Nordic Statement for the UNSC open debate on Security in the context of terrorism and climate change
High-Level Open Debate of
the UN Security Council on the maintenance on International Peace and Security
Security in the context of
terrorism and climate change
Thursday, 9 December 2021
Mr President,
Members of the Security
Council,
I have the pleasure to deliver
this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Norway, and Sweden.
I thank the President of Niger, His Excellency
Mr Mohamed Bazoum, for convening this timely meeting.
The recent COP26 meeting highlighted the
urgent need of halting climate change to avoid disastrous consequences in the very
near future. Without countermeasures, nature’s hand will shift from benevolent
to malevolent. There will be no place to hide, and no society will be exempted.
Climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation have severe impacts on the availability of and access to natural resources such as water, food, forests and land. These changes can increase competition over natural resources. This competition can in turn escalate into violence, in particular in areas that have already experienced conflict and where certain groups are excluded from natural resource management.
Today, transnational environmental crime generates an estimated 38 percent of the financing for illegal, non-state armed groups, including terrorist groups, representing their largest source of income.
Armed
groups increasingly capitalize on climate-related disasters and livelihood
losses to increase their recruitment pool. They can use the impacts of climate
change to position themselves as alternative service and relief providers,
where government efforts are insufficient or unresponsive.
Mr President,
We have since long reached
a point where we must move from words to action. UN Missions and UN Resident
Coordinators must play an active role in in addressing local climate and
security-related risks as well as in reporting to the Security Council. This
work needs to be supported by the UN Agencies that make up the UN Climate
Security Mechanism. In this, they need to build on local expertise.
Interventions should be
based on the best available science. To understand the security risks of
climate change we need to look at a longer-term timescale. Simply dealing with
current variability in climate is not enough. Close cooperation with national
weather services, regional climate centres, and the WMO is of essence.
The Peacebuilding
Commission, with its emphasis on local ownership and inclusion should address these risks. The PBC should also
advice the Security Council on these matters.
Six of the ten largest UN
missions operate in countries that are among those most exposed to climate
change. Research from SIPRI, NUPI and others has showed the importance of
integrating a climate change lens into peacekeeping and peacebuilding.
The debate today, the continuing
increase in members of the UN Group of
Friends on Climate and Security, and the recent OSCE landmark decision on
climate change are testaments to the demand for more systemic global action.
A recurrent report from the
Secretary-General on the security implications of the adverse effects of
climate change could form the basis of regular debates in the Security Council.
We strongly support the adoption
of a resolution by the Security Council to this end next week.
To conclude Mr. President,
How we decide to act today on
the risks of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation
will determine the prospects for peaceful societies and human security for
millions of people in the coming decades. Common challenges need a common
understanding, solidarity, and strong multilateral institutions for a secure
and sustainable future.
Thank you.