This study focuses on the state of Iraq's environment following decades of armed conflict, economic sanctions and the absence of environmental management principles in national planning. It highlights options to tackle the environmental threats to human health from disrupted or contaminated water supplies, inadequate sanitation and waste systems, as well as for wider responses to address longer-term environmental risks. At present, following the conflict in March/April 2003, restoring law and order is a key priority for dealing effectively with humanitarian and environmental problems.

"This document is a report of the results of a project managed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to assess contaminated sites in Iraq. The work was carried out over the period January 2004 to July 2005 in Iraq, with support activities in Jordan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The project was managed by the UNEP Post-Conflict Branch, based in Geneva. The project was overseen by the United Nations Development Group for Iraq in its role of coordinator for the entire UN development programme within Iraq. The Iraqi Government partner was the Ministry of the Environment (MoEn). The project covers contaminated land issues at the national level and also for five individual sites selected for priority assessment."--P. 16.

This report is an up-to-date compilation of the various activities undertaken by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Iraq between 2003 and 2006. It makes an objective assessment of the impacts of UNEP's intervention and documents the lessons learnt in implementing the activities in a complex situation such as Iraq. The publication provides a significant insight into the overall success of UNEP's intervention in Iraq.

When a country emerges from violent conflict, the management of the environment and natural resources has important implications for short-term peacebuilding and long-term stability, particularly if natural resources were a factor in the conflict, play a major role in the national economy, or broadly support livelihoods. Only recently, however, have the assessment, harnessing, and restoration of the natural resource base become essential components of postconflict peacebuilding. This book, by thirty-five authors, examines the experiences of more than twenty countries and territories in assessing post-conflict environmental damage and natural resource degradation and their implications for human health, livelihoods, and security. The book also illustrates how an understanding of both the risks and opportunities associated with natural resources can help decision makers manage natural resources in ways that create jobs, sustain livelihoods, and contribute to economic recovery and reconciliation, without creating new grievances or significant environmental degradation. Finally, the book offers lessons from the remediation of environmental hot spots, restoration of damaged ecosystems, and reconstruction of the environmental services and infrastructure necessary for a sustainable peace. Assessing and Restoring Natural Resources in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding is part of a global initiative to identify and analyze lessons in post-conflict peacebuilding and natural resource management. The project has generated six books of case studies and analyses, with contributions by practitioners, policy makers, and researchers. Other books address highvalue resources, land, water, livelihoods, and governance.

Severe droughts, damaging floods and mass migration: Climate change is becoming a focal point for security and conflict research and a challenge for the world’s governance structures. But how severe are the security risks and conflict potentials of climate change? Could global warming trigger a sequence of events leading to economic decline, social unrest and political instability? What are the causal relationships between resource scarcity and violent conflict? This book brings together international experts to explore these questions using in-depth case studies from around the world. Furthermore, the authors discuss strategies, institutions and cooperative approaches to stabilize the climate-society interaction.