This November saw some reaffirmed commitments to global action on climate change when the international community came together in Bonn at COP23. But little progress was made on the major challenge of addressing climate and security risks. The Planetary Security Conference 2017 addresses this challenge, specifically focusing on the critical need to move from ‘analysis to action’. The conference, now in its third year, will bring together 350 high-level policy makers and experts from governments, international organisations, and NGOs to explore policies and actions on climate, foreign and security policy which are better able to address interlinked climate-security risks in a holistic way. The specific objective of the 2017 Planetary Security Conference is to facilitate exchange between local experts, policy-makers and international institutions and help us move from analysis to action on climate-security risks.

Keynote speakers at the PSC 2017 

• Halbe Zijlstra, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands,
• Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme and
• Hasan al Janabi, Minister of Water Resources, Iraq

Launch of The Hague Declaration – an Agenda for Action

To encourage concrete actions beyond the discussions of the conference, the organisers adelphi, Clingendael Institute, Center for Climate and Security, Hague Centre for Strategic Studies und Stockholm International Peace Research Institute have drafted The Hague Declaration. The Declaration is the first of its kind on climate-security, and sets out an Agenda for Action on six key climate-security goals for the coming year. The Hague Declaration will be launched by the Dutch Foreign Minister at this year’s conference.

Spotlight on Lake Chad, Iraq and Mali; Focus on Migration and Urbanisation

This year, the Planetary Security Conference has a focus on Lake Chad region, Iraq and Mali - some of the world’s regions most affected by climate change and fragility. Insecure livelihoods, resource scarcity and violence from non-state armed actors are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. One workshop organised by adelphi will discuss different approaches how to increase resilience against climate-fragility risks in the Lake Chad Basin. The workshop will put a particular focus on how to better link peacebuilding with climate change adaptation. 

The thematic focus of the Planetary Security Conference 2017 will be on the impacts of climate change on migration and urbanisation. Participants will have the opportunity to familiarise with innovative approaches and local experiences and to develop practical solutions on climate-related security risks in the context of migration and urbanisation.

The annual Planetary Security Conference was launched by The Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2015. adelphi is part of a consortium of leading think tanks operating the conference. At the PSC 2017, adelphi will host workshops on the Lake Chad region, climate change and conflict sensitivity and the joint EU and UN Environment initiative on climate security.

The conference runs from 12-13th December. You can keep follow discussions at the conference on twitter using the hashtag #PSC2017.