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Mr. President,

The Candidate Countries the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, Montenegro^* and Albania^*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, align themselves with this statement.

The EU commends the initiative of the Dominican Republic for an open debate on the important issue of the impact of climate related disasters on international peace and Security. The Presidency of the Dominican Republic as a small island developing state adds a very important perspective to our discussion.

As Mr. Steiner noted this morning, In the recently published 2019 Risk Assessment of the World Economic Forum, environmental and climate-related concerns account for three of the top five risks by likelihood and four by impact. This corroborates the findings in the latest IPCC Special Report on 1,5 degrees about the magnitude of the challenges the international community is facing: The impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on food security, ecosystems, livelihoods, water supply, and key economic sectors like agriculture are grave in many parts of the world. Climate change acts as a threat multiplier for conflicts over access to increasingly scarce resources and for instability and international and internal displacement. This is particularly the case in vulnerable or fragile countries and regions lacking the necessary capacity for building resilience and coping with disasters during and after they happen.  

The diverse nature of the interlinkages between climate change and security as well as the range of measures required to prevent, reduce and address them effectively make it essential to take an integrated approach. The UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel, which combines governance, security and resilience actions, is a good example. We welcome the reflection of climate and environmental risks in the latest UNOWAS report.

Assessing climate and environmental risks and their potential impact on socio-economic stability should be done in all countries but has to become a priority especially in the most fragile situations. This is essential to promote resilience and preparedness, thus contributing to the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Further work is required to ensure that relevant climate and environmental risks are appropriately included in risk assessments that form the basis of the decisions of the Security Council and they need to be included in early warning systems, thus reinforcing the Council’s conflict prevention role. Inter-pillar cooperation is essential, and we consider in this regard the increasing advisory role of the Peace Building Commission to the Security Council very important.  

We should also remember the greater risks, burdens and adverse impacts on women and girls during and following disasters, including a heightened risk of gender-based violence as they attempt to access food and other basic needs for family members and themselves. Empowering women as one of the drivers of economic growth strengthens societal resilience. Climate change and disaster risk reduction measures have to be gender responsive, sensitive to indigenous knowledge systems and respect human rights.

Mr. President,

Incorporating climate-security factors into strategic-level policy frameworks and practical guidance at national, regional and multilateral levels, as well as in the National Voluntary Reviews of the SDGs is a first step. As a long-term measure, the sustainable management of natural resources and close cooperation between countries where such resources are shared is essential to reduce the risk of related internal or international conflicts.

Ambitious climate action under the Paris Agreement and beyond, e.g. at the 2019 Climate Summit convened by the Secretary-General, must remain the cornerstone of our joint commitment. The EU is convinced that multilateral action and partnerships, treating the causes and the symptoms and promoting cooperation, are central in that regard. We work closely with our partners around the globe to enhance our joint capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change, address environmental degradation, manage disasters and to address wider socio-economic impacts.

The EU supports with a wide range of programmes measures to strengthen resilience in an integrated manner in different regions of the world. Under EURO CLIMA plus, we are promoting, for example, climate resilient development in 18 Latin American countries with a focus on the most vulnerable.  Our new Pacific Initiative which we launched with partners at last year’s One Planet Summit aims at the same time to address impacts of climate change and build resilience in 19 countries and overseas territories. With Alliance Sahel, designed around six priority sectors including energy and climate, the aim is to strengthen the coordination among donors to enhance the stability and sustainable development of the region The EU's Copernicus satellite imaging has been used for instant life-saving response to extreme weather event disasters, e.g. by house to house guidance to find survivors after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017. It also guides long term preparations for climate impacts threatening the livelihoods and even existence of coastal communities. 

Mr. President,

We are convinced that with committed and targeted action at international, regional, national and local level, we can reduce the risk of climate related disasters and ensure that their impacts can be better handled. In achieving this, we would remove a significant risk for peace and security in many parts of the world.

* The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.