International Alert at COP29: making peace a top-tier priority
On this page, you will find the resources that will help you better understand our position, approaches and calls for action that we are putting forward at COP29. Discover our key publications, blogs, examples from our work and stories from local communities we have been supporting.
Climate change and conflict connect in people’s daily lives – from increased competition over scarce natural resources and food insecurity to spiralling military emissions and destruction of the environment.
Communities hit hardest by climate change face higher risks of violence and instability. At the same time, ongoing conflicts make it more difficult for them to respond and adapt to climate impacts and build resilient and sustainable societies.
Out of the 25 countries most vulnerable to climate change impacts, 19 are in fragile and conflict-affected situations. Meanwhile, less than 1% of global climate adaptation funding reaches these states. And, even when it does, these programmes are too often designed without properly including the communities they affect. As a consequence, they risk adopting approaches that are not tailored to real needs and priorities of communities and therefore won’t work or even worsen existing conflicts and vulnerability.
It doesn’t have to be this way – there are solutions to address climate change and conflict together. That’s why our team is participating in the biggest climate summit of the year, the UN Conference of the Parties (COP29), in Baku, Azerbaijan. COP is the only place where global decisions are made collectively to fight against climate change.
The big topic this year is finance, with the new finance goal being negotiated, which aims to replace the $100 billion target flowing from developed to developing countries. This is a unique opportunity to ensure more and higher quality finance reaches fragile and conflict-affected settings.
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What are we calling for at COP29
Our Climate and Peace Advocacy Advisor, Harriet Mackaill-Hill, explains why we are taking part in COP29 and what messages we would like to get across to world leaders.
Recommendations on the climate-conflict nexus for decision-makers at COP29
Our latest policy paper, crafted with our partners in the PeaceAtCOP collective, explains what needs to be done to make sure climate action in fragile and conflict-affected settings increases manyfold and is successful.
Our impact: How we build peace through climate action in Kenya and Nigeria
Integrating peacebuilding with climate action can positively transform the lives of people experiencing both climate change and conflict. Through our project “Powering peace through climate action”, funded by Irish Aid, we helped divided communities in Kenya and Nigeria reconcile tensions over scarce natural resources and collectively develop impactful climate adaptation initiatives.
They have shown they could effectively confront climate change and conflict when their struggles and priorities are put at the centre of climate adaptation efforts. Discover how our approach is building climate resilience and transforming community relationships for lasting peace:
- Addressing resource conflicts and climate change impact in Fiidi, Nigeria
- Transforming conflict through climate action in Kenya’s West Pokot County
Our key publications that will upgrade your understanding of the links between climate change and conflict
- Making climate finance fit for the world in conflict
- The impact of climate change and natural resource management on livelihoods and conflict in northern Nigeria
- Addressing the linkages between climate, conflict and natural resource management
- From diagnosis to action: Five lessons for addressing climate security risks
- Mainstreaming environmental action in peacebuilding programming: Five key steps
International Alert at COP29: sessions we are organising and speaking at
Major discussions on action to address the ongoing challenges for allocating and mobilising finance in the most vulnerable countries will take place on 14 November, Finance Day, and 15 November, which is Peace, Relief, and Recovery Day.
However, finding solutions that would help accelerate climate action in fragile and conflict-affected settings will be high on the agenda throughout the two weeks of COP29.
Our Climate and Peace Advocacy Advisor, Harriet Mackaill-Hill, and Senior Project Officer, Samson Wasilwa, are attending the conference. There, they are making the case for climate finance that leaves no one behind. Here’s where they will be talking about what this entails and sharing our lessons learned from implementing climate adaptation projects in countries experiencing conflict.
- 13 November at 18:30 (Baku time) in Side Event Room 2, together with our partners from CSPPS and Search for Common Ground, we have organised an official UNFCCC side event exploring how to scale up climate action in fragile states.
- Thursday, 14 Nov at 15:30, in the Faith pavilion, Harriet Mackhaill-Hill is speaking at the session titled ‘Adaptation and social cohesion – ‘How nature reforestation and faith interact for success’
- Saturday, 16 Nov at 18:30, in Side event room 6, she’s also joining the panel of experts at: ‘What really makes us safe? Peace, climate finance and climate action in an existential time’, hosted by the Quaker United Nations Office.
- Monday, 18 Nov at 16:30, at the Indigenous People Pavilion, Harriet will moderate the session: ‘Kawthoolei Nationally Determined Contribution: Indigenous Karen Forest Conservation and Climate Action Plan in Burma/Myanmar’
