Richmond Hill, Canada, 19 September 2025 – For nearly five decades, the ongoing conflict between Türkiye and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has inflicted profound human suffering and extensive environmental degradation across the Kurdish regions of the Middle East. The protracted warfare has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and has left a lasting imprint on the region’s ecological systems, including widespread deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, and the disruption of biodiversity. Now, with the unprecedented announcement from Abdullah Öcalan, the incarcerated PKK leader, calling for the disarmament and dissolution of his group, a unique window for peacebuilding combined with environmental restoration has emerged.
A groundbreaking policy publication issued by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) advocates for an integrative approach to peace negotiations that explicitly incorporates environmental recovery as a cornerstone for lasting stability. Traditional peacebuilding frameworks often emphasize ceasefires, legal accountability, and political reconciliation, yet systematically overlook the ecological consequences of conflict. This omission risks perpetuating grievances linked not only to human costs but also to environmental destruction and resource depletion, which can undermine peace sustainability.
Decades of active conflict have ravaged the landscape, leaving forests reduced to barren lands and rivers contaminated by chemical runoff and debris from military operations. Such environmental damage not only compromises ecosystem services – critical for local livelihoods – but also contributes to broader regional instability through loss of arable land and water scarcity. The UNU-INWEH report emphasizes that addressing these environmental wounds is indispensable to rebuilding social and political trust. Ignoring these dimensions could otherwise recreate cycles of conflict grounded in competition over diminishing natural resources.
According to Dr. Pınar Dinç, Environment-Conflict Nexus Research Fellow at UNU-INWEH, “Peace negotiations that fail to incorporate environmental repair overlook a fundamental source of tension. Healing the land is not just about ecology; it’s about equity, inclusion, and justice.” The report argues that environmental restoration must be entwined with social justice frameworks to ensure that the populations most affected by both war and ecological damage are active participants in shaping recovery efforts. This approach disrupts the conventional top-down peace processes that often marginalize community voices.
In practical terms, the publication proposes that peacebuilding actors incorporate an environmental agenda that assesses war-related ecological degradation, quantifies impacts on natural capital, and integrates ecosystem services into post-conflict recovery planning. This involves meticulous geospatial mapping of damaged areas, restoration of biodiversity hotspots, rehabilitation of water catchments, and the establishment of transparent mechanisms for natural resource management. It underscores that sustainable peace cannot be realized without simultaneously restoring the natural environment that underpins regional economies and sustains human well-being.
Moreover, the document stresses the critical role of Indigenous knowledge and community-led conservation practices in crafting durable restoration strategies. Kurdish local populations possess centuries of ecological understanding essential for effective land and water stewardship. Empowering these communities to lead rebuilding efforts not only increases ecological resilience but also enhances social cohesion and cultural continuity, vital ingredients for enduring peace. This participatory approach contrasts starkly with externally imposed and often unsustainable development models that prioritize rapid economic gain over environmental stewardship.
UNU-INWEH Director Professor Kaveh Madani highlights the strategic importance of linking environmental and political objectives: “Local communities’ capacity to restore environments and livelihoods rooted in Indigenous knowledge is foundational to regional stability.” He cautions against the temptation to revert to extractive and inequitable post-conflict reconstruction pathways, which historically exacerbate socio-environmental vulnerabilities and fuel renewed grievances.
Cross-border collaboration forms another pillar of the proposed framework. Given that ecosystems, water basins, and climatic influences transcend political boundaries in the Middle East, coordinated regional governance mechanisms are paramount. Collective management of transboundary water resources and shared environmental monitoring can reduce inter-state tensions and contribute to cooperative security arrangements. This ecological diplomacy complements traditional political treaties, expanding the scope of peacebuilding to earth system scales.
The UNU-INWEH policy brief also emphasizes the temporality and continuity of environmental justice. Unlike swiftly negotiated political settlements, ecological restoration and the healing of natural systems is a multi-decadal endeavor. Justice mechanisms must therefore be designed to operate continuously, involving local populations and stakeholders in monitoring, adaptation, and benefit-sharing. Such long-term engagement fosters transparency and accountability, preventing ecological neglect that could destabilize fragile peace.
Importantly, the research cautions against post-conflict economic models driven by resource extraction industries that have historically marginalized vulnerable communities and degraded ecosystems. Sustainable development trajectories, grounded in equity and environmental protection, are essential for delivering socio-economic benefits without reigniting tensions. Policymakers are urged to redirect investments toward green infrastructure, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture, aligning recovery objectives with global climate goals.
The disarmament of the PKK signals a hopeful inflection point. Yet, as the UNU-INWEH report elucidates, the achievement of lasting peace in the Kurdish regions will depend on embracing an expansive notion of recovery – one that repairs not only social and political fractures but also the environmental scars left by protracted conflict. Through combining scientific rigor, local knowledge, and innovative governance, this integrative peacebuilding model offers a path out of cycles of violence and environmental degradation toward a regenerated, resilient Middle East.
In summary, the intersection of ecology and peace presents both a profound challenge and a historic opportunity. As peace talks proceed, the explicit inclusion of environmental restoration efforts will be decisive in shaping whether peace is durable or ephemeral. The UNU-INWEH’s policy recommendations offer a roadmap for negotiators to transcend traditional frameworks, embedding ecological inclusion as a vital dimension of justice, sustainability, and human security in the aftermath of conflict.
Subject of Research: Environmental restoration and peacebuilding in the Kurdish regions amid the PKK disarmament process
Article Title: From Conflict to Peace: The PKK’s Disarmament and the Green Potential of Peace in the Middle East
News Publication Date: 19 September 2025
Web References:
- https://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:10333/UNU_INWEH_POLICY_BRIEF_PKK_DISARMAMENT_2025.pdf
- https://unu.edu/inweh/collection/conflict-peace-pkks-disarmament-and-green-potential-peace-middle-east
- https://unu.edu/inweh
References:
Dinç, P., Eklund, L., Matin, M., Madani, K. (2025). From Conflict to Peace: The PKK’s Disarmament and the Green Potential of Peace in the Middle East. United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, doi: 10.53328/INR25PDR001
Keywords: International relations, Environmental policy, Peacebuilding, Ecological restoration, Conflict resolution, Indigenous knowledge, Sustainable development
