Natural Resources and Violent Conflict - WaterWiki.net

getting it done 271more sexy than logs.” 68 Articles on the roles of such obscure resourcesas coltan in both financing war and providing a source of livelihoodto civilians, however, have demonstrated that the media cannot onlydisseminate news but can also add to the debate on conflict trade(Harden 2001).The major strength of nongovernmental organizations, and to someextent the media, is their independence and their ability to engage with“politicized” issues and to challenge the status quo of “business asusual.” Interventions by nongovernmental organizations and media arenot without criticisms, however, which include the following:• Campaigns mostly concentrate on Western multinationals:leaving other companies “off the hook” may lead more accountablecompanies to leave the country and worse ones to take their place.• Campaigns often take a “piecemeal” approach: focusing on onecountry or one company may prove less effective in the long term thantaking an issue-based approach.• The media have a short attention span: advocacy campaignersmay opt for “simple” arguments and solutions.• Initiatives remain dominated by Western-based nongovernmentalorganizations: this raises the issue of legitimacy, even if it is usefulfor these organizations to protect local nongovernmental organizationsby “taking the heat” on highly sensitive issues.The effectiveness of interventions by nongovernmental organizationsand the media remains highly dependent on the issue and thenongovernmental organizations involved, with a wide variety of trackrecords. However, increased coalition building and professionalismamong nongovernmental organizations, as well as greater legitimacywithin (inter)governmental decisionmaking processes, are lendinggreater significance to their voice and values in current governanceprocesses.Transboundary Resource and EnvironmentalGovernance InstrumentsNumerous transboundary resource and environmental governanceinstruments exist in state and nonstate areas. Instruments for the protectionof biodiversity, the regulation of resource governance on thehigh seas, and cooperation in the management of transboundary riversare well-known examples. Few of these instruments, however, arelegally binding or have comprehensive monitoring mechanisms. TheConvention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Faunaand Flora (CITES) is an exception in this regard. Another instrument,