2021

Climate Sensitive Programming for Sustaining Peace

Climate change is well poised to further intensify resource competition, and weaken efforts to build and maintain peace in many parts of the world. This interaction has been evident in countries that are highly exposed to climate change and violent conflict. In these regions as the sea level rises, drought or floods can indirectly affect the dynamics of ongoing conflicts, and exacerbate risks that amplify insecurity in already vulnerable communities.  

In light of this, Member States have advocated for the a) establishment a knowledge management platforms and b) the dissemination of trainings across the UN system, on the need to acknowledge the security dimension of climate change in sustaining peace policy and planning endeavors. To address this need, UNSCC developed its first UN interagency course “Climate Sensitive Programming for Sustaining Peace” in 2021. As at December 2021, the course had been delivered to over one hundred and thirty participants from Secretariat entities, Special Political and Peacekeeping missions, agencies and programme, RC Offices, civil society organizations, regional organizations, universities, research think tanks and Member States specialized agencies across multiple duty stations.   

The learning offering is contributing to bridging knowledge gaps and providing participants with the expertise that they need to implement an integrated approach to climate security and peacebuilding, while contributing to the development of long-term climate sensitive approaches for sustaining peace across the UN system and beyond. Apart from this, participants have an opportunity to explore contemporary approaches to sustaining peace as well as tools and techniques needed to conduct localized climate risk assessments, and integrate them into programmatic planning throughout the stages of a peacebuilding programme life-cycle (from early warning and responses to mediation and peacekeeping). It is contributing to the overall strengthening of awareness on the risks that climate change poses to international peace and security as well as local peacebuilding.