The middle ground: How middle powers are driving climate security cooperation

When: Tuesday 06 October 2026 | 17:10-17:55

Format: Panel Discussion

The centre of gravity of the global climate security agenda is shifting. As traditional multilateral frameworks stall and Western-led approaches lose traction, middle powers are stepping into the gap — not as followers of an established agenda, but as architects of new one. From Indonesia to Brazil to South Africa, distinct regional coalitions and frameworks are emerging that challenge the assumption that solutions flow from established powers to the rest of the world. This closing session asks what genuine climate security partnership looks like in a multipolar world: who is driving it, on what terms, and what it will take to make new architectures stick.

Guiding Questions: 

• Middle powers are reshaping the climate security agenda — but on whose terms, and with what vision of partnership? Where is the most genuine innovation happening?
• Which regional organisations are moving from coordination to concrete delivery on climate security — and what is making the difference?
• Of the new coalitions and architectures emerging to fill the multilateral gap, which two or three have the most potential to endure — and what do they need from this room?

Return to the BCSC 2026 Agenda.