Environmental mediation: promoting sustainable use of natural resources through community agreements

While the exploitation of natural resources is essential to the survival of African communities, environmental challenges and climate change are increasingly exacerbating local tensions, particularly in relation to resource-sharing. This situation intensifies conflicts among different resource users such as farmers, herders and others, thereby making efforts to maintain peace more difficult. This reality becomes even more acute in the event of surrounding armed conflicts, when communities seek support or protection from armed actors.

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) has developed an approach aimed at preventing and resolving local environmental conflicts through mediation. These efforts aim to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of armed conflict on civilians, secure access to basic services and/or strengthen the environmental resilience of communities.

Since 2015, HD has facilitated more than 110 agreements in Francophone Africa, including 37 specifically preventing or addressing environmental challenges. The outcomes of the mediation processes demonstrate that these agreements not only help to resolve conflicts but also to protect natural resources and adapt community practices for more sustainable resource exploitation.

By strengthening local resilience, these initiatives encourage the autonomous resolution of disputes and the establishment of effective monitoring mechanisms. In addition, affected populations become aware of their role in resource preservation, which leads them to take ownership of their commitments.

This approach, based on the involvement of local actors and the search for endogenous solutions, is proving to be a powerful lever for ensuring lasting and sustainable peace.