Excellencies and Colleagues,
My thanks to the European Union for co-organizing this event with UNEP and the UNEP-hosted UN Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN).
While conflicts rarely have a single cause, climate change is frequently one of the peels of the onion exacerbating existing tensions by intensifying resource scarcity, displacement and livelihood insecurity.
This is a global concern. Over 70 per cent of countries most vulnerable to climate change are also coping with conflict or fragility. Over three billion people live in climate-vulnerability hotspots, many of them in fragile or conflict-affected areas.
Climate change has an especially disruptive impact in regions where vulnerable people depend heavily on agriculture or natural resources. This is where the powerful influence that climate change has on the water cycle becomes a threat multiplier.
People are suffering cascading impacts of either too much or too little water. Across a broad region between Mauritania and Afghanistan, temperatures have been increasing faster than the global average. Rainfall has become more erratic. There is growing evidence that droughts and high temperatures increase the risks of conflict. But increased rainfall can also make conflict more likely in certain settings, such as the targeting of rich agricultural areas by armed groups or states.
It is clear that intensifying climate change may increase the danger of war and conflict so increased action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is essential. I welcome the COP30 Presidencys call for a Mutiro Global a collective push to scale up climate action. But climate change is already here. So, conflict-affected countries and communities must be supported to deliver locally led, conflict-sensitive climate solutions that build peace and resilience at scale.
Multilateral cooperation, especially between the UN and the EU, will be essential to supporting countries. I am grateful that several countries and regions worked on integrating climate and environmental security into their policies. The EU has been a leading example of this, with the adoption of the Joint Communication of June 2023 on the climate and security nexus.
UNEP supports these objectives through the EU-UNEP Partnership on Climate, Environment, Peace and Security. This programme supports 15 countries across seven regions in integrating environmental and climate-related risks into policy frameworks. The partnership also helps governments and local actors develop conflict-sensitive, nature-based solutions that enhance peace, stability and resilience.
As host of the CTCN, UNEP has assisted over 100 developing countries to access technologies and capacity-building for low-carbon, climate-resilient development. Under the CTCN, the EU-Supported Climate Change and Security Programme implemented ten climate technology projects in threatened communities. We have heard from colleagues this morning on the impact of some of these projects.
The Climate Security Mechanism (CSM) a joint initiative by UNEP, the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the UN Development Programme, and the UN Department of Peace Operations further illustrates the value of multilateral cooperation by supporting the UN system to address climate-related security risks more systematically.
Mobilizing finance that empowers communities is also crucial. UNEPs latest Adaptation Gap Report highlights a huge gap in adaptation finance for conflict-affected countries. Between 2014 and 2021, people living in severely conflict-affected countries received an estimated US$2 per capita in climate finance, compared to US$162 per capita in more stable countries. If we are serious about reducing the peace and security risks posed by climate change, the finance must start flowing.
Excellencies,
While we have much work to do, the collaboration between the UN and the EU demonstrates how effective multilateral partnerships can translate a shared vision into tangible results for vulnerable communities fostering peace and sustainable development.
UNEP looks forward to working with the EU and Member States to further scale up climate-security action. And stands ready to support the strengthening of policy uptake within EU external action and cooperation frameworks including through the EUs Global Gateway strategies and initiatives.
