Remarks to Security Council on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: The Root Causes of Conflict – The Role of Natural Resources
Publisher: United Nations Secretary General
Author(s): António Guterres
Date: 2018
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Causes, Conflict Prevention, Dispute Resolution/Mediation, Extractive Resources, Gender, Governance
The exploitation of natural resources, or competition over them, can and does lead to violent conflict. Preventing, managing and resolving such conflicts is one of the major and growing challenges of our time. UN studies show that more than 40 percent of internal armed conflicts over the last 60 years have been linked to natural resources. With the increasing impacts of climate change evident in all regions, the risks are only going to grow. Other global trends such as a growing population, increasing consumption, and environmental degradation are also placing significant and potentially unsustainable pressures on the availability of many natural resources. These include oil, gas, minerals, water and land. Unfair distribution of natural resources, corruption and mismanagement can and do lead to conflict, especially in countries with weaker institutions. These pressures can also exacerbate existing ethnic or religious divides within societies and across borders. [. . .] It is also worth emphasizing that shared natural resources have traditionally also been a catalyst for cooperation among States, communities and people. Mutual benefits generally act as an incentive for sustained peaceful dialogue, which in turn can generate cooperation and understanding in other areas.