29 April 2026 | German Permanent Mission to the UN
NEW YORK CITY
by invitation | schedule and further information to follow
BCSC-New York aims to provide a strategic platform for analysis and forward-looking dialogue on how the broader UN system can more effectively integrate climate security considerations into conflict prevention, peacebuilding and sustaining peace efforts.
BCSC-New York is hosted by the Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN, with support from adelphi global, and in partnership with the Climate Security Mechanism and the Group of Friends on Climate and Security.
Strategic Goals
1. Mapping the current landscape of UNSC engagement on Climate Peace and Security (CPS), including lessons leart from recent initiatives such as Sierra Leone's briefing, Guyana's open debate on food security, Slovenia’s initiatives on water security, and the functioning of the Informal Expert Group on Climate and Security, to identify entry points and priorities for strengthening Council action.
2. Exploring opportunities to leverage existing multilateral mechanisms, including the Group of Friends on Climate and Security, the Climate for Peace initiative, the Climate Security Mechanism, and Peacebuilding Commission mandates to build political momentum and institutional capacity for integrated CPS responses.
3. Making the UN system fit for purpose in addressing CPS challenges and delivering on the UN80 initiative, including climate adaptation and financing in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, enhanced early warning capacities, climate-responsive peacekeeping and peacebuilding mandates, improved financing mechanisms, and systematic integration of climate risk analysis into conflict prevention and sustaining peace efforts.
Background
Climate change is fundamentally reshaping the international peace and security landscape, with climate-related instabilities increasingly manifesting across regions and conflict contexts. The UNSC, as the primary body responsible for maintaining international peace and security, faces both significant opportunities and persistent challenges in addressing these interconnected threats. Recent UNSC engagement — including under Sierra Leone's and Guyana's leadership on climate, peace, and security more broadly as well as climate-related food security — demonstrates growing momentum. Yet structural and political obstacles continue to limit comprehensive action.
At the same time, the broader UN system is increasingly building up its capacity in responding to risks linked to the growing impacts of climate change around the world. The Climate Security Mechanism (CSM) leverages joint action and knowledge, in particular through the deployment of dedicated Climate, Peace and Security Advisors on the ground. Moreover, many UN agencies are assessing how the instability risks related to climate impact their mandates and operations and are seeking to proactively address them.
Regional Editions of the Berlin Climate and Security Conference
Since its inaugural edition in 2019, BCSC has become the global forum connecting important stakeholders working to better address the impacts of climate change on international peace and security through diplomacy, development and defence approaches. To ensure the conversation is truly global, in 2023 BCSC hosted its first-ever regional edition in Nairobi, followed by Cali in 2024 and Rio de Janeiro in 2025. This year we are bringing the conversation to the heart of multilateral diplomacy: New York City.
