MSC co-hosts high-level side event at COP26: “Climate, Peace and Stability: Weathering Risk Through COP and Beyond”

On November 2, the Munich Security Conference (MSC), in cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office and adelphi, and with the support of Luxembourg, Nauru and the United Arab Emirates, hosted a hybrid side-event at COP26 in Glasgow, titled "Climate, Peace and Stability: Weathering Risk Through COP and Beyond".  The discussion was live streamed and is available here. 

The session, moderated by Ambassador Ischinger, Chairman of the MSC, highlighted the climate-security nexus in the context of COP26. All 13 speakers in the discussion underlined how crucial it is to recognize and act on the interlinkages between climate, peace and stability, as well as the need to incorporate these concerns in all action to combat climate change. For this particular reason, the Munich Security Conference decided to emphasize the issue at COP26, as part of its Sustainability Program activities and as another milestone on "The Road to Munich".

Martha Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa at the United Nations, opened the discussion with a briefing, in which she underlined that: "We must take immediate action to strengthen the resilience of countries, communities and people already suffering from increasingly frequent severe climate impacts, particularly where these are compounded by conflict." This call for action was supported by all speakers. It was further emphasized how on the one hand, climate change threatens people’s livelihood and security, as its impacts jeopardize peace and stability in many regions of the world. It also became clear that on the other hand, political instability and conflict often weaken governance structures, which are then unable to take on the necessary measures for climate adaptation.

Climate Change as Threat Multiplier

By bringing together high-level representatives from international organizations and different countries, including those most affected by climate-related security risks, it became abundantly clear how climate change already acts as a threat multiplier on the ground. Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Omamo highlighted that the changes in climate are already contributing to state fragility and the vulnerability of people in many places in Africa and beyond. As Robert Mardini, Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, put it: "People affected by armed conflict and violence are also the ones on the frontlines of the climate crisis."

The conversation in this session went beyond the acknowledgement of inextricable linkage between climate and security. Different approaches were discussed as necessary milestones on the pathway ahead; from enabling early warning systems to suitable climate finance for communities in fragile environments. Helga Schmid, Secretary General of the OSCE, emphasized that climate change also brings with it "an opportunity for regional cooperation and building trust." With German State Secretary Berger highlighting the importance of bringing together policy experts from the development, defense and foreign policy community, a growing momentum for joint action on climate, peace and stability could be seen. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, an island state already faced with the dramatic impacts of climate change, closed his contribution by appealing to all participants in the session: "We have to work together to save our planet. It’s as simple as that."