ABSTRACT
Since its founding in 1992, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has launched 29 projects in Afghanistan and 81 projects in Cambodia. Considering the environment and conflict linkages and the risks posed by armed conflict, the GEF undertook portfolio-level project reviews to evaluate the extent to which they have taken into account conflict risks and how conflict sensitivity in project design and implementation affects project outcomes. The plural nature of conflict in Afghanistan has resulted in highly varied environmental impacts. Some of the armed conflict in the territory has caused devastating environmental damage, such as the Soviet “scorched earth” tactics that deliberately targeted the environment. Decades of war have heavily affected prominent modes of interaction with natural resources. Cambodia’s prolonged history of conflict affects its natural environment today, posing challenges to natural resource management and presenting risks of conflict. Conflict-sensitive design was integral to the success of the studied GEF projects in Cambodia.
