Natural Disasters & Peacemaking
"Turning Disasters into Peacemaking Opportunities"
In 2005, the Worldwatch Institute launched a project addressing the intersections between natural disasters, environmental degradation, conflict, and peacemaking. Researchers Michael Renner and Zoë Chafe co-authored a chapter on disasters in Worldwatch's State of the World 2006 report, Zoë contributed a chapter on urban disaster risk to State of the World 2007, and both researchers examined these connections in a range of additional articles, op-eds, publications, and online stories. In June 2007, they released a new Worldwatch Report, Beyond Disasters: Creating Opportunities for Peace, at events in New York and Washington, D.C.
Michael Renner and Zoë Chafe of the Worldwatch Institute launch Beyond Disasters: Creating Opportunities for Peace at and event hosted by the World Bank Group on July 13, 2007.
Watch the video of this event.
Michael Renner and Zoë Chafe of the Worldwatch Institute discussed their new report Beyond Disasters: Creating Opportunities for Peace at a Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars event on June 28, 2007.
Watch the video of this event.
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Disasters & Peacemaking Links, Articles, and Resources:
by Michael Renner on July 20, 2007 Delayed or inadequate aid in the wake of a cyclone and major flooding in southern Pakistan may reinforce unresolved grievances against the central government.
by Michael Renner on July 18, 2007 Hopes that the tsunami might heal the country's divisions have given way to the grim reality of new killings and displacements from resurgent violence.
by Michael Renner on July 17, 2007 Renewed warfare in the northeast has caused rebuilding to fall far behind the pace set in the south.
by Michael Renner on July 10, 2007 Aceh has experienced a remarkable transformation from war and tsunami-triggered devastation to peace. But a number of challenges remain.
by Michael Renner on July 2, 2007 NGOs demand comparable policies across Indonesia.
by Michael Renner on July 20, 2007 Delayed or inadequate aid in the wake of a cyclone and major flooding in southern Pakistan may reinforce unresolved grievances against the central government.
by Michael Renner on June 23, 2007 A new UN report bolsters the argument that Darfur's conflict is partly rooted in environmental decline and competition for scarce land and water.
by Alana Herro on June 15, 2007 The devastation and social disruption caused by earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters may, paradoxically, provide opportunities for building peace, say experts with the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C-based research organization.
by Michael Renner on February 28, 2007 Bolivian President Evo Morales accuses industrial nations of causing devastating floods in his country because they appetite for growth unhinges the global climate.
by Michael Renner on February 5, 2007 On February 2, 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its Fourth Assessment Report, ExxonMobil, the world's largest oil company, announced record profits, and Britain's Guardian newspaper revealed the company's latest efforts to discredit the IPCC's work.
by Michael Renner on December 27, 2006 Somalia is confronting a series of disasters both natural and human-made.
by Michael Renner on December 19, 2006 Four typhoons between 25 September and 9 December wreaked havoc on the Philippines.
by Michael Renner on December 18, 2006 Despite the most generous amounts of humanitarian aid ever, many disaster victims get shortchanged.
by Michael Renner on December 18, 2006 Humanity confronts a continuous rise in global temperatures, a changing and less predictable climate, and potentially huge dislocations.
by Michael Renner on December 12, 2006 With recent disasters in eastern Africa, Afghanistan, and the Philippines, and with UN agencies struggling to deliver adequate and timely relief supplies, the need for better international emergency preparedness is indisputable.. Donors need to abandon their stinginess in the face of repeated, severe disasters.
by Joseph Carter on November 28, 2006 Rio de Janeiro, known to Brazilians as the “Marvelous City,” is home to over 10 million people, of which nearly a third live in shantytowns or ghettos known as favelas. Many favela residents were originally squatters and the vast majority lack legal title to their homes.
by Zoe Chafe on November 20, 2006 With the most recent climate change negotiations finished in Nairobi, much attention has been focused on how Africa will fair under future climate scenarios. Several reports detail how we need not wait to see the impacts of severe weather conditions on the continent, nor do we need to wait to start implementing simple technologies to cope with these impacts.
by Ilan Kelman on November 9, 2006 In the aftermath of an immense 2003 earthquake disaster in the Iranian city of Bam, a headline in the Independent proclaimed, “Human tragedy forces US to rethink hard line.” Just over a year later, a headline in the Christian Science Monitor referring to the 2004 disaster in Sri Lanka inquired, “Peace dividend from tsunami?”. These news stories hint at growing interest in the concept of “disaster diplomacy.”
by Michael Renner on November 9, 2006 Though falling short of needs, the money allocated globally to humanitarian programs almost tripled between 1995 and 2005. It is far cheaper—and far preferable in human terms—to make a serious commitment to disaster prevention. As climate change-related disaster risk rises, prevention becomes even more important.
by Michael Renner on November 9, 2006 The drought gripping Australia’s agricultural heartland has now lasted five years—longer than any previously recorded--and possibly the worst in 1,000 years.
by Michael Renner on November 6, 2006 UN study indicates that Africa's vulnerability to climate change is greater than previously assumed.
by Michael Renner on November 2, 2006 Against the backdrop of rising carbon emissions and global temperatures, a new report to the British government—the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change—adds urgency to growing calls for action against climate change.
by Michael Renner on October 31, 2006 Some 2.5 million people across Afghanistan have lost their crops and are facing acute food shortages due to drought.
by Michael Renner on October 6, 2006 Early October marks two painful anniversaries of disaster in Guatemala and Pakistan.
by Michael Renner on October 6, 2006 The approaching monsoon season is adding to the challenge of providing adequate shelter to the survivors of Java's May 2006 earthquake.
by Michael Renner on October 6, 2006 The Umited Nations and the World Bank have launched a joint initiative for disaster risk reduction and speedier disaster response.
by Michael Renner on October 6, 2006 Urging action by politivcal leaders, scientists issue new warnings about the dire consequences of unchecked global warming.
by Michael Renner on October 6, 2006 Flooding caused by heavy seasonal rains has displaced almost 70,000 people in four West African countries.
by Michael Renner on October 2, 2006 Rainfall has eased Kenya's drought conditions, but some 3 million people remain dependent on food aid.
by Michael Renner on October 2, 2006 The 2006 Sasakawa Prize was awarded to two grassroots initiatives that combat desertification and land degradation in Colombia and Mauritania.
by Michael Renner on October 2, 2006 A new UN Central Emergency Response Fund--set up in March 2006 to ensure the timely flow of emergency funds for humanitarian purposes--is gathering momentum.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Many scientists are recommending a new river diversion in the hope of restoring Louisiana’s wetlands.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Monsoon-related flooding made more than 1 million Indians homeless.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Official reports of a small death toll after Typhon Saomai are subsequently contradicted by media reports.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 In India, for deeply-indebted farmers the vagaries of weather can be economic life-and-death issues.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Indian-administered Kashmir is facing its worst floods in two decades, affecting some 200,000 people.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 The UN International Telecommunication Union and United Arab Emirates-based satellite company Thuraya announced an agreement under which the company will provide portable satellite terminals and solar chargers for rescue operations.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Recent extreme weather events, including heat waves, drought, and severe monsoon rains, highlight the growing need to address the risks of climate variability, according to an expert conference held in Helsinki.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 In Pakistani-administered Kashmir, 80 percent of crops and 50 percent of arable land were lost or destroyed by the October 2005 earthquake.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Torrential rain in mid-July led to devastating floods and landslides in the central and southern regions of North Korea.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Ten months after the massive earthquake of 8 October 2005 in northern Pakistan, survivors confront monsoon floods and the specter of water-borne diseases.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 During August, almost 120,000 people in the north, east, and southwest of Ethiopia have been affected by floods, with hundreds killed.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Nearly 4,000 families have been displaced by fierce fighting between government forces and the Taliban militia and by harsh drought in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 The year 2005 saw the highest number of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean—27 storms in total and including the infamous Hurricane Katrina.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Rainfall during 2006 in the Horn of Africa left some areas still short of what is needed to restore food security, while other areas suffered from too much rain—and serious flooding.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Torrential rains have left at least 17,000 people homeless in the north and south of Niger.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Chinese leaders say it is climate change, not to the Three Gorges Dam and other vast hydro-engineering works that causes China's worst drought in fifty years.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Environmentalists say heavy flooding on the Indian sub-continent in 2006 may at least partly be the consequence of dams building.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 The worst flooding to hit Nepal’s western region in a decade affected as many as 60,000 villagers in 13 districts.
by Michael Renner on August 31, 2006 Urgent action is required to conserve mangroves in the Pacific, against the backdrop of climate change and rising sea levels, according to a new study.
by Michael Renner on August 30, 2006 Mangroves for the Future was launched in September 2005 for the long-term conservation and sustainable management of coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs, wetlands, forests, lagoons, estuaries, beaches and sandy shores.
by Michael Renner on August 30, 2006 The most powerful storm to hit China in 50 years Typhoon Saomai (“Morning Star” in Vietnamese) made landfall on August 10. It has killed at least 255 people in the southeastern provinces of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi.
by Zoe Chafe on August 28, 2006 Each summer, the US Institute of Peace—a congressionally-funded institute—hosts a series of seminars for peace and security educators at all levels. This July, eighteen community college faculty members and administrators gathered in Washington, DC for a session on “Global Peace and Security in Community Colleges and the Communities They Serve.”
by Michael Renner on August 28, 2006 Global warming is contributing to an unusually harsh typhoon season in China. Instead of late July, this year the first typhoon hit Guangdong province in mid-May—the earliest recorded typhoon in that region since 1949.
by Michael Renner on August 27, 2006 At least 800 people are feared dead because of flooded rivers in several parts of the country. In the far north, thousands of people are battling floods along the Tegere River in Tigray province.
by Michael Renner on August 26, 2006 Climate scientists at Bristol University in Britain warn that rising global temperatures will increase the risk of forest fires, droughts, and flooding over the next two centuries. Even if the carbon emissions that drive global warming were cut now, many parts of the world would still face a greater risk of natural disasters.
by Michael Renner on August 26, 2006 Afghanistan is suffering on two fronts—drought is devastating large swathes of the country and recent floods have caused damage in two provinces.
by Michael Renner on August 25, 2006 Hundreds of Pakistani families who had returned to their homes following last year’s massive earthquake have been forced to relocate again by flooding. The monsoon season has brought severe flooding to quake-affected northern Pakistan, killing at least 200 people since the rains started in mid-July.
by Michael Renner on August 24, 2006 China’s state meteorological bureau has reported the most severe drought conditions in over 50 years in the southwestern region of Chongqing, and neighboring Sichuan province. Sustained high temperatures and low summer rainfall have also brought drought to parts of southwestern Guizhou province, the central province of Hubei, northwest Ningxia region and Gansu province.
by Michael Renner on August 20, 2006 Tropical storm Bilis killed more than 500 people in southern China, mostly in Hunan province, and caused heavy damage in five other provinces. An estimated 212,000 houses were destroyed and another 287,000 damaged. Almost 3 million people were evacuated, and economic losses in Guangdong province alone have been estimated at $1 billion.
by Michael Renner on August 20, 2006 Swollen rivers forced 4.5 million people from their homes across India's south and west in early August and affected a total of more than 6 million. Though vitally important for the country's agriculture, monsoon rains have triggered floods across at least five states, killing at least 311 people and causing widespread damage to crops.
by Michael Renner on August 12, 2006 Many tons of drugs and medical equipment pouring into Indonesia in the wake of recent major disasters turned out to be damaged, out of date, or otherwise unusable, according to the aid agency Pharmaciens Sans Frontières (Pharmacists Without Borders). Donated medicines have created more headaches than benefits for the victims.
by Michael Renner on August 11, 2006 Urgent action is required to safe Pacific Ocean mangroves from the impacts of rising sea levels, linked with climate change. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that 16 Pacific Island countries and territories could see over half their mangroves lost by the end of the century.
by Michael Renner on August 10, 2006 Global warming may be largely to blame for the increasingly destructive wildfires in the Western United States. Scientists find that longer and fiercer wildfire seasons since 1986 are closely associated with warmer summer temperatures, the earlier arrival of spring, and earlier snowmelts in the West.
by Michael Renner on August 1, 2006 The UN special humanitarian envoy for the Horn of Africa, Kjell Magne Bondevik, has urged governments and aid agencies to address the issues of underdevelopment and poverty, which exacerbate people’s vulnerability during natural disasters, such as the prolonged drought that has destroyed the livelihoods of millions of people in eastern Africa.
by Michael Renner on July 31, 2006 UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland said the beneficiaries of the CERF funds would be Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, as well as the African states of Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, the Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
by Michael Renner on July 31, 2006 The melting of glaciers driven by global warming portends a seismically turbulent future. When glaciers melt, the massive weight on the Earth's crust is reduced, and the crust “bounces” back in what scientists call an "isostatic rebound.” This process can reactivate faults, increase seismic activity, and lift pressure on magma chambers that feed volcanoes.
by Michael Renner on July 28, 2006 The UN brought together 130 international experts from 20 countries in a Bangkok, Thailand, workshop to help set up a tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean, in a bid to avoid a reply of the December 2004 tsunami. Presumably, many of the more than 200,000 people who perished could have been saved had they received advance warning of the incoming waves.
by Zoe Chafe on July 17, 2006 When disaster strikes a country already reeling from conflict, international aid and development agencies must be mindful of those who will profit from continuing conflict, write Worldwatch researchers Michael Renner and Zoë Chafe in a new article published in the Natural Hazards Observer journal.
by Michael Renner on July 12, 2006 Villagers in Somalia now routinely speak of events like the “war of the well” and refer to the “warlords of water”—those who control access to scarce water as a result of their violent and unscrupulous tactics.
by Michael Renner on July 7, 2006 Tapping emergency relief experts from governments and NGOs, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the appointment of twelve members to an Advisory Group for the Central Emergency Response Fund. CERF is designed to bring faster relief to disaster victims.
by Michael Renner on July 6, 2006 UN Adviser Jeffrey Sachs has recommended that countries at risk for frequent hurricanes consider purchasing national insurance policies to prepare in advance for disaster relief needs, rather than rely on international aid appeals to help residents after a disaster strikes.
by Michael Renner on July 5, 2006 The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is designed to allow faster responses to disasters. UN agencies and their implementing partners will be able to access the Fund within 72 hours of an emergency being declared, enabling more lives to be saved in the earliest moments of a disaster when people are at most risk.
by Michael Renner on July 3, 2006 Of the 15 million people at risk, 8 million are in need of emergency food aid and supplies, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
by Michael Renner on April 18, 2006 UNDP points out that three quarters of all human beings live in areas that have at least once been affected by earthquakes, tropical cyclones, catastrophic floods, or droughts between 1980 and 2000. On average, about 220 million people worldwide are exposed to drought every year; 196 million to catastrophic flooding; 130 million to earthquake risk; and 119 million to tropical cyclone hazard.
by Michael Renner on March 23, 2006 A UN envoy for tsunami recovery says human behavior and environmental changes are primarily responsible for growing impact of natural disasters, and argues that substantial resources and new policies are needed for effective disaster prevention.
by Michael Renner on March 16, 2006 A new article published in Science magazine confirms that warming oceans are creating more intense hurricanes. Since 1970, there has been an increase in the strongest types of hurricanes—those that measure 4 or 5 on the commonly-used Saffir-Simpson scale—and researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology set out to discover why.
by Michael Renner on March 12, 2006 When disaster strikes, informal networks can succeed where official warnings fail, says the World Disaster Report 2005, an annual publication from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The report details case studies from around the world.
by Michael Renner on March 9, 2006 This edition of a triennial report was released 9 March 2006, on the eve of the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico City. Titled Water: A Shared Responsibility, it is a comprehensive assessment of freshwater resources.
by Michael Renner on December 27, 2006 The second anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami attracted relatively little attention in a world that has moved on to other preoccupations. But the affected countries and communities continue to struggle, and recovery will still take many years.
by Michael Renner on October 16, 2006 In Pakistan and Indonesia, survivors of deadly tsunamis and earthquakes are growing impatient with the slow and inadequate reconstruction efforts.
by Michael Renner on October 6, 2006 In parts of the north and east of Sri Lanka, tsunami recovery has ground to a halt because of renewed warfare, and international reconstruction investments are imperiled.
by Michael Renner on October 2, 2006 The December 2004 tsunami's impact on Indonesian coral reefs was slight compared to the devastation previously caused by dynamite and cyanide fishing practices.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 The UN International Telecommunication Union and United Arab Emirates-based satellite company Thuraya announced an agreement under which the company will provide portable satellite terminals and solar chargers for rescue operations.
by Michael Renner on August 28, 2006 The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami triggered the most generous-ever global aid response to a disaster, producing an estimated $13.5bn in aid delivered or pledged. The ample funding allowed rapid initial recovery activities. Schools and health services in all affected countries were quickly restored, for example. Some 400 new schools were under construction.
by Michael Renner on August 16, 2006 UNESCO announced that an initial tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean is now operational. The system will be capable of improved and faster detection of strong, tsunamogenic earthquakes; increased precision in the location of the epi- and hypocentres of earthquakes; confirmation of the presence of a tsunami wave after a strong earthquake; and issuing a range of advisories and warnings.
by Michael Renner on August 14, 2006 A tsunami struck the Indonesian island of Java off the Pangandaran beach resort, following a 7.7 magnitude undersea earthquake on 17 July. As of 19 July, 520 people were confirmed dead and 275 missing. More than 50,000 people have been displaced.
by Zoe Chafe on July 17, 2006 For reconstruction, turn to bamboo to save tropical forests, writes the Mangrove Action Project’s Indonesia team. By using bamboo to construct buildings and furniture, the demand for sensitive hardwoods decreases. Though it is considered an invasive species in many environments, bamboo is a renewable resource that grows rapidly and can be reharvested in quick succession.
by Michael Renner on July 13, 2006 In May 2005, the U.S. Congress appropriated $908 million for tsunami relief, reconstruction, and related programs. Some $327 million was budgeted for immediate needs after the disaster struck, and $496 million for longer-term reconstruction ($349 million in Indonesia and $85 million in Sri Lanka), administered by USAID.
by Michael Renner on June 30, 2006 Speaking at the 4th meeting of the Global Consortium on Tsunami Recovery in New York, UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery Bill Clinton noted that some 100,000 new homes have been built or are under construction across the tsunami-hit region.
by Michael Renner on June 27, 2006
- U.S. Government Accountability Office, USAID Has Begun Tsunami Reconstruction in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, But Key Projects May Exceed Initial Cost and Schedule Estimates, GAO-06-488, Washington, DC, April 2006, http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-488
by Michael Renner on March 28, 2006 The UN Food and Agriculture Organization warns that many replacement fishing vessels that have been constructed since the disaster are seriously sub-standard in quality or may soon have to be replaced again.
by Michael Renner on January 15, 2006 Based on extensive field research undertaken in November 2005, Actionaid International, an NGO headquartered in South Africa, presents the following key findings:
by Michael Renner on July 10, 2007 Aceh has experienced a remarkable transformation from war and tsunami-triggered devastation to peace. But a number of challenges remain.
by Michael Renner on July 2, 2007 NGOs demand comparable policies across Indonesia.
by Michael Renner on May 16, 2007 International aid is helping tsunami-devastated Aceh to rebuild, but it has neither alleviated pervasive poverty stemming from the long conflict nor put in place the foundations of a sustainable economy. Aceh's first democratically elected governor Irwansi Yusuf is aware of the province's rich endowment of resources, but he knows he can't meet popular expectations without pursuing land reform, education, and a labor-intensive economy.
by Michael Renner on May 15, 2007 In late April, the governors of three Indonesian states--Aceh, Papua, and West Papua--pledged to crack down on illegal deforestation and thus help reduce their country's greenhouse gases. But their announcement was also driven by concern over poverty and unemployment, the impact of post-tsunami reconstruction, and the rampant growth of palm oil plantations--the latter driven by the biofuels boom economy.
by Michael Renner on December 13, 2006 But the ICG notes continued challenges and assesses splits within the former rebel group, the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), in the context of the recent December elections.
by Michael Renner on December 13, 2006 Aceh staged landmark elections on December 11, 2006—barely two years after the 2004 tsunami devastated the province at the northern tip of Sumatra, and 16 months after a peace agreement with the central government in Jakarta that ended a three-decade armed conflict.
by Michael Renner on October 16, 2006 In Pakistan and Indonesia, survivors of deadly tsunamis and earthquakes are growing impatient with the slow and inadequate reconstruction efforts.
by Michael Renner on October 2, 2006 The December 2004 tsunami's impact on Indonesian coral reefs was slight compared to the devastation previously caused by dynamite and cyanide fishing practices.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 Increased revenues and budgets have yet to translate into concrete socio-economic improvements in Aceh.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 The European Union has agreed to send observers to monitor the December 11, 2006 elections in Aceh.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 To make a peace agreement with the GAM rebel organization possible, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla needed to confront and manage powerful constituencies in Jakarta that were not necessarily in favor of a peace deal.
by Michael Renner on September 23, 2006 After repeated delays, crucial elections are to be held in Aceh province on December 11, 2006.
by Michael Renner on September 7, 2006 On June 21, Aceh’s acting governor issued a decree declaring 16 Acehnese groups illegal. Most of them are militia groups that were set up by the military prior to the August 2005 peace agreement.
by Michael Renner on September 6, 2006 Communities in Aceh complain that extravagant promises made by international aid groups are largely at odds with actual reconstruction performance. Only $1.5 billion of $8.5 billion in post-tsunami pledges has so far been disbursed.
by Michael Renner on September 5, 2006 In mid-July, the Association of the Indonesian Frequency Monitoring Board (BALMON), an agency of the Communication and Information Ministry, forcibly closed down two community radios in Aceh and may close down more, arguing that the stations did not have a proper license.
by Michael Renner on September 4, 2006 After the fall of the Soeharto dictatorship in 1998, the Indonesian government began to assume that granting Shari’a (Islmaic law) to Aceh would mollify its population—alienated from Jakarta by years of conflict, massive human rights violations, and economic exploitation—and thus woo it away from the separatist movement.
by Michael Renner on September 2, 2006 Increasingly, Shariah (Islamic law) is being enforced in Aceh, upsetting the ideal of post-conflict Aceh as an open society. Religious police in brown uniforms—typically men in their 20s and 30s—arrest unmarried couples seen together in public and others for drinking or gambling. And public canings, held at mosques, are becoming increasingly common.
by Michael Renner on September 1, 2006 Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked that a European Union-led monitoring mission remain in Aceh through local elections that are now tentatively scheduled for 10 December 2006.
by Michael Renner on August 31, 2006 Aceh’s peace process could be in jeopardy because the legislation passed by the Indonesian parliament to deliver greater autonomy to Aceh appears not to honor some key clauses of the 2005 peace agreement.
by Michael Renner on August 30, 2006 Aceh’s Leuser ecosystem suffered considerable damage from logging during the 1980s. Intensified conflict after the late 1980d made it largely impossible for logging concessionaires to keep operating. But with peace restored, previously inaccessible areas of forest have opened up once more.
by Michael Renner on August 29, 2006 As Aceh celebrates the 1-year anniversary of its 15 August 2005 peace agreement, many observers believe that it is the re-integration of former fighters, along with economic development of the villages to which they return home, that will ultimately determine whether peace is going to hold.
by Michael Renner on August 27, 2006 The Aceh Working Group, an NGO, has criticized the government’s tsunami reconstruction body, known as the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR), for allocating funds to security and intelligence operations by the Indonesian military.
by Michael Renner on August 26, 2006 More than 10,000 protesters gathered in front of Banda Aceh’s Baitur Rahman Mosque to accuse the Indonesian government of failing to deliver on promises made when it signed a peace agreement last year in Helsinki, Finland, with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
by Michael Renner on August 23, 2006 Indonesia’s President Yudhoyono reflects on the first year of peace in Aceh and offers a number of insights that appear to be applicable to conflicts around the world.
by Michael Renner on August 22, 2006 The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will assist with elections in Aceh that are expected to be held in November 2006. UNDP and Aceh’s Independent Elections Commission (KIP) signed an agreement to that effect.
by Michael Renner on August 21, 2006 The 2004 tsunami affected 54,516 fishermen, or more than 70 percent of the people involved in the industry.
by Michael Renner on August 21, 2006 Some commanders and units of the Indonesian military have long benefited from the Aceh conflict because it provided them with an opportunity and a cover to proceed with lucrative, if often illicit, economic activities.
by Michael Renner on August 18, 2006 The Norwegian government and the Indonesian Ministry of Justice and Human Rights have agreed to cooperate in providing human rights instructions for police officers in Aceh.
by Michael Renner on August 17, 2006 The struggle between those wanting to hold firm to Indonesia’s secular Constitution and those who favor the introduction of Sharia (Islamic law) is becoming more intense. Nearly 30 local governments, including Aceh, have introduced Sharia laws or Sharia-inspired legislation.
by Michael Renner on August 14, 2006 Speaking in Banda Aceh, Indonesia’s police chief Gen. Sutanto pledged to arrest illegal timber bosses in a bid to stop illicit logging.
by Michael Renner on August 11, 2006 The Jakarta-based Aceh Working Group, a human rights organization, warns of a campaign to disrupt peace in Aceh.
by Michael Renner on August 10, 2006 Four months later than stipulated by the peace agreement ending hostilities in Aceh, the Indonesian Parliament passed a governing law for Aceh on July 11, 2006. The law is intended to give the province greater autonomy, reflect the terms of the August 2005 peace accord, and pave the way to provincial elections later this year.
by Michael Renner on August 9, 2006 An estimated 120,000 Acehnese were forced from their homes by counter-insurgency operations prior to the tsunami and the subsequent peace agreement. Compared with those displaced by the tsunami, they have remained largely invisible, and their right to return remains unfulfilled in many cases.
by Michael Renner on August 8, 2006 The head of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM), Pieter Feith, summarizes why AMM has been successful and distills key lessons learned:
by Michael Renner on August 7, 2006 Oxfam International’s investigation into procurement fraud at its Aceh office revealed discrepancies of more than $20,000 between amounts paid to suppliers for goods and the quantity of goods received.
by Michael Renner on August 4, 2006 About 40,000 children who became orphans due to either the tsunami or the armed conflict have been abandoned, forcing many of them to become beggars and vagrants.
by Michael Renner on August 3, 2006 The Indonesian government is confident that gubernatorial elections for Aceh can be held in August, and it has begun registering the estimated 2.6 million eligible voters among Aceh’s population of about 4 million.
by Michael Renner on August 2, 2006 The question whether a Human Rights Court for Aceh should have the power to judge abuses committed before the 2005 peace agreement was signed remains controversial, but is a critical element of cementing the 2005 peace agreement.
by Michael Renner on July 28, 2006 Provincial management of natural resources and lack of transparency in assistance to conflict victims are causing disputes between Acehnese and central government leaders.
by Michael Renner on July 27, 2006 The speaker of the Indonesian parliament, Agung Laksono, expressed dismay at the slow pace of post-tsunami reconstruction in Aceh. As of April 2006, only 19,483 housing units had been completed in Aceh, while 21,997 were under construction.
by Michael Renner on July 26, 2006 The Acehnese Network for Democracy, a coalition of 30 NGOs, says it is very concerned that Indonesian legislators may dilute some of the powers that were granted to Aceh under the August 2005 peace deal.
by Michael Renner on July 25, 2006 In mid-May, the European Union and the Indonesian government agreed to extend the mandate of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) until mid-September. While this is welcome news, the extension is too short.
by Michael Renner on July 13, 2006 Bribes, extortion, and other illegal payments that truck drivers pay on the road connecting Banda Aceh and the capital of neighboring North Sumatra province, Medan, constitute a major cost to doing business in Aceh and have a substantial impact on tsunami reconstruction.
by Michael Renner on July 12, 2006 The government has granted new concessions to five timber companies, in addition to 13 companies that already held concessions. Aceh has remaining forest areas of 3.3 million hectares, including 638,000 hectares designated as production forests.
by Michael Renner on July 12, 2006 The peace agreement between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) stipulated that a new Aceh governing law be passed by March and elections be held in April. Although the slow pace of parliamentary deliberations has meant that both deadlines have been missed, the peace process remains on track.
by Michael Renner on July 11, 2006 Damien Kingsbury, a former advisor to the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), writes that the outcome of the Aceh peace process has important implications for reaching a satisfactory settlement in Papua, where calls for independence from Indonesia may trigger a violent backlash from the Indonesian military and nationalist legislators in Jakarta who are determined not to allow Papua to secede.
by Michael Renner on July 10, 2006 Frustrated with the mismatch between rebuilding promises and actual performance of international aid groups, villagers in Pasi, Aceh, told Oxfam they no longer want the agency to operate there.
by Michael Renner on July 7, 2006 Funds have been frozen and projects are on hold while audits are being undertaken. To date, only 10.4 percent of the funds allocated by the government have actually been spent.
by Michael Renner on July 6, 2006 The permits are intended to accommodate the demand for wood in Aceh’s post-tsunami reconstruction effort. But residents complain that they were not consulted and that they will have to bear the brunt of adverse consequences, such as increased flooding dangers.
by Michael Renner on July 5, 2006 A total of 5,8 trillion Rupiahs ($650 million) were collected from domestic and international donors. The value of aid was deflated in translating foreign currencies into Indonesian Rupiahs.
by Michael Renner on July 3, 2006 The Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency for Aceh and Nias (BRR) plans to accelerate the bidding process for housing, schools, and education projects worth about Rp 7 trillion ($777 million) during the second quarter of 2006.
by Michael Renner on June 30, 2006 The delays mean that elections will have to take place later than planned. Therefore, GAM has more time to build popularity for its candidates.
by Michael Renner on June 28, 2006
- Reintegration / Natural Resources: Tony Hotland and Nani Afrida, “Let Us Manage Aceh’s Natural Resources, Say Local Leaders,” The Jakarta Post, 15 June 2006, http://www.thejakartapost.com
by Michael Renner on May 17, 2006 The December 2004 tsunami that devastated Aceh kick-started negotiations to
end a conflict that has lasted for almost 30 years and led to widespread violence
and displacement.
by Michael Renner on May 17, 2006 Conflict and Peacemaking in Aceh: A Chronology
by Michael Renner on April 4, 2006 Incidents between the Indonesian government and GAM have been near zero since the beginning of the year (see figure below), but local-level conflicts have risen steeply since the peace agreement was signed in August 2005 (with between 50 and 80 cases per month).
by Michael Renner on March 30, 2006 The Indonesian government’s Bureau of Reconstruction and Rehabilitation found that about 10,000 of the newly-built houses were of poor quality. Many have no running water, sewerage or wastewater outlets.
by Michael Renner on March 29, 2006 Following the successful, demilitarization, phase of the peace agreement in Aceh, the next steps, focused on political change and human rights issues, are far more challenging. Several challenges are surfacing, according to the International Crisis Group.
by Michael Renner on March 28, 2006 A poll of more than 1,000 Acehnese by the Indonesian Survey Institute found that half the people in Aceh still fear that security forces may arrest them unjustly.
by Michael Renner on March 23, 2006 In order to facilitate the reintegration of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members into Aceh’s civil society and economy, the World Bank conducted a qualitative and quantitative assessment from October 2005 to March 2006. The report relies on surveys of released political prisoners and GAM members, as well as fieldwork in ten districts.
by Michael Renner on March 15, 2006 These difficulties are leading to growing tensions between the government’s Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) and international aid groups.
by Michael Renner on March 3, 2006 Villagers contend that the oil company has been complicit in human rights violations committed by Indonesian soldiers guarding the company’s operations in Aceh province.
by Michael Renner on February 24, 2006 A report by two watchdog groups—Eye on Aceh and Aid Watch—focuses primarily on projects funded by five major donors: the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank, the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction and Development (AIPRD), the European Commission (EC), and the Multi Donor Trust Fund for Aceh and North Sumatra (MDTF).
by Michael Renner on July 18, 2007 Hopes that the tsunami might heal the country's divisions have given way to the grim reality of new killings and displacements from resurgent violence.
by Michael Renner on July 17, 2007 Renewed warfare in the northeast has caused rebuilding to fall far behind the pace set in the south.
by Michael Renner on March 9, 2007 Sri Lanka’s conflict continues to escalate, but typically receives precious little coverage in the Western media.
by Zoe Chafe on February 6, 2007 Last week, international donors convened in the tsunami-hit city of Galle for the Sri Lanka Development Forum 2007, which focused on future development assistance for the country, once again wracked by violence between the government and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE). The US Ambassador made clear that military might would not solve the violence.
by Michael Renner on January 22, 2007 Reports suggest that up to 80-90 percent of the reconstruction needs in Sri Lanka’s south have been completed. In the north and the east, however, it’s a different story. Already less developed than the south, and now increasingly under duress from the resumption of warfare between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels, rebuilding is lagging far behind.
by Michael Renner on January 22, 2007 The districts of Galle and Matara—Sri Lanka’s southernmost area—was hit hard by the December 2004 tsunami. Two years after the disaster, there is still plenty of evidence of the ferocity with which the waves lashed the coast here.
by Zoe Chafe on January 22, 2007 If there is one thing that everyone seems to agree on, here in Colombo, it is that the conflict between Sri Lanka’s government and the rebel Tamil Tigers (LTTE) is getting markedly worse—and civilians are caught in the middle.
by Michael Renner on January 17, 2007 As Sri Lanka’s conflict between the government and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) continues to heat up, domestic and international non-governmental organizations find it increasingly difficult to carry on with their work—particularly those in the field of development and human rights. The renewed conflict has also meant that the post-tsunami rebuilding effort in the northeast—large swaths of which are under the control of the LTTE—faces yet another hurdle.
by Michael Renner on January 16, 2007 Worldwatch Researchers on Fact-Finding Trip to Sri Lanka - “Rains wreak havoc” shouts the front page of the Sunday Observer, Sri Lanka’s largest English-language newspaper, in its January 14 edition. Floods and mudslides in south-central parts of the country killed at least 18 people and displaced close to 80,000. S |
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