With a fast-growing population, massive ongoing urbanisation and constant innovations across the continent, Africa looks poised to leapfrog other emerging markets over the next few decades in terms... Show moreWith a fast-growing population, massive ongoing urbanisation and constant innovations across the continent, Africa looks poised to leapfrog other emerging markets over the next few decades in terms of economic development. This hopefully will lead to constructive flows from the private sector that support overall financial dynamics and help governments to fulfil their obligations, encourage corporations to act responsibly and in a spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals, and inspire all economic players to promote “inclusive development for all” (UN, 2015). The impact of Covid-19 will be considerable, though, with potentially material consequences for health and economic growth. In the long run, the pandemic could strengthen the role of the state in Africa. Professor Ton Dietz was invited to write this paper for NN Investment Partners. Show less
Hundreds of transnational private governance organizations (TPGOs) have emerged in recent decades to govern social and environmental conditions of production using voluntary standards. A debate... Show moreHundreds of transnational private governance organizations (TPGOs) have emerged in recent decades to govern social and environmental conditions of production using voluntary standards. A debate persists over whether the ties among different TPGOs and other organizations create a professional community that affects the behavior of TPGOs. To help resolve this debate, we analyze multiple ties among agriculture TPGOs to offer a more robust exploration of community structures and their potential effects for three forms of TPGO behavior - coordination, collaboration, and isomorphism. Our aggregate measure of ties reveals a thin community dominated by older TPGOs and TPGOs advancing a broad notion of sustainability that were created by Solidaridad, the World Wildlife Fund, and/or Unilever. The clearest community structures are built from ties that exhibit the potential for not actual collaboration, coordination, and isomorphism. Thus, while there exists convergence toward an emergent TPGO-community, obstacles remain to more intense behavioral effects for TPGOs. Show less
Natural resources are strongly connected to the onset, duration and recurrence of armed conflicts. However, even after an armed conflict has formally ended, natural resources can be an important... Show moreNatural resources are strongly connected to the onset, duration and recurrence of armed conflicts. However, even after an armed conflict has formally ended, natural resources can be an important trigger for a relapse into armed conflict. For these reasons, it is of the utmost importance, both from a security and a development perspective, to address natural resources as an integral part of the peace process. This article aims to assess how provisions in peace agreements addressing natural resource governance are embedded in the international legal framework. It inquires into the particularities and legal nature of peace agreements and examines the various functions of natural resource arrangements as part of peace agreements. Finally, as each category of natural resources comes with distinct legal questions and peacebuilding challenges, the article zooms in on water governance as a case study to explore the different ways in which natural resource arrangements in peace agreements and international law interact. The analysis is based on a study of 40 intra‐State agreements, including the 2015 South Sudan agreement, the 2015 Mali agreement and the 2016 Colombian agreement. Show less
Article 28A(1)(13) of the Protocol to the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights lists ‘Illicit exploitation of natural resources’ as a criminal offence within the Court’s... Show moreArticle 28A(1)(13) of the Protocol to the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights lists ‘Illicit exploitation of natural resources’ as a criminal offence within the Court’s jurisdiction. In conjunction with the new mandate of the African Court, which includes the exercise of jurisdiction over corporations for the first time in an international treaty, the prohibition of ‘illicit exploitation of natural resources’ creates an offence with especially sharp teeth, for businesspeople, their corporations, military actors and politicians. The crime constitutes an important innovation in international law, since it offers a distinct legal basis for prosecution of a wider array of acts covered by the war crime of pillage. Nonetheless, it also comes with a set of major limitations, not the least of which is its great vagueness. This chapter offers a critical doctrinal overview of the seven sub-offences that fall within the wider banner of this new crime of Illicit Exploitation, simultaneously pointing to a range of interpretative possibilities that might accord with recent thinking about the relationship between law and resource predation. Show less
Natural resources are strongly connected to the onset, duration and recurrence of armed conflicts. However, even after an armed conflict has formally ended, natural resources can be an important... Show moreNatural resources are strongly connected to the onset, duration and recurrence of armed conflicts. However, even after an armed conflict has formally ended, natural resources can be an important trigger for a relapse into armed conflict. For these reasons, it is of the utmost importance, both from a security and a development perspective, to address natural resources as an integral part of the peace process. This article aims to assess how provisions in peace agreements addressing natural resource governance are embedded in the international legal framework. It inquires into the particularities and legal nature of peace agreements and examines the various functions of natural resource arrangements as part of peace agreements. Finally, as each category of natural resources comes with distinct legal questions and peacebuilding challenges, the article zooms in on water governance as a case study to explore the different ways in which natural resource arrangements in peace agreements and international law interact. The analysis is based on a study of 40 intra‐State agreements, including the 2015 South Sudan agreement, the 2015 Mali agreement and the 2016 Colombian agreement. Show less
Natural resources are strongly connected to the onset, duration and recurrence of armed conflicts. However, even after an armed conflict has formally ended, natural resources can be an important... Show moreNatural resources are strongly connected to the onset, duration and recurrence of armed conflicts. However, even after an armed conflict has formally ended, natural resources can be an important trigger for a relapse into armed conflict. For these reasons, it is of the utmost importance, both from a security and a development perspective, to address natural resources as an integral part of the peace process. This article aims to assess how provisions in peace agreements addressing natural resource governance are embedded in the international legal framework. It inquires into the particularities and legal nature of peace agreements and examines the various functions of natural resource arrangements as part of peace agreements. Finally, as each category of natural resources comes with distinct legal questions and peacebuilding challenges, the article zooms in on water governance as a case study to explore the different ways in which natural resource arrangements in peace agreements and international law interact. The analysis is based on a study of 40 intra‐State agreements, including the 2015 South Sudan agreement, the 2015 Mali agreement and the 2016 Colombian agreement. Show less
Africa’s rapid population growth, and even more rapid urbanisation, creates serious sustainability challenges. Like many cities in other parts of the world, African cities try to become ‘green’,... Show moreAfrica’s rapid population growth, and even more rapid urbanisation, creates serious sustainability challenges. Like many cities in other parts of the world, African cities try to become ‘green’, and promote change in urban design and lifestyles to encourage more sustainable living. Many of these initiatives are supported by international agencies and illustrated on agency websites. Studying these websites, we try to answer three related questions dealing with the inclusivity of those initiatives: the geographical coverage (which cities?), the thematic coverage (how ‘holistic’?) and the social inclusivity (how inclusive in terms of social focus?). Both scholars and practitioners should become more inclusive in their approaches to sustainable cities in Africa. Show less
Africa's rapid population growth, and even more rapid urbanisation, creates serious sustainability challenges. Like many cities in other parts of the world, African cities try to become 'green',... Show moreAfrica's rapid population growth, and even more rapid urbanisation, creates serious sustainability challenges. Like many cities in other parts of the world, African cities try to become 'green', and promote change in urban design and lifestyles to encourage more sustainable living. Many of these initiatives are supported by international agencies and illustrated on agency websites. Studying these websites, we try to answer three related questions dealing with the inclusivity of those initiatives: the geographical coverage (which cities?), the thematic coverage (how 'holistic'?) and the social inclusivity (how inclusive in terms of social focus?). Both scholars and practitioners should become more inclusive in their approaches to sustainable cities in Africa. Show less
In een recent verschenen notitie van de Adviesraad Internationale Vraagstukken wordt een pleidooi gehouden voor ‘diplomatie van duurzame ontwikkeling’. Het Nederlandse buitenlandse beleid heeft de... Show moreIn een recent verschenen notitie van de Adviesraad Internationale Vraagstukken wordt een pleidooi gehouden voor ‘diplomatie van duurzame ontwikkeling’. Het Nederlandse buitenlandse beleid heeft de laatste jaren sterk ingezet op zogenaamde ‘economische diplomatie’. Daarmee lijkt een stap gezet te zijn in de richting van een vorm van diplomatie waarbij het Nederlandse economische belang meer centraal staat. Maar welke belangen zijn dat dan? Naast bezuinigingen worden tegelijkertijd nieuwe beleidsinstrumenten ontwikkeld waarvan de effectiviteit nog bewezen moet worden. Deze dubbelslag vertegenwoordigt een (her)oriëntatie op de diplomatieke inzet van Nederland, welke vooral gevolgen lijkt te hebben voor het ontwikkelingsbeleid. Dat levert verhitte debatten op, zeker wanneer de financiële consequenties van dit beleid voor bestaande belangengroepen duidelijk worden. Deze discussie is weinig productief zolang een meer integrale en strategische visie op de beoogde diplomatieke inzet niet gedeeld wordt. Wat kan derhalve als gezamenlijk (bilateraal) belang van zowel Nederland als de ontvangende landen worden gezien? Juist voor een klein land als Nederland is een integrale – slimme, pragmatische, maar ook doelgerichte en duurzame - benadering essentieel. Een preciezere framing van het beleid is daarom gewenst: van economische diplomatie, waarbij het er niet toe doet welke handelsstromen op gang worden gebracht (zolang het maar veel is), naar duurzame diplomatie, ofwel ‘diplomatie van duurzame ontwikkeling’, waarbij veel meer wordt nagedacht over de kwaliteit, de doelstelling en de lange termijn invulling van deze relaties. Deze Working Paper is een co-produktie met het Partnerships Resource Centre, Erasmus University Rotterdam. Ook verschenen in de reeks PrC working paper 2017. Show less
OURSUS (Our Sustainable Cities) is a flagship IGU project. The OURSUS approach and findings will be discussed in two sessions during the 33rd International Geographical Congress in Beijing: one... Show moreOURSUS (Our Sustainable Cities) is a flagship IGU project. The OURSUS approach and findings will be discussed in two sessions during the 33rd International Geographical Congress in Beijing: one session about 'Chinese and International Experiences' and one about 'The Way Forward'. This paper contributes to the first session: exploring international experiences. It examines the evidence in Africa regarding the intentions of municipalities and their leadership to develop more sustainable cities, and to mobilise business and popular support for more sustainable futures in a continent that is likely to have the fastest urbanization trends in the decades ahead. The paper also compares the approaches of various sustainable city networks in Africa with the OURSUS approach, and it looks at the input of geographers. Show less
This article explores a number of questions about visions of the future and their implications for environmental education (EE). If the future were known, what kind of actions would be needed to... Show moreThis article explores a number of questions about visions of the future and their implications for environmental education (EE). If the future were known, what kind of actions would be needed to maintain the positive aspects and reverse the negative ones? How could these actions be translated into the aims of EE? Three future scenarios are discussed: the limits to growth (the great tragedy and demise); sustainable development and ecological modernization (hope and innovation); and the Anthropocene park. These scenarios are linked to corresponding EE/ESD approaches and instrumentalism in education is argued as a morally justifiable goal. Finally, education for deep ecology is advocated in order to address the ethical implications of the last scenario. Show less
