Violence and conflict in borderlands are inseparable from environmental degradation and hinder social development. This close connection, however, also provides the potential to reverse the vicious cycle of conflict, disruption to nature and social exclusion and move, through a holistic transformative approach, toward a virtuous cycle of peace, ecological integrity and inclusive development.
In this session, speakers will introduce the findings and lessons drawn from the research project “The Development-Environment-Peace Nexus in Borders and Borderlands (DEEPEN)” conducted by UNRISD to answer questions associated with the institutions, policies and actors that can transform borders from locations of antagonism, exclusion and environmental disruption to places of cooperation, inclusion, ecological integrity and, ultimately, peace.
Challenging conventional approaches and introducing innovative theories and practices of integrated approach-based projects for sustainable and peaceful development in borderlands, this session will invite the audience to explore the complex relationships between development, environment and peace in borderlands and find solutions.