International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict 6th Nov 2012

On 5 November 2001, the UN General Assembly declared 6 November of each year as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. The purpose is to raise awareness of the environment as an innocent victim of war.

While a variety of clauses in international law exist which can protect natural resources and the environment during armed conflict, their implementation and enforcement remains weak. UNEP has produced a report which assesses the state of existing international law, identifies the current gaps and weaknesses in the system, and makes recommendations on ways to strengthen the law and its enforcement. The legal assessment was jointly conducted by experts from UNEP and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI).

The United Nations attaches great importance to ensuring that action on the environment is part of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peace building strategies - because there can be no durable peace if the natural resources that sustain livelihoods and ecosystems are destroyed.