MEDIA ADVISORY: Kenya's Crisis: Lack of Land Rights Contributes to Conflict in East Africa, Say Natural Resource Experts at Wilson Center

WASHINGTON—Lack of land and property rights are key factors in East African conflicts—including the current political crisis in Kenya—where ethnic rivalries are often rooted in battles over land. But securing access to land can help prevent violence and promote peace, as well as improve a country's environmental, social, and economic prospects. At the Wilson Center on April 23rd, Peter Hetz and Gregory Myers will examine land and conflict in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Sudan, with a special focus on Kenya.

Peter Hetz, the vice president for technical operations at ARD, Inc., will discuss the relationship between property rights and conflict. Gregory Myers, a natural resource management specialist at the U.S. Agency for International Development, will focus on natural resource management and conflict. Click here to RSVP or watch the live webcast.

This is the third event in ECSP's "New Horizons at the Nexus of Conflict, Natural Resources, and Health" series, which examines new thinking and research at the intersection of these areas. This series is funded jointly by USAID's Office of Natural Resources Management, its Office of Population and Reproductive Health, and its Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation, with technical support from USAID's Asia and Near East and Africa bureaus.

What: Land Tenure and Property Policies in East Africa

Who: Peter Hetz, Vice President for Technical Operations, ARD, Inc.
Gregory Myers, Natural Resource Management Specialist, USAID

When: Wednesday, April 23, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Lunch will be served)

Where: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 5th Floor Conference Room, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.

Media planning to cover the event should contact Erin Mosely at erin.mosely@wilsoncenter.org or (202) 691-4266.

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the living, national memorial to President Wilson established by Congress in 1968 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is a nonpartisan institution, supported by public and private funds, engaged in the study of national and world affairs.

Since 1994, the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program has explored the connections among environmental challenges and their links to conflict and security.