During April 10 and11 2016, the G7 Foreign Ministers met at Hiroshima, Japan to discuss current international affairs in the run-up to the G7 Summit in May. In the final Joint Communiqué they once again took a strong stance on tackling climate-fragility risks collectively. They endorsed a quick entry into force of the Paris Agreement by all parties, while also emphasizing the role of the G7 in the prevention of climate fragility risks and the need to further consider these challenges as part of their foreign policies:
“We reiterate that climate change poses a serious threat to global security and economic prosperity and shared the view that foreign policy must contribute to addressing this challenge effectively. In this context, we welcome the report submitted to us by the G7 Working Group on Climate Change and Fragility, endorse its recommendations, and affirm the need to continue to work on the issues of the climate-fragility risks by aligning our efforts toward the common goal of increasing resilience and reducing fragility in the face of global climate change, including taking steps to integrate climate-fragility considerations across our national governments.”
This statement has been preceded by the Meeting of G7 Foreign Ministers in Lübeck a year ago, where the Ministers first announced their commitment on tackling climate-fragility risks after receiving and discussing the report A New Climate for Peace: Taking Action on Climate and Fragility Risks, which was conducted by an independent international consortium led by adelphi. As a consequence, the foreign ministers decided to set up a working group with the task to evaluate the report and work out recommendations regarding possible implementation in time for their 2016 meeting.
With their latest declaration, the foreign ministers substantiated their commitment to attend to the matter of climate and fragility risks as posed in the report.
It’s official: India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for 2021-22. Previously, the country has adopted a cautionary approach towards climate security. While it may not significantly shift its positions, global realities may trigger more openness, with an eye on multilateralism, rule of law and fairness.
75 years ago, the UN was born. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the UN looks back at several important achievements, but much work on persisting challenges still lies ahead. Increased UN engagement in three areas can make the region more resilient to future challenges.
Conflicts connected to water-security are often related to climate change issues. However, the link between water-scarcity-related risks and security challenges is not as straightforward, direct and immediate as often perceived. The online workshop ‘Mobilising decision-makers on water scarcity-induced conflict risks: The Water, Peace and Security Partnership’, organised by the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) and adelphi, looked into this complex relationship.
Insecurity is plaguing north-western Nigeria, due to persistent herder-farmer tensions, rising crime and infiltration by Islamist militants. Federal and state authorities should focus on resolving conflict between agrarian and pastoralist communities, through dialogue and resource-sharing agreements, while also stepping up law enforcement.