Strengthening Responses to Security Risks from Climate Change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia

Climate change can impact security in a number of ways. While it does not directly cause conflict, it interacts with other pressures to influence security landscapes, including population growth, unequal economic development and resource constraints. In other words, climate change acts as a risk multiplier.

The project “Strengthening Responses to Security Risks from Climate Change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia” aims to reduce climate change-related security risks in the four project regions by raising awareness, developing capacities, and sharing knowledge within and among the project regions. It also aims to do so through the implementation of climate change adaptation measures in the geographic areas that are most vulnerable to climate change.

The project relies on a participatory methodology, engaging a wide group of stakeholders and sectors at local and regional levels.

In implementing the project, the OSCE partners with the Berlin-based think tank adelphi and collaborates closely with the OSCE Field Operations.

Intended project results:

1. Enhanced understanding of how climate-related security risks play out in project regions;
2. Increased co-operation among regional stakeholders to jointly address climate-related security risks; and
3. Increased awareness and capacities for an integrated approach on climate change and security. 

Activities in the four project regions:

• Assessing security implications of climate change and mapping climate change and security hotspots through consultative processes in all four project regions.
• Developing joint adaptation/co-operation strategies and implementation plans for selected hotspots in each project region through consultative processes. This involves identifying regional co-operation opportunities to address the potential security implications of climate change, and preparing pre-feasibility studies of joint co-operation measures for a selected hotspot in each project region. This will be followed by the implementation of small-scale co-operation measures in the selected hotspots.
• Conducting a gender analysis on climate change and security in the OSCE region and developing a gender mainstreaming toolkit and implementing the toolkit through small-scale pilot initiatives.
• Awareness-raising and capacity-building on potential security risks stemming from climate change and joint risk reduction measures targeting policy-makers, field practitioners, women and youth organizations, parliamentarians and the media. This involves trainings, sharing experiences and knowledge as well as networking at the regional and cross-regional levels.

The project contributes to the implementation of the various provisions of the OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No.3/21 on “Strengthening co-operation to address the challenges caused by climate change” that was adopted on 3 December 2021 in Stockholm.