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BEST OF: Planetary Security Conference 2017 and The Hague Declaration

2017 was a year of climatic extremes. Hurricanes, floods and tropical storms buffeted the Caribbean, North America, Europe and Asia. Drought and desertification pushed thousands towards extreme hunger in the Sahel. And the ice in the Arctic is now the thinnest it’s ever been.

Tomoaki Ishigaki, Director of Climate Change Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

People tend to think that climate change is an environmental issue, but we strongly disagree. It has huge implications not only for the environment, but also for the economic and social well-being of the people and, of course, even causes conflict if we do not handle it properly.

 

Azzam Alwash, Founder, Nature Iraq

The solution has to be in ways we behave. Status quo is not possible – so what do we do?

 

Louise van Schaik, Head Sustainability Research, Clingendael Institute       

I am really happy that with the Planetary Security Conference and through the Planetary Security Initiative, we can address such questions and we can also underline the need for scaling up action in this field.

 

Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UN Environment 

When you sit together you may come from different perspectives but you look at the same issues. What is the main task today in terms of security and climate change? It is to look at the root causes of your conflicts and the root causes of the problems.

 

Voice Over (adelphi)

This year’s conference saw the launch of the Hague Declaration on Planetary Security. This offers a programme of concrete actions, like the creation of an institutional home for climate security within the United Nations, enhanced coordination on migration issues, and the promotion of urban resilience. Other actions are to support struggling countries and regions such as Mali, Iraq and the Lake Chad region.

 

Janani Vivekananda, Senior Adviser, Climate Change and Peacebuilding, adelphi  

The Hague Declaration on Planetary Security sets out a pathway for us. It’s the first declaration of its kind which helps us move from just thinking about the issue, from understanding the issue, to actually thinking about what to do.

 

Hassan Al-Janabi, Minister of Water Resources, Iraq

We see the Hague Declaration as a call, a wake-up call also for the rest of the world with its global outlook and specific focus on certain areas, including Iraq.

 

Voice Over (adelphi)

Climate change and its impacts are now high on the international agenda. We can see the effects on the environment, the economy, on geopolitics, migration and on security. No government can tackle them alone. The Planetary Security Conference emphasised the need to work together, at all levels.

 

Monika Sie Dhian Ho, General Director, Clingendael Institute           

You all belong to the community of practice on planetary security. We cherish to have you gathered here and involve you, learn from you and inspire you to take follow-up action as much as you can.

 

Alexander Carius, Co-founder and Managing Director, adelphi         

I think The Hague turned out to be the place to be for everyone who is working on climate and security.

 

 

The production of this video is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Planetary Security Initiative. We also thank the Clingendael team for their help and cooperation.

The video was directed by Stella Schaller (adelphi) and produced by Paul Müller-Hahl (Lichtbilder).