NECR November Webinar: Advancing Positive Peace in Japan

Join NECR instructor Dr. Josh Fisher as he discusses his research as well as his summer international peacebuilding course, Clinic on Conflict and Collaboration in Natural Resource Management – Advancing Positive Peace and the SDGs. Dr. Fisher will share reflections from last summer and inspirations for 2024.

Around the world, competing demands for natural resources as well as societies’ reliance on ecosystem services create practical management challenges that have led to multiple crises like climate change, biodiversity loss, and loss of identity and sovereignty for local communities. In response, the international community has established aspirational agreements like the Sustainable Development Goals to reverse or mitigate those challenges.

Natural resource conflicts are unique because they require solutions that are both collaborative and environmentally sustainable. This requires that stakeholders and resource managers understand the technical boundaries of sustainability as well as each other’s needs, interests, and positions. Conflict among private sector interests, private landowners, conservation and non-profit organizations, and state, county, and local communities often inhibits progress toward implementing agreements and achieving targets. Research increasingly highlights the role that collaboration and peacebuilding can play in overcoming conflict and enabling substantive progress in achieving sustainability goals, particularly through natural resource management.

Dr. Fisher will discuss regional sustainability issues in Japan associated with localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). That research investigates the drivers of conflict and cooperation on SDG implementation using quantitative and qualitative research methods.

During the summer course, graduate students travel to Japan to investigate the drivers of conflict and cooperation on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation using quantitative and qualitative research methods. Students are joined by participants from other universities in Japan and across Asia for a truly international cohort and a unique opportunity to build connections across the globe. The course is aligned and evolves with Dr. Fisher's ongoing research in regional sustainability issues in Japan and elsewhere associated with localization of the SDGs.

For further information please contact Kjerstin Pugh (kep2137 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu).

For additional information about program offerings at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies, please contact an Admissions Counselor at 212-854-9666 or negotiation [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu (negotiation@sps.columbia.edu).