Climate Change in the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission and Fund

  • Lukas Rüttinger, adelphi
Climate Change in the UN Peacebuilding Commission and Fund Cover

A growing body of research on the links between climate change, fragility and conflict shows that climate change will make peacebuilding more urgent and complex. Climate-sensitive peacebuilding has the potential to significantly contribute to addressing climate-fragility risks. The Peacebuilding Fund and the Peacebuilding Commission have both started to address the links between climate change, fragility and conflict and these experiences can be used to strengthen their engagement on the topic. Although climate change is reshaping the international security landscape, the international community still lacks a clear vision as to what roles different parts of the UN can and should play in preventing climate-fragility risks and building resilience against them. In order to address the security implications of climate change, institutions and actors in the development, humanitarian, climate change adaptation and peacebuilding fields all have important roles to play: they can increase the resilience of states and societies to a whole range of shocks, pressures and risks, which include climate, conflict and fragility risks.

 

State fragility and climate vulnerability
State fragility and climate vulnerability

This policy paper focuses on two institutions that are integral parts of the UN peacebuilding architecture, the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). The PBC is an intergovernmental body that supports peacebuilding in countries that are emerging from conflict and advises the General Assembly and the Security Council. The UN Secretary General’s PBF is the UN’s financial instrument of first resort to sustain peace incountries or situations at risk or affected by violent conflict.

The aim of the paper is twofold: 1) to show how climate change is impacting efforts to build and sustain peace, and 2) to provide concrete recommendations on how climate change could be better integrated into the PBC’sand PBF’s works.

Download: Climate Change in the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission and Fund

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