The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP28, will be held from 30 November until 12 December 2023, at the Expo City in Dubai. This 28th edition of the conference – it has been held annually since the first UN climate agreement in 1992 – is intended for governments to agree on policies to limit global temperature rises and adapt to impacts associated with climate change.
HCSS is proud to co-organise several side events during the COP28.
The COP28 comes at a decisive moment as it is taking place halfway between the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015 and the first major expected milestone for international climate action in 2030. COP28 will be important for a number of reasons. The first ever UN global stocktake (GST) set to conclude at the COP28 shows that the world is not on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. International efforts to mitigate climate change have repeatedly fallen short. The current geopolitical landscape makes successful cooperation on emissions reduction increasingly uncertain. Adaptation efforts are picking up pace as countries must respond to the immediate damaging effects of climate change. Many of these countries are fragile and vulnerable to climate-related security challenges. In unstable social, economic and political contexts, competition for scarce resources may lead to tensions, instability and even conflict, while irregular migration is conducive of social unrest. Yet funding for adaptation programmes is far from sufficient and global action remains fragmented. Without decisive action at COP28, the window of opportunity to change course will soon close.
HCSS participation at the COP28 aims to highlight research methods, good practice, and findings that could support decision makers when discussing climate-related security challenges and determining the course of action for the next years.
HCSS has three key messages for the COP.
- Climate insecurity relates to the negative impacts of climate change on peace and security, and the extent and manner in which actors choose to respond to it. To mitigate climate insecurity, focus should be placed on both (a) accelerating the energy transition in spite of increasing global tensions; and (b) enhancing adaptation efforts to prevent and mitigate climate security risks.
- Climate-related conflict risk is a key challenge of the next decades. Risk can be turned into resilience and opportunity for cooperation by employing comprehensive and conflict sensitive approaches to climate action. Data-driven early warning tools and causal methods that provide insights into the context-specific factors contributing to conflict risk bring significant advantages to political and community leaders when integrated with local knowledge.
- Youth representatives are driving forces of innovation and represent major population groups in emerging economies. Their vision but also their support are essential when developing informed, integrated and inclusive solutions for climate-related challenges along the water-energy-food nexus.
In support of these messages, HCSS is attending and co-organising several side events at the COP.
- Panel discussion “Political and Strategic Issues Challenging International Climate Action” as part of the TRENDS – Atlantic Council 3rd Annual Conference on Sustainable Security: The Soft and Hard Implications of Climate Action
- Details: 4th December, 12:55, COP28 Media Centre (Green Zone)
- Water-Energy-Food Security Serious Game, co-organized by HCSS, the Arab Youth Green Voices and the Netherlands Embassy in Jordan
- Details: 8th December, 12:00-14:00, Saudi Pavilion (Blue Zone)
- Panel discussion “The climate-extremism nexus in Iraq: challenges and opportunities for peacebuilding“,co-organized by HCSS/WPS in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Counter Terrorism (UNOCT), the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Association (KNMI)
- Details: 9th December, 16:00-17:00, Iraq Pavilion (Blue Zone)
- High level panel discussion “Water for peace and security: From risk to resilience“, co-organized by HCSS/WPS, the COP28 Presidency, IFRC, UNCCD, UNECE
- Details: 10th December, 10:00-11:30, Presidency Pavilion (Green Zone)
- Panel discussion “Winning with Water – Tools that support conflict sensitive adaptation“, co-organized by HCSS/WPS in collaboration with Deltares, Wetlands International and MacroScope Strategies (M2S)
- Details: 10th December, 14:35-15:25, Children & Youth Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Follow our activities at the event on Twitter/X through #HCSSxCOP28.
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