I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of Friends on Climate

and Security: a broad and diverse group of now over 60 states from all regions of the

world. At the outset, let me extend the group’s appreciation to: Kenya H.E. Martin

Kimani and Norway H.E Mona Juul for giving the Group of Friends on Climate and

Security the opportunity to co-sponsor and speak on this important issue.

Climate change remains the single most destructive threat to the existence and

wellbeing of all humankind since prehistoric times. Climate change threatens our lives,

livelihoods, food security, stability, sustainable development, prosperity, the effective

enjoyment of human rights, and ultimately, peace and security. It threatens in some

cases possibly even to the existence of states and the physical lives of their citizens.

The evidence is clear that climate change does contribute to increased conflict, but

along complex pathways. There are a variety of context factors — in particular,

socioeconomic conditions, governance, and political factors — that interact and play

a key role in translating climate change into conflict risks.

The fundamental question we therefore ask today is what could the UN peace and

security architecture achieve by integrating climate, peace, and security to guide

conflict prevention, peacebuilding, mediation, and peacekeeping efforts? And what

should the Security Council do in that regard – as this is, after all, a meeting of the

Security Council.

The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international

peace and security. We thank the Security Council for recognizing the adverse effects

of climate change on conflict dynamics in its consideration of a growing number of

mandates for peacekeeping and special political missions. We welcome the progress

made so far and thank the Security Council and commend the work of the Informal

Expert Group of Members of the Security Council, who have been crucial in informing

the Council’s work in this regard.

While we recognise the good work of the UN Security Council, more needs to be done!

States must redouble their efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and take

urgent climate mitigation action to keep a 1.5-degree limit to warming within reach. To

this end, States must also take ambitious actions in their implementation of the Paris

Agreement and decisions under the Paris Agreement, including the Glasgow Climate

Pact.

Adaptation and mitigation should be our collective goal as a part of a larger strategy

aimed at increasing resilience to climate change in some of the most vulnerable

communities in the world and preventing an even greater elevation of risk through

effective mitigation measures. The IPCC report identified that environmental

peacebuilding through natural resource sharing, conflict-sensitive adaptation and

climate-resilient peacebuilding as an area offer avenues for addressing conflict risks.

To conclude, let me reiterate that the consequences of climate change constitute

major threats to the international community, including its clear impact as a risk

multiplier for peace and security now as well as in the decades to come. As the

Secretary-General “Our Common Agenda” reports clearly states, no nation can face

this challenge alone. To build peace, to sustain peace, to prevent conflict in the face

of the climate crisis. We must act together, and we must act now.