S/2021/990 SC

The Security Council, Recalling its Presidential Statement 2011/15 of 20 July 2011, Reiterating its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and the importance of a comprehensive approach to peacebuilding and sustaining peace, particularly through the prevention of conflict and addressing its root causes at all stages of conflict, Recalling the General Assembly resolution 63/281 which expresses deep concerns that the adverse impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, could have possible security implications, and noting the Secretary General’s report of 11 September 2009, which highlights climate change and its possible security implications and acknowledges that climate change is often viewed as exacerbating existing threats. Recalling that the Security Council has repeatedly stressed the need for the UN, regional organisations and member states to take into consideration, as appropriate, the security implications of the adverse effects of climate change for their activities, programmes and strategies in affected countries, inter alia referring to the Lake Chad Basin, Somalia, Darfur, South Sudan, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Western and Central Africa, Cyprus and Iraq, Recalling the Sustaining Peace resolutions, and emphasising the need for a comprehensive, whole of UN approach to address climate change and its effects which includes all relevant United Nations organs and entities in line with their respective mandates, and in this regard recognising the responsibility for sustainable development issues conferred upon the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, and the importance of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement adopted under the Convention, are the primary international, intergovernmental forums for negotiating the global response to climate change, Acknowledging the centrality of adaptation and resilience in national and global responses to climate change and the conflict-preventive contributions of early mitigation action, Noting that an increasing number of Member States are recognising the adverse effects of climate change on their security in their national contexts, and stressing the primary responsibility of States to develop and implement measures to manage and address climate-related security risks, and, in this regard, emphasises the need for stronger and sustained international cooperation and capacity-building, Recalling the obligations of all parties to armed conflict to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law including those related to the natural environment, and for all States to comply with their respective obligations under international human rights law, and international refugee law, as applicable, Recognising that there is a strong nexus between peace and security, humanitarian assistance and sustainable development and that the adverse effects of climate change could impede or reverse the peacebuilding and development gains of the countries most affected by climate change, especially in nations characterised by a high level of fragility, and act as a risk multiplier in these contexts, Acknowledging that the adverse effects of climate change, including, inter alia, erratic precipitation, increasingly frequent and extreme weather phenomena, more frequent and severe tropical cyclones, floods and drought, diminishing fresh water resources, desertification, land degradation and sea-level rise can lead to water scarcity, food insecurity, large scale displacement, particularly affecting women, children, ethnic minorities and the most vulnerable, potentially leading to social tension and exacerbating, prolonging or contributing to the risk of future conflicts and instability and posing a key risk to global peace, security, and stability, Recognising that the adverse effects of climate change can exacerbate the vulnerability of populations, especially those in situations of armed conflict, violence or fragility, whose capacity to cope with climate shocks and changes is limited, and calling attention to the humanitarian consequences of climate related security risks for these populations, Expressing concern about the particular impact of climate-related security risks on women, children and the most vulnerable, Calling attention to the importance of conflict prevention, early awareness and consideration of situations which may deteriorate into armed conflicts. emphasising that the United Nations, including the Security Council, should heed early warning indications of potential conflict and ensure prompt and effective action to prevent, contain or end conflicts, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, Emphasising that Small Island Developing States are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, and expresses deep concern that the impacts, including the loss of territory caused by the rise of the sea level, may have implications for international peace and security, in addition to humanitarian, economic, social, cultural and ecological consequences, Welcoming the efforts by regional organisations such as the African Union, the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Pacific Islands Forum to develop regional responses to climate-related security threats, and stressing that the United Nations’ cooperation with regional and sub-regional organisations is critical to addressing climate-related security risks and to the prevention of the outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of conflict, Recalling that the Security Council has emphasised the importance of taking into account the environmental impacts of peacekeeping operations, welcoming the Secretary General’s priorities through his initiatives “Action for Peacekeeping” and “Action for Peacekeeping +”, and recognising in this regard the significant progress made in improving environmental risk management, Recognising the need for United Nations peacebuilding efforts to have adequate, predictable and sustained financing in order to effectively assist countries to sustain peace and prevent the outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of conflict, Recognising the need to also involve different stakeholders, including civil society and human rights defenders, and stressing especially the important role of women as part of the decision-making processes and their full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership in the design and implementation of programs related to climate and security, Recognising the potential benefits of scientifically sound and evidence-based assessments of the interaction between climate change and factors impacting security deriving from relevant United Nations bodies and frameworks for awareness -raising, informed policy formulation and decision-making in the context of international peace and security and promoting peacebuilding, Emphasising the need for the whole UN system to be better informed on climate-related security risks, drawing from available data, information and knowledge from various United Nations agencies, conventions and other international organisations and bodies as well as academia and local organisations, to fully integrate short and long-term climate and environmental risk factors in the comprehensive assessment and management of threats to peace and security, at country, regional and international levels, Inviting, in this regard, all relevant actors, to work towards accessible and interoperable international data on climate-related security risks and to develop digital infrastructure and skills required to process and interpret data in support of preventing conflicts, 1. Expresses its intention to take into consideration comprehensive conflict analysis and conflict management strategies incorporating information on the security implications of climate change, to enable the Council to pay due regard to any root causes of conflict or risk multipliers which may represent a challenge to the implementation of Council mandates or endanger the process of consolidation of sustaining peace; 2. Requests the Secretary-General to integrate climate-related security risk as a central component into comprehensive conflict-prevention strategies of the United Nations to contribute to the reduction of the risk of conflict relapse due to adverse effects of climate change; 3. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the security implications for relevant country or region-specific contexts on the Council’s agenda of the adverse effects of climate change, as well as recommendations on how climate related security risks can be addressed, within twenty-four months of the date of this resolution; 4. Also invites the Secretary-General to integrate, when relevant, the security implications of the effects of climate change into conflict prevention strategies, conflict analysis, integrated missions’ assessment and planning, peacebuilding support, conflict relapse risk reduction efforts, disaster risk reduction efforts and humanitarian response; requests the inclusion in relevant mission and thematic reporting to the Security Council of gender- and age-sensitive information relating to the security implications of climate change and recommendations to address it; requests further that the Secretary-General takes steps to improve the collection of data, monitoring and analysis of the effects of climate change in the context of armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies; 5. Encourages collaboration between Member States and the scientific community and the development of online-platforms for supporting real-time access to climate related data and information products to support comprehensive risk analyses; 6. Recognises that mediation is important for the peaceful settlement of disputes, especially in climate-related conflict situations and including wherever possible preventively, and before disputes evolve into violence, appreciates the efforts of the Secretary General to continue to strengthen United Nations mediation support capacity, in accordance with agreed mandates and encourages the Secretary-General to provide United Nations mediation support capacity to assist in the rebuilding of social cohesion and peacebuilding with due regard to climate related security risks; 7. Encourages relevant special political missions, peacekeeping operations and United Nations country teams, to incorporate, within their existing mandates, the security implications of climate change in their assessment, analysis and activities to prevent relapse into conflict; 8. Requests the Secretary-General to verify that relevant personnel involved in United Nations peacekeeping activities have appropriate training within existing resources on climate related security risks, and urges States and international and regional organisations to ensure that appropriate training is provided in their programmes for personnel involved in relevant activities; 9. Recognises the importance for international scientific research and data institutions taking into account local expertise in their field work, products and outcomes, in contributing to the identification of solutions for country or region-specific climate related security risks; 10. Recognises the importance of coordinating with host countries to ensure that the risk assessments and risk management strategies being proposed are collaborative efforts that respond to their needs and objectives; 11. Welcomes the deployment of dedicated capacity on climate security in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and encourages the 12. Recognises the importance of civil society, including community-based civil society, youth, women, peacebuilders, and where relevant the private sector, academia, think tanks, media, and cultural, educational, and religious leaders in peace building efforts and sustaining peace, including by increasing awareness about climate-related security impacts and how to more effectively address them; 13. Requests relevant special political missions, Peacekeeping Operations and United Nations country teams to consider the environmental impacts of its operations conducting mission management and, in this context, to manage them as appropriate and in accordance with applicable United Nations rules and regulations, mindful of the Secretary-General’s United Nations Secretariat Climate Action Plan goals; 14. Recognises the need to address challenges linked to the provision of specific information and recommendations on climate change induced security risks on countries and regions on the Council’s agenda, to inform and help strengthen the Council’s decisions, and therefore welcomes the convening of the Informal Expert Group of members of the Security Council on Climate and Security to facilitate a more systematic and comprehensive approach to Climate, Peace and Security within the Security Council’s work; 15. Encourages member states, regional organisations and the United Nations, including their field-based missions, to take into consideration, as appropriate, the security implications of the adverse effects of climate change in their activities, programs and strategies in affected countries, including by developing comprehensive risk management strategies relating to these factors; 16. Encourages also the Peacebuilding Commission to consider and bring attention to, where appropriate, in its country-specific, regional and thematic discussions implications of the adverse effects of climate change for peacebuilding and sustaining peace, to give priority consideration to the issues of national capacities and resilience building to address effects of climate change and sustaining peace issues, and convene across and beyond the UN system to facilitate a coherent and comprehensive cross-pillar response, and to engage with local communities and civil society, in particular women and young people, in their efforts to address climate change, sustainable development, and peacebuilding and sustaining peace; 17. Decides to remain actively seized of this matter.

UN Project. “S/2021/990.” UN Project, https://un-project.org/votes/resolution/S-2021-990/. Accessed .

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