Military and civilian aid experts at a recent UN-backed meeting in Nairobi emphasized the need for peacekeepers and aid agencies to take a "green" approach in their work to protect the environment and the long-term livelihoods of communities affected by conflict.

Military and civilian aid experts at a recent UN-backed meeting in Nairobi emphasized the need for peacekeepers and aid agencies to take a "green" approach in their work to protect the environment and the long-term livelihoods of communities affected by conflict.

The 11 March gathering at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters was co-organized by the UN Department of Field Support, UNMIS, the Swedish Defence Research Agency and the Environmental Law Institute.

Participants pointed to studies showing that the demand for such critical natural resources as wood and water by peacekeepers can often be significant, straining vulnerable environments.

But this demand could be considerably curbed through better planning and management, including the use of new technologies that guarantee water and energy efficiency or construction methods minimizing deforestation, they noted.

UNMIS, with the support of the Swedish Government, is investing $5 million in environmentally-friendly operations for its 10,000 troops in 25 bases. As part of this pilot programme, the mission is using new ways of treating waste and using both water and energy more efficiently, with the goal of reducing the volume of waste by 60 per cent, water consumption by 30 per cent and energy expenditure by 25 per cent.