The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) convened a regional multi-stakeholder dialogue titled "Strengthening Climate Resilience and Co-operation in South-Eastern Europe" in Belgrade on 25 March. Given the cross-cutting nature of climate-related challenges, these discussions helped identify practical approaches to strengthen regional co-operation and resilience.
The event took place on the margins of the Extended Meeting of the Regional Working Group for the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans (GAWB), which OCEEA co-hosted with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
Organized in partnership with adelphi and in collaboration with the OSCE Mission to Serbia, the multi-stakeholder dialogue event brought together local authorities, civil society organizations (CSOs), and academia from across South-Eastern Europe, as well as regional and international organizations. They discussed how climate-related challenges affect lives, livelihoods and security and the importance of inclusive dialogue and enhanced co-operation in addressing them.
Participants discussed the 2025 report " Linkages between climate change, human mobility and security in South-Eastern Europe ," prepared by the OSCE, adalphi and IIASA. The 47 participants explored five policy areas emerging from the report: regional co-operation, policy integration, rural livelihoods, the green transition, and disaster risk reduction (DRR). Participants also mapped ongoing initiatives and identified gaps that could provide entry points for joint action across the region.
"This exchange provided valuable insight into how the challenges we encounter in our daily work are shared across the region. Learning from others' experiences has been particularly useful in identifying opportunities for synergies and strengthening collaboration across South-Eastern Europe, including on reducing climate risks for local communities and advancing DRR", said Biljana Matevska, Program Co-ordinator at the Center for Research and Policy.
Jose Luis Masegosa Carrillo, International Relations Officer at the EU Commission Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood, stressed that "Climate adaption is not optional and just as climate risks do not stop at borders, neither can our responses. By facilitating deeper regional co-operation, this meeting demonstrated that joint technical action is not only key for strengthening climate resilience but also provides a valuable channel for multi-stakeholder dialogue and engagement."
The outcomes of the dialogue directly informed broader regional processes through the Extended Meeting of the Regional Working Group for the GAWB, that took place on the following day, which gathered representatives from the six South-Eastern European jurisdictions and regional partners.
"Strengthening regional dialogue is essential to translate commitments into concrete action and advance a more secure and sustainable future for the region. The outcomes of today's discussion provide valuable input to the development of the WB6 Climate Adaptation Strategy under the GAWB Action Plan, led by the Regional Cooperation Council, which will serve as a key framework for strengthening resilience to climate change impact across the Western Balkans through a coordinated and science-based regional approach", said Ivana Markovic Boskovic, Senior Expert on the GAWB at the RCC.
These events took place as part of the extra-budgetary project " Strengthening responses to security risks from climate change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia " implemented by OCEEA in partnership with adelphi and in close collaboration with the OSCE field operations. The project is funded by Andorra, Austria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
