Attachments
Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1263rd meeting held on 6 March 2025 on Climate Change: Challenges to Peace and Security in Africa.
The Peace and Security Council,
Referring to the previous AU Policy Organ’s Decisions and pronouncements, in particular, the AU Assembly Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec. 815(XXXV)] adopted by the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union held on 5-6 February 2022, which acknowledged the “inextricable link between climate, peace and security” and the request to the Commission to expedite the finalization of a climate-related security risk assessment study, in consultation with Member States, as well as to expeditiously develop a Common African Position on the nexus between Climate, Peace and Security; recalling the AU Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan (2022-2032) which underlined the role of climate change as a potential threat multiplier in the context of conflict and human security;
Also recalling all its previous decisions and pronouncements on the nexus between climate, peace and security, in particular, the Communiqués [PSC/PR/COMM.1079 (2022)] adopted at its 1079th meeting held on 21 April 2022; [PSC/MIN/COMM.1114 (2022)] adopted at its 1114th meeting, held at ministerial level, on 18 October 2022; [PSC/PR/COMM.1051 (2021)] adopted at its 1051st meeting held on n 26 November 2021; and [PSC/PR/COMM.1240 (2024)] adopted at its 1240th meeting held on 30 October 2024; Noting the opening remarks by H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Arrouchi, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the African Union (AU) and StandIn Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the AU for March 2025; the Introductory Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs Peace and Security; and the presentation by H.E. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy Sustainable Environment;
Also noting the Statements by the Representative of the Republic of Kenya, AU Champion for Climate Change; by H.E. Parfait Onanga Anyanga, Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General to the AU; as well as by the Representative of Climate Change Competence Centre (4C Morocco), and by the Representative of Initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA Initiative); and
Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:
1. Acknowledges the significant efforts by the AU and the Leading Stakeholders on climate change in Africa; in this regard, recognizes the important roles and contributions of various African stakeholders in advancing the climate change and peace and security agenda, including the AU Assembly, Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change, and the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding in Africa (CCCPA);
2. Underlines the need to mobilize adequate and sustainable financing to close the adaptation financing gap, finance loss and damage, to ensure a just transition, reach the most vulnerable contexts, strengthen African financing facilities, and upscale climate-security actions in the continent; in this regard calls on the AU’s partners to continue to ensure sustained, predictable and sustainable funding, adapted to Africa’s specific needs, in addressing climate change challenges and its impact on peace and security;
3. Encourages investments dedicated to the implementation of relevant African initiatives for the adaptation of African agriculture, as well as projects aimed at the sustainability of natural resources, the stability of human resources and the security of institutional resources as well as the other areas of development such as environmental sustainability;
4. Stresses the importance of incorporating environmental and climate dimensions including agricultural adaptation, into strategies aimed at promoting peace, security and development in Africa;
5. Calls for enhanced cooperation between African stakeholders and international partners in responding to climate-related challenges; and underscores the imperative to define African Solutions including on education and employment for youth, improve African research and data collection, develop a Common African Position (CAP) on the Climate change, peace and security nexus, and build a collaborative framework for climate change, peace, and security initiatives;
6. Highlights the imperative to enhance climate change governance by strengthening climatesecurity capacities, ensure inclusivity, focus on marginalized groups, address gender-based violence, and integrate climate-conflict indicators in early warning systems; in this respect, emphasizes the need to develop knowledge among various stakeholders, including building civil society capacities, use local and traditional knowledge, and ensure an inclusive data collection to this end;
7. Requests the AU Commission to support and strengthen its collaboration with initiatives aimed at strengthening African capacities to anticipate, prevent and effectively manage the challenges of climate change, notably the African Agriculture Adaptation (AAA) Initiative, the African Security, Stability and Sustainability (SSS) initiative and the three Climate Commissions, namely the Sahel Commission, the Island States Commission and the Congo Basin Commission, in coordination with centers of excellence such as Africa Center of Excellence for resilience and Adaptation, Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) and Climate responses for Sustaining Peace (CRSP), with collaboration of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD);
8. Also requests the AU Commission in collaboration in partners to mobilize the necessary funds aimed at building continental capacity to anticipate, prevent and manage the challenges of climate change with focus on adaptation projects across the continent;
9. Encourages Member States to implement the relevant African initiatives for the adaptation of African agriculture, as well as projects aimed at strengthening Africa's three main assets: its human resources (stability), its natural resources (sustainability) and its institutional resources (security);
10. Also encourages South-South cooperation and strategic partnerships, by multiplying engagements and meetings, in order to share best practices and technological innovations for collective and effective adaptation; and calls on for the dissemination of digital adaptation tools, such as the African Agriculture Adaptation Tracking Tool, to provide decision-makers with accurate, up-todate data to guide their policies on the subject;
11. Calls upon Member States to improve communication on climate change phenomena such as drought, cyclones and floods to effectively ensure disaster preparedness and risk reduction at local, national, regional and continental levels;
12. Requests the Commission to expedite the finalization of the study on the climate-conflict nexus, which will also define the varying security impacts of climate change on the African continent, in consultation with Member States, RECs/RMs, Climate Commissions, and African institutions, and relevant African centers of Excellence;
13. Looks forward to the finalization of the Common African Position on Climate Change, Peace and Security, following due process, and taking into consideration the contributions from all AU Member States, the African Group of Negotiators, and Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution (RECs/RMs), or subsequent incorporation in the national and regional policies and frameworks;
14. Whilst underscoring the need to mobilize USD1.3 trillion by 2030 to address the immediate climate change action in Africa and other developing countries with the least capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change, welcomes the adoption by the COP 29 held in Baku, Azerbaijan, of the new climate finance target of USD 300 billion annually by 2035, and the operationalization of carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement aimed at strengthening the capacity to achieve lowcarbon, climate-resilient development through implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (APs); in this regard, calls for the swift implementation of these decisions;
15. Urges Member States to pursue the development of a holistic and inclusive approach to strengthen agro-food systems, health, and social protection systems to accelerate social and economic development for communities;
16. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.