International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War (November 6)
Wars don’t only destroy cities and lives — they poison rivers, burn forests, pollute soil and kill wildlife, often for decades. The International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, observed every November 6, reminds the world that the environment is a silent casualty of war.
| Name | International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict |
|---|---|
| When | Every year on November 6 |
| Next date | Friday, November 6, 2026 · in 13 days |
| Type | International & World Days |
| Observed in | Worldwide |
| Topic | Awareness & CausesEnvironment & Nature |
| First observed | 2001 |
| Founded by | United Nations |
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Date | November 6 every year |
| Established | UN General Assembly resolution 56/4 (November 5, 2001) |
| Lead agency | UN Environment Programme (UNEP) |
| Key idea | Protecting nature during conflict is essential for lasting peace |
How Conflict Harms the Environment
| Impact | Examples |
|---|---|
| Oil fires and spills | Hundreds of oil wells set ablaze in Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf War |
| Chemical contamination | Herbicides such as Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War |
| Deforestation | Forests cut or burned for military reasons or to fund armed groups |
| Water pollution | Damage to water treatment plants, dams and industrial sites |
| Explosive remnants | Landmines and unexploded ordnance making farmland unusable |
| Wildlife loss | Poaching and habitat destruction in conflict zones |
Natural Resources and Conflict
UNEP research has found that at least 40% of internal conflicts over the past decades have been linked to natural resources — either high-value resources such as timber, diamonds, gold and oil, or scarce resources such as fertile land and water. Managing resources fairly can therefore help prevent conflicts and rebuild peace afterwards.
International Law and Recent Progress
- The Geneva Conventions’ Additional Protocol I (1977) prohibits methods of warfare that cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment.
- The ENMOD Convention (1976) bans using environmental modification techniques as weapons.
- In 2022, the UN General Assembly took note of the International Law Commission’s principles on the protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts.
👉 Related: International Day of Neutrality
👉 Environment days: Environment and nature observances
Historical Examples of War Damaging Nature
| Conflict | Environmental impact |
|---|---|
| First World War (1914–1918) | Shelling destroyed forests and farmland in northern France; unexploded shells still surface today in “Zone Rouge” areas |
| Vietnam War (1955–1975) | Millions of litres of herbicides, including Agent Orange, sprayed over forests and mangroves |
| Gulf War (1991) | Hundreds of burning oil wells and a massive oil spill in the Persian Gulf |
| Civil wars in Central Africa | Poaching of elephants and gorillas, and loss of protected areas |
| Recent conflicts | Damaged dams, chemical plants and nuclear facilities raising pollution risks |
How UNEP Helps
- Post-conflict environmental assessments to identify pollution hot spots and risks to people.
- Clean-up and recovery projects, such as removing hazardous waste after fighting.
- Natural resource management to reduce competition over land, water and minerals that could fuel new conflict.
- Environmental peacebuilding — using shared resources to build cooperation between former enemies.
Why It Matters for Peace
A damaged environment makes recovery harder long after the guns fall silent: farmland may be contaminated, water unsafe to drink and livelihoods destroyed. Protecting nature during conflict — and restoring it afterwards — is therefore a key part of building lasting peace and of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
When is International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict?
International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict is observed every year on November 6. Here are the dates for the coming years:
| Year | Date | Day of the week | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | November 6, 2026 | Friday | in 13 days |
| 2027 | November 6, 2027 | Saturday | in 378 days |
| 2028 | November 6, 2028 | Monday | in 744 days |
| 2029 | November 6, 2029 | Tuesday | in 1109 days |
| 2030 | November 6, 2030 | Wednesday | in 1474 days |
| 2031 | November 6, 2031 | Thursday | in 1839 days |
FAQ
It is observed every year on November 6.
The UN General Assembly established it in resolution 56/4 on November 5, 2001.
Through oil fires and spills, chemical pollution, deforestation, destroyed water systems, landmines and loss of wildlife habitat.
Valuable or scarce resources such as diamonds, timber, oil, land and water can fuel or prolong conflicts.