Strengthening responses to security risks from climate change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has been working on the security implications of climate change since 2007. In addition to providing a platform for political dialogue on climate-related security risks, the OSCE together with its partners has implemented activities on the ground in order to assess and address potential security risks stemming from climate change. These activities range from participatory assessments to the development and implementation of transboundary adaptation strategies.

Building on this work, the OSCE and adelphi have embarked on the follow-up project “Strengthening responses to security risks from climate change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia” in 2020. The aims of the overall project are to:

1. Enhance the understanding of how climate-related security risks impact South-Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe.
2. Increase co-operation among regional stakeholders to jointly address climate-related security risks.
3. Increase awareness and capacities for an integrated approach on climate change and security among main stakeholders.

In the first phase of the project, adelphi supported the OSCE by implementing participatory formats to assess climate and security risks in South-Eastern Europe, mapping climate-security hotspots as well as organising and implementing dialogue events in South-Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus. In addition, adelphi briefed the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in February 2020.

In the second phase of the project, the OSCE and adelphi worked together with regional stakeholders to draft scoping studies that aim to assess the current context of shared climate-related security challenges in selected hotspots, to collect and develop ideas for co-operation activities between the various stakeholders in these areas, and to identify what is required to ensure the success of such activities. The initial focus of this work was on South-Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus. 

The third phase of the project focuses on the following regional activities:

• Regional consultation workshop in Central Asia to discuss shared climate-security topics and hotspots, and identify and prioritise transboundary co-operation opportunities to address climate-security challenges in the region
• Stakeholder involvement in the South Caucasus to draft an additional scoping study at hotspot level
• Consultations with local stakeholders in South-Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus to develop joint adaptation/co-operation strategies at hotspot level
• Implementation of pilot projects at hotspot level

In addition, the third phase includes several cross-regional activities:

• Awareness-raising and capacity building for youth, field practitioners and civil society organisations
• Cross-regional Workshop on Wildfire Management for Enhancing Climate Resilience and Security
• Video production
• Monitoring and Evaluation