“The seminar was an important first step in continuing the environmental work,” says Birgitta Liljedahl, Project Manager at FOI. “Today there is a lack of forums like this. That is why there is great interest in holding more seminars on this subject,” she thinks.

According to State Secretary Gunnar Wieslander, the environment is a defining question for Sweden. There is a pressing need to think about the environment in peacekeeping operations, he says; a view shared by Birgitta Liljedahl from FOI.

The seminar was held as part of the initiative “Cooperation on environmental protection and health risks associated with initiatives to promote peace”, the aim of which is to improve the environmental and health aspects of peacekeeping operations. The goal is to create a platform where organisations, research groups, universities and companies can meet to present research results, demonstrate more environmentally-friendly alternative products and exchange experiences.

Besides FOI, the Swedish Armed Forces and the following UN agencies are contributors to the initiative: United Nations Department of Field Support, United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Law Institute (ELI).

It is planned to hold a further workshop during the year, focusing more deeply on environmentally-friendly technology for companies in the environmental sector.

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