The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US military routinely respond to overseas disasters and participate in relief efforts alongside each other. This course, designed and conducted by USAID, provides a forum for US military personnel to discuss relationships between USAID, its partners and the US military, enhancing their ability to work collaboratively during humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations. This course is designed for US military participants.

As evidenced in numerous reports by the United Nations Secretary-General, international organizations and prominent international NGOs, the role of natural resources in conflict and post-conflict environments cannot be under-estimated. In many conflict settings, they serve as an underlying driver of conflicts or as a means for armed forces and groups to fund conflict activities. Moreover, in the aftermath of conflict, natural resources are crucial to support livelihoods in order to achieve effective and sustainable recovery and reintegration.

To address these issues, this workshop will look at how post-conflict countries can address the role of natural resources to support inclusive and conflict-sensitive natural resource management as a tool for peacebuilding and to prevent the recurrence of conflict. Through a combination of presentations, discussions and group exercises, the workshop will create an interactive forum in which practitioners of diverse backgrounds can jointly explore the relationships between natural resources and post-conflict disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), recovery and security.

Managing the transition from armed conflict to sustained peace is a complex and challenging undertaking. And yet, with 15 UN peacekeeping operations, three integrated UN peacebuilding missions, NATO operations in Afghanistan and Libya, US-led coalition efforts in Iraq, AU deployments in Darfur and Somalia and other interventions currently taking place around the world, the international community is participating in peace operations more than ever before. In response to this trend, the UN General Assembly established the Peacebuilding Commission in 2005, and donor governments and international organizations are taking an integrated approach to global security and development challenges. However, while the “whole of government” approach works well as a concept, at the practical level it can be very difficult to implement.