United Nations Radio

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on Member States to clarify and expand international law on environmental protection in times of war.

UNEP experts sampling water in Gaza

The call comes on the occasion of the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict observed on November 6.

The Secretary-General says more than 30 years since the massive defoliation campaigns of the Viet Nam War, and nearly 20 years since the destruction of 600 oil wells at the end of the first Gulf War caused extensive pollution in Kuwait, the environment continues to fall victim to armed conflict worldwide.

He warns that decades of protracted conflict in the Gaza Strip, for example, have so severely affected groundwater supplies, upon which 1.5 million Palestinians depend for drinking and agriculture, that those supplies are in danger of imminent collapse.

He says in at least 18 conflicts since 1990, natural resources have played a significant role.

He points out that diamonds, timber, and gold have been exploited by armed groups to finance and prolong conflicts in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Secretary-General says consequences for the environment and development have been devastating.

Gail Walker, United Nations Radio
(duration: 1'12")