On 9-10 December, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) in collaboration with the Berlin-based think tank adelphi organized a workshop on climate change and security for representatives from all OSCE field operations and the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine.
Building on previous learning activities in 2022 and 2023 , the event provided a platform to take stock of current climate security trends and initiatives, to identify shared challenges and opportunities, and strengthen networking among a community of practice within the OSCE.
Following opening remarks by the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, Bakyt Dzhusupov, the programme explored the cross-cutting nature of climate change and its differentiated impacts on security and societies, including through thematic spotlights on human mobility, communication and information, and gender and inclusion.
"The workshop demonstrated practical ways to integrate climate change and environmental risks - such as extreme weather impacts on infrastructure and operations - into security planning and programme delivery. Takeaways from our discussions here will help teams anticipate disruptions and strengthen resilience to climate-related threats in the current volatile context," said Yaroslav Yurtsaba, Associate Programme Co-ordination Officer for the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine.
Tatjana Djurkovic, National Programme Officer at the OSCE Mission to Serbia, noted, "Tackling climate-related security risks demands inclusive and co-ordinated approaches. Our experience in Serbia shows that strengthening public awareness, improving information exchange, and promoting evidence and risk informed planning are essential for collective engagement and enhanced resilience in the face of climate change."
The workshop included reflections on the OSCE's future work on climate change and security, emphasizing the role of science and new technologies while at the same time acknowledging context-specific and locally-driven approaches.
The workshop was organized under the extrabudgetary 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. The project is funded by Andorra, Austria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
