The United Nations General Assembly observes 6 November every year as the International Day to Prevent the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.

Casualties of war have always been counted as dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihoods, but the environment has often been an unrepresented victim of war. Water wells have been polluted, crops have been burned, forests have been cut down, soils have been poisoned and animals have been killed to gain military advantage. Furthermore, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has found that over the past 60 years, at least 40 percent of all internal conflicts have been linked to the exploitation of natural resources, whether timber, diamonds, gold and high-value resources. . The United Nations attaches great importance to ensuring that action on the environment, conflict prevention is part of peacekeeping and peacebuilding strategies, because there can be no sustainable peace if the natural resources that sustain livelihoods and ecosystems are destroyed. Can. On 5 November 2001, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 6 November of each year as the International Day to Prevent the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.