The programme will enable its participants to strengthen their awareness of the risks that climate change poses to international peace and security as well as local peacebuilding interventions. Participants will gain an understanding of approaches, instruments and tools to reduce and mitigate structural governance vulnerabilities compounded by climate change in peacebuilding interventions.

Introduction

Climate change can be considered one of the greatest global threats to peace and security in the 21st century. While there is no direct causal link between climate change and conflicts, there is growing evidence that climate-related risks could exacerbate conflict dynamics; converging with other shocks and pressures to threaten stability of states and societies. Climate change impacts inhibit peace by undermining human security and increasing the impact of other drivers of conflict and fragility. Where institutions and governments are unable to absorb or manage climate-related stresses, risk of instability will increase.  This is why it is essential that sustaining peace interventions start from a comprehensive analysis of climate related risks and adopt an integrated framework, by ensuring conflict and climate sensitivity and integrating adaptation and peacebuilding approaches into environmental programming.

With the sustaining peace agenda, the Secretary-General has placed conflict prevention at the top of his agenda, recognizing that conflict is fueled by a variety of overlapping factors, including climate change. It also recognizes that it is the work of the international community to acknowledge this systemic complexity. To this end, the United Nations is taking steps towards developing a long-term approach for sustaining peace; ensuring that climate security concerns are taken into account and mainstreamed across its analysis and programming for peace-building.

By combining analytical methodologies, webinars and tutored writing exercises, this course will boost the ability to analyse and adopt a climate-sensitive lens into peacebuilding programming, through a partnership between the think tank adelphi and UNSSC. The course will assist practitioners in identifying entry points (e.g. natural resources access and management, climate resilient livelihoods and peace positive climate related adaptations) and will provide guidance as to how to strengthen programming for social cohesion, inclusive governance systems and address exclusion and marginalization.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this programme, you will be able to:

Learn about different methodologies and techniques to analyse climate-related risks; 

Learn to develop a robust theory of change for integrated programming;

Develop participatory conflict-sensitive methodologies and programmes, accounting for climate risks;

Measure integrated results across all dimensions of the programming cycle.

Course Methodology

This course is delivered entirely online, in partnership with the think tank adelphi and offers the opportunity to engage in a dynamic learning experience by combining learner-centered design principles, combining live webinar sessions, led by subject experts, with self-paced activities. The course will utilize carefully chosen writing samples and involve discussions on real cases analytical dilemmas across different UN settings through stimulating presentations, interactive discussions and small-group exercises.

The weekly instructor-led webinars are conducted in the Zoom online platform. Participants need a computer (or mobile device), a reliable internet connection and either headset with microphone to connect to the audio through the computer, or a telephone. We will send instructions for Zoom access to registered participants and recommend that you download the application and test your access in advance.

Target Audience

United Nations staff from the Secretariat, agency, funds and programmes and partners working on sustaining peace, through political analysis, good offices, mediation and conflict-sensitive programming.

Cost of participation

The programme fee is $750