III. Entry points for policy and practice

Chapter:

12. Climate and security

Source:

SIPRI Yearbook 2016

Author(s):

Janani Vivekananda, Lukas Rüttinger

There are multiple entry points for focusing policy and practice on the linked risks of climate change and conflict. Consideration of this interrelationship can occur at various levels, including during holistic risk assessments, as well as at the policy, and programme design and implementation levels. As a starting point, climate change interventions in fragile contexts must do no harm, and ideally contribute to reducing conflict risks. In the best case, they will help to build resilience against a whole range of shocks and pressures, including climate-fragility risks. The institutions responsible for climate change policy—such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member states, the relevant United Nations bodies, and global and regional development banks—and for practice, most notably development and humanitarian agencies, and private contractors and companies, need to ensure that their internal systems and structures promote resilience even where there is state fragility or conflict risk. For this to be possible, international institutions must restructure in such a way as to maximize citizen participation and build accountable and transparent national public institutions.¹