‘Blue Berets’ now go green

A new initiative that reduces the environmental impact of peacekeeping missions and eases tensions between the ‘Blue Berets’ and the communities within which they operate, has been launched. Dubbed Greening the Blue Helmets; it provides a major framework within which the 17 peacekeeping operations currently deployed around the world can reduce or even reverse the considerable demands they place on local environments and natural resources.Currently there are 121,591 soldiers, police officers, experts in various fields and support staff deployed in missions across the world, and the logistics of transporting them and their equipment constitute one of the largest environmental footprints in the world.The strategy is based on the special report Greening the Blue Helmets: Environment, Natural Resources and UN Peacekeeping Operations that has just been released by the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and, which, has been obtained by The New Times. UNEP’s Executive Director, Achim Steiner, says that addressing the ownership, control and management of natural resources is crucial to maintaining security and restoring the economy in post-conflict countries. “There has been little progress in systematically considering and documenting how natural resources can support, advance or undermine the aims of a peacekeeping mission so this report is the first attempt to understand the links and identify good practices and gaps,” he said. Tensions between the ‘Blue Berets’ as the peacekeepers are the popularly known and the communities in which they operate have been common, with the riots in Haiti in the wake of last year’s cholera outbreak for which they were blamed being the most notorious (see accompanying story).Ground-breakingThe ground-breaking report is the first serious attempt to address the sources of tensions between some peacekeeping missions and the communities within which they operate.It also details findings of a two-year analysis of how peacekeeping missions around the world affect natural resources and the broader environment. The ‘Blue Berets’, have become a familiar and reassuring sight in many conflict-stricken and unstable parts of the world. But even for the ordinary traveler, it is common at any major airport in the world to run into peacekeepers coming from or heading for a mission.“These personnel and their supporting infrastructure contribute to the recovery and security of countries emerging from conflict, but also place considerable demands on the local environment, including natural resources,” states the report. “Greening the Blue is not just our motto, it is also our commitment to ensuring that peacekeepers have a lasting and positive impact in countries where they are deployed,” said the head of peacekeeping operations Hervé Ladsous.But apart from protecting the environment, the initiative also leads to increased financial savings for the missions as well as improved safety and security for local communities and UN personnel, says the report. A 2008 inventory conducted by the UN Environment Management Group calculated that peacekeeping operations alone represent over 56 per cent of the UN system’s total climate footprint of approximately 1.75 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year – about the same size as the climate footprint of the city of London. To avoid and minimise the environmental impact of the missions, the Department of Peacekeeping adopted an Environmental Policy for UN Field Missions in June 2009. It provides a series of minimum operating standards and requires each mission to adopt environmental objectives and control measures through all phases of the mission. The policy focuses on a range of issues, including water, energy, solid and hazardous wastes, wastewater, wildlife and the management of cultural and historical sites. The policy’s objective is to decrease the overall consumption of natural resources and the production of waste, protect local environmental and public health and establish UN peacekeeping as a role model for sustainable practices. Simply the bestThe report identifies the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) as having made the most progress in introducing environmental practices, with initiatives ranging from the use of electric cars at its headquarters in Naqoura, to energy-efficient power generation and the establishment of a community-led recycling plant for plastic bottles, cans and glass. “The case of UNIFIL illustrates what all our peacekeeping missions are now trying to achieve,” said the acting chief of DFS, Anthony Banbury. The report also discusses natural resources as drivers of conflict, and recommends that where diamonds, gold, oil and other resources are factors in a conflict, peacekeeping missions should be given a more systematic mandate to support national authorities in restoring the administration of natural resources, monitoring sanctions and prosecuting violations. The report is based on desk research, field visits and consultations with DFS and DPKO, including 10 peacekeeping missions.

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‘Blue Berets’ now go green