On 21 September, the International Day of Peace, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) convened the annual High-Level Panel on Water Diplomacy. The event focused on how the climate and security sectors can learn from each other.
Speakers from EcoPeace Middle East, the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research reflected on challenges from the diplomatic, security, climate research, and civil society perspectives.
The key message from the panel was that we must have a better context-specific understanding of climate challenges, but also ‘create linkages between governments and their constituencies through aligning grassroots actions with national decision making.’ Further, regional security organizations should help national governments to ‘enhance and better coordinate disaster risk response.’
The pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has challenged the notion that the world cannot change. It can mean that—despite many challenges—there are also many opportunities to do things differently and press the reset button. A Climate-Smart Security Agenda is the way forward.
Click here to watch a recording of the event.
Click here to read the event blog.
