By Alexander Carius, Executive Director, Adelphi Research

The General Assembly of the United Nations (U.N.) at its 63 General Assembly on 3 June 2009 adopted a draft resolution on "Climate change and its possible security implications" (A/63/281), which have been proposed by the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS). The resolution was adopted by a consensus and 101 states supported it.  For the first time in the history of the U.N., the United States co-sponsored a climate protection resolution. The European Union (E.U.), and especially Germany, has been particularly concerned from the beginning about the importance of supporting the PSIDS. The resolution urged the U.N. bodies to strengthen their efforts to combat climate change and to avoid intensifying potential security risks. The U.N. Secretary General was requested to submit a comprehensive report outlining the possible security risks of climate change at the next General Assembly meeting. The report should consider the views and expertise of the Member States and relevant regional and international organisations.  This was the first time in history that a U.N. resolution established a direct link between climate change to international peace and security. The professional opinions of the Member States and regional and international organisations are expected to be presented at the end of July 2009. At the end of August, the first working draft of the report will be available. The Committee for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations (UNDESA) will develop the report for the General Secretary. The tight schedule should allow for conclusions and recommendations to be considered for the Copenhagen Process and the U.N. Climate Summit, which will be on 22 September 2009 in New York.

In the spring of 2007, the United Kingdom's initiative on climate change was discussed at the U.N Security Council, which was met with considerable opposition.  Some held fundamental reservations against climate policies as a topic for the Council, while others feared that the Security Council's enforcement of decisions on climate policy may restrict the sovereignty of states. Yet the re-launch of the PSIDS in the General Assembly was successful.  Due to the fact that PSIDS first drafted a resolution, they consequently could emphasise the massive threat that climate change imposes on them.  The current text of the resolution is short and compromises nearly a year-long struggle.  However, the negotiations of the G77’s developing countries did not reach a consensus. Reservations regarding the referral to the U.N. encompass all regional and political groups. Ultimately though, a political process was initiated that now addresses the security implications of climate change at the U.N. level.  The consensual adoption of the resolution will also be included in future U.N. negotiations. Due to the short time frame (presentation of the report at the next U.N. General Assembly meeting), the General Assembly must continue to intensely work on the topic of climate change and security.  Furthermore, the formation of the resolution text was collectively conceived so that the Security Council could address the topic in the future.

This resolution now initiates at the U.N. level a parallel process to the E.U. roadmap process on climate change and international security. The German E.U. Presidency initiated in 2007 a joint paper on climate change and international security that the Council and the European Commission published in March 2008. Until the end of 2009, the European Union will continue making concrete recommendations and adapt them with international and regional organisations so that security implications of climate change can be mitigated. These parallel processes offer the E.U. Member States the unique opportunity for their expectations and suggestions to be included at the U.N. level.



The Draft Resolution is available at http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a/63/L.8/Rev.1&Lang=E



The U.N. press release on the General can be found at http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/ga10830.doc.htm

Published in: ECC-Newsletter, Juni 2009