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Natural Resources and Conflict: A Guide for Mediation Practitioners

The guide aims to inform mediators and stakeholders addressing conflicts over natural resources — whether those disagreements are violent, have the potential to turn violent, or are part of a larger political struggle, including within a peace process. It draws on the field experiences of mediators and mediation experts. It also features lessons learned from UNEP’s work on environmental diplomacy in different conflict affected countries, with a particular focus on how to use impartial technical knowledge to equalize stakeholder information in a mediation process.

Justin Welby

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“The High Level Advisory Board acknowledges the value of personal experience and the less formal networks and relationships which contribute to preventing and mediating conflict in our divided world. Many of these conflicts have a religious dimension and the ability to work with faith communities is a critical factor in mitigating many conflicts.

Juan Gabriel Valdés

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Mr. Valdés was Foreign Minister of Chile, former Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York and, most recently, Ambassador to the United States.  He was the first Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and head of MINUSTAH in Haiti and recently led a strategic assessment of MINUSCA, the UN peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic.

Sima Samar

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Chairperson of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), Ms. Samar was, from 2005 to 2009, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan.  She has overseen the expansion of human rights education, the implementation of a women's rights program, and the monitoring and investigation of human rights abuses across Afghanistan.  Ms.