Amidst the debris..

increased mainstreaming of environmental action, exchange of information and
by funding research on the environmental impact of conflict.
Develop mechanisms of response and assistance: Complex conflicts
involving state and non-state actors make determining strict liability and
accountability for environmental damage and its humanitarian consequences
challenging. Meanwhile the environment and its inhabitants remain unassisted.
States and other actors should consider the example of Syria as part of the
developing initiative aimed at strengthening protection of the environment
in relation to armed conflict. In doing so, states and civil society should
consider how norms could be developed that help minimise damage and how
new systems of response and assistance could improve the protection of the
civilians and the environmental upon which they depend.
Improve legal measures to protect the environment: States debating how
protection for the environment could be strengthened in relation to armed
conflicts in the UN Sixth Committee should highlight how the principles and
standards established in both International Environmental Law and Human
Rights Law could be used to inform progress on the topic.
Specific recommendations for Syria
Bearing these complex scenarios in mind, finding solutions to each of these scenarios
would in theory be less complicated. To many of the above described environmental and public
health problems, solutions and responses have been devised in peace-time scenarios. A large
body of literature on risk assessment tools and fast responses have been devised for chemical
incidents 196 , hazard identification of toxics 197 , disaster waste management 198 and environmental
health management in humanitarian operations. 199 Naturally, conflict affected States often lack
the necessary capacities, priority or expertise to handle these complex problems, if there is a
state structure left at all. Until a response plan is devised and capacity developed, be it by a
new state or support is given, either by international expert or aid organisations, the following
processes could be started for Syria:
Information collection
! Baseline studies establish a proper understanding of the potential risks in the
specific conflict context. A mapping of industries, available ammunitions goes
a long way to help assess potential and actually occurring environmental and
public health problems throughout a conflict. The usefulness of such baseline
studies increases exponentially the more detailed the study is. For example,
the assessment of potential risks involved in a particular industrial site increases
if the data set includes the sort of potential toxic substances available on a site
and their quantity, condition and potential for release into the environment.
! Organisations with access to the field could make use of known geo-spatial data
of areas of operation to identify if there are direct public health consequences and/
or acute impacts for the communities they work with.
PAX ! Amidst the debris...
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