protected area management; water and fisheries; energy and oil) reveals that while there is increasing competition and tension around resources, they also offer entry points for improving trust-building between and within countries. In this context, donors should focus on strengthening existing ties between communities, providing opportunities for benefit-sharing from sustainable resource management, and increasing inclusiveness of all stakeholders into local, national and transboundary development processes.

Information

Author(s)
M.Westerkamp, A. Houdret
Publisher
Adelphi Research
Date / journal vol no.
February 2010
Pages
27

References