Press release
13 June 2007
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Swedish support for environmental work after armed conflicts
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has decided to grant SEK 30 million to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The money is to be used to finance environmental work in societies affected by armed conflict.
"The environmental consequences of war are an aspect that is often overlooked. Restoring the environment is a means of preventing continued conflicts, and cooperation on environmental issues can also be a force for peace," says Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson.
"Action to protect the environment and restore natural resources is also important to create conditions for subsistence and development, not least in areas where many poor people are dependent on fishing or agriculture and forestry."
The support Sweden is providing will contribute to existing environment-related projects in Liberia, Sudan and Somalia, as well as making it possible for the UN to extend its efforts to include Nepal, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and Burundi.
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UNEP works in an integrated manner on environmental and security issues within the framework of its Post Conflict and Disaster Management Branch in Geneva. UNEP began its work on environmental assessment and clean-up in the Balkans in 1999. Its activities have subsequently been extended to former conflict countries in Africa, efforts in the Gaza Strip and in Afghanistan.
UNEP's analyses and recommendations are followed up and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), promoting economic and social recovery and contributing to lasting peace.
