Climate Diplomacy Training for African Junior Diplomats

The fight against global warming, the sustainable use of resources, and the adaptation to and mitigation of climate-related risks and disasters are among the greatest challenges of the 21st century. Multilateralism and international diplomacy are key to finding solutions to these global tasks.

In this context, adelphi conducted an online training for African students on behalf of the Regional Program on Energy Security and Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS). The goal of the training was to sensitize junior diplomats to the issue of climate diplomacy and to illustrate political approaches to solutions. Using a mix of innovative online tools and instruments, the junior diplomats gained in-depth knowledge of the security risks of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa and globally and learned to develop political approaches to different problems in a fun and interactive way. In addition to the causes and consequences of climate change for the availability of water or fertile land, the training focused on the geopolitical implications, as well as the relevant challenges currently facing diplomats in their efforts to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. The training comprised an online preparation course, consisting of webinars and homework, and a final conference of several days, which focused on a simulation of negotiations in the United Nations Security Council, which has started to address climate-related security risks.

adelphi was responsible for the development of a target group-specific training concept, the preparation, pedagogical elaboration and moderation of the online-based preparatory course, including the close supervision of the participants, as well as for the conception and implementation of the final conference. In addition, adelphi prepared a final report. adelphi's experts have many years of experience in climate diplomacy and climate-related security risks. They conduct numerous trainings for different target groups, for example on the interfaces between climate policy, foreign and security policy, and development policy or on conflict analysis and peacebuilding in the context of environmental change.