Regional approaches to climate security: Africa and the EU

Regional organisations are among the leading actors formulating and implementing climate security responses. As global solutions are increasingly fraught with difficulties in a geopolitically challenging environment, regional organisations combine multilateral legitimacy for tackling cross-border risks with local roots that allow them to take action and spearhead effective solutions. This event aims to explore what regional organisations are already doing and can still do to further the climate, peace and security agenda.

The African Union has been a leading advocate of action on climate change, peace and security. Keenly aware of Africa’s significant exposure to climate security risks, the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) requested the development a comprehensive study of climate security, the Africa Climate Security Risk Assessment (ACRA), and is currently developing a Common African Position on climate change, peace and security (CAP-CPS), due to be presented at COP29. With IGAD, the AU also comprises one of the most progressive actors of climate security action on the ground which is a reservoir of useful insights into best practises in one of the world’s most affected regions. The European Union has similarly prioritised climate security. Last year, it published a Joint Communication on Climate, Peace and Security that aims to enhance foresight and operationalize the nexus across EU external action while reinforcing international partnerships on this agenda. 

By bringing together two of the world’s most progressive regional actors on climate security, the AU and the EU, this event creates a space for exchange on steps that can be taken on a regional level. 

Speakers:

• Ahmed Hussein, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Permanent Mission of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Addis Ababa & Representative of the AU Peace and Security Council

• Colonel Sheku Tejan Sesay, Senior Political and Reporting Officer and Focal Point for Climate, Peace and Security, African Union Commission 

• Róisín Drury-Tully, Programme Manager, Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), European Commission

Moderated by Janani Vivekananda, Head of Programme Climate Diplomacy and Security, adelphi

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