Attachments
Mary Elizabeth Potts, Beatrice Mosello, Raquel Munayer and Ginevra Cucinotta
Context
Evidence from integrated climate security programming to date shows that climate action can bring opportunities for peace and serve as an entry point for peacebuilding interventions. In recognition of the need for integrated action, the Climate, Peace and Security (CPS) agenda has made great strides in recent years, evolving from a focus on understanding complex climate security risks towards acting to address them. Yet despite these advancements, marginalised groups – such as women, youth, people with disabilities, and indigenous communities – are often left out of the conversation.
Exclusion is a key driver of climate vulnerability, insecurity and conflict; therefore, climate action for peace can only happen in conjunction with a focus on inclusion. Participatory approaches to designing climate and peace interventions can improve outcomes by integrating different types of expertise, knowledge and perspectives on the causes and impacts of problems, and supporting trust-building among stakeholders to aid in later implementation.
The international community is beginning to recognise that inclusion is a key element of the CPS agenda and can contribute to opening new opportunities for peace. The New Agenda for Peace, presented by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in July 2023, highlights that climate policy “can offer avenues for effective peacebuilding and the inclusion of women, indigenous communities, the economically disadvantaged and youth.” Other examples of the growing call for inclusion in the CPS agenda include the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 41/21 on “a disability-inclusive human rights-based approach to climate change,” and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2250 on integrating youth participation in peacebuilding.
In this context, adelphi and the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) organised an interactive workshop, bringing together diverse experts to discuss how a focus on inclusion can help bring new perspectives to the CPS agenda. The event aimed at informing discussions around inclusion and suggesting concrete solutions for fostering action to address climate security risks, especially in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. This practical note captures key takeaways from the workshop