Greening the blue helmets

This report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how peacekeeping operations affect and are affected by natural resources and environmental conditions. The report is divided into two main parts. Part 1 reviews the environmental management of peacekeeping operations and showcases good practices, technologies and behaviours that have already been adopted. Part 2 examines the role that peacekeeping operations have played in stabilizing countries where violent conflicts have been financed by natural resources including diamonds, gold, timber and oil or driven by grievances over their ownership, access and control. It has been developed by UNEP in consultation with a number of international experts and nongovernmental organizations. In particular, it draws from valuable inputs from the Swedish Defence Research Agency, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and Global Witness.