World Experts Gather to Review Progress On Climate & Security in 2017

Governments and experts are being urged to use the shifting geopolitical landscape to cement action on the climate and security agenda at a major conference in The Hague on December 12 and 13.

Being presented at the conference is a report Action on Climate and Security Risks: Review of Progress 2017 which sums up the progress made on the agenda in 2017.

The conference comes after a year of ongoing and worsening political conflict and humanitarian crises. At the same time, the impacts of climate change have hit home. Hurricanes, floods and tropical storms have buffeted the Caribbean, North America and South Asia, whilst drought and desertification push thousands more towards extreme hunger in the Sahel. Arctic ice is at its thinnest level ever and a vast fragment of the Antarctic ice shelf broke off.

However, report author Janani Vivekananda said there have been positive developments in the climate and security space in the past year including acknowledgements of climate-fragility risks in national and global fora, policies and strategies, such as the Australian Senate Enquiry into the issue, the EU’s new strategy promoting resilience, and the Lake Chad UN Security Council resolution and subsequently announced comprehensive risk assessment.

“These practical steps towards ensuring our actions are reflective of the link between climate and security are few and far between – the time is ripe for them to be scaled up, driven deeper and multiplied to have lasting impact,” Vivekananda said. “There are now a range of international processes - such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Compact for Migration where we can move the climate and security agenda from analysis into action.”

The third annual Planetary Security Conference which is held under the auspices of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will feature a range of experts from the Iraqi Minister of Water Hassan Janabi, the Red Cross Secretary General Elhadj As Sy, Director of the Clingendael Institute Monika Sie Dhian Ho, SIPRI Director Dan Smith and former US Defence Undersecretary Sherri Goodman.

WHAT: Journalists are invited to register to attend the conference and the opening press conference by emailing contacts listed above. One on one interviews are available with spokespeople throughout the conference by contacting us.

WHEN: An opening press conference will be held on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 10:00AM CET, details - including a dial in link -  to follow.  

WHERE: Marriott Hotel, Johan de Wittlaan 30, 2517 JR The Hague, The Netherlands.