In September 2022, International Alert published its report titled “From diagnosis to action: Five lessons for addressing climate security risks”. This report distils lessons learned from International Alert’s 15 years of climate, security and peacebuilding programming. Current and former members of staff across 12 countries share practical examples of how Alert has addressed climate security risks in different contexts; from transforming gender relationships within programmes to employing constructive peacebuilding practices as part of multi-sectoral partnerships.
The links between climate change and conflict are complex, context-specific and constantly in flux, due to changing circumstances. It is vital to keep investing in deepening our understanding, particularly where the impacts of the climate crisis interact with the politics of marginalisation and exclusion. Populations vulnerable to climate change and violent conflict need swift, inclusive and well-considered action. The various stakeholders and sectors, particularly countries and regions most affected, need to come together and participate in global policy spaces, such as the UN Climate Change Conference, to agree on climate security action plans.
The five lessons learned discussed here and recommended for immediate action by International Alert, fellow peacebuilders, policy-makers and others working to address climate security risks are as follows:
1. Guard against climate action doing more harm than good.
2. Policy-makers, civil society actors and communities must listen, learn and act together.
3. Step-up collaboration and approaches that cut across sectors.
4. Put gender and power relations at the heart of climate security action.
5. Climate action needs peacebuilding – and it can also do peacebuilding.
The report further offers examples from the various countries in which International Alert is active, including DRC, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Rwanda, Tajikistan and Tunisia. As the international community, policy-makers and practitioners step up their efforts to move the climate security discourse from diagnosis to action, this paper on lessons learned from International Alert’s work on climate security aims to contribute to the movement by demonstrating actions that can and must be taken to support populations vulnerable to climate change and violent conflict.
The original report by International Alert can be viewed on their website here.