Climate Security Mechanism (CSM)
Established in 2018 as a joint initiative between the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), then joined by the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO), the CSM seeks to help the UN system address climate-related security risks more systematically. See the CSM 2021 Progress Report here.
To this end, the CSM supports field missions, UN Resident Coordinators and regional organizations to conduct climate security risk assessments and develop risk management strategies. The CSM has also established a UN Community of Practice on Climate Security as an informal forum for information exchange and knowledge co-creation. The group – which convenes colleagues from now 30+ UN entities – meets every few weeks and is open to all UN staff interested in this topic.
Training and toolbox
An additional priority for the CSM is capacity building to help strengthen our collective ability to advance prevention and sustaining peace in a climate-changing world. Jointly with partners, the CSM has developed a toolbox to help foster a shared approach to the analysis of climate-related security risks and shape integrated and timely responses. The toolbox is available to all practitioners and contains the following guidance documents:
- Overview (en)
- Briefing note on climate security (en)
- Conceptual approach to risk assessments (en)
- Relevant data sources (en)
- Checklist to help climate-proof political analysis (en)
Related CSM and other UN publications and tools:
- UNDP and CSM (2021). Climate Finance for Sustaining Peace: Making Climate Finance Work for Conflict-Affected and Fragile Contexts
- CSM (2021). Progress report
- UNDP (2020). Climate security nexus and the prevention of violent extremism
- UNDP (2020). A typology & analysis of climate-related security risks in the first round NDCs with UNFCCC
- CSM (2020). Climate Security Toolbox
- UNDP (2020). Fellowship Programme Cohort IV: Climate-related security risks and sustaining peace
- UNEP, UN Women, DPPA and UNDP (2020). Gender, climate and security: Sustaining inclusive peace on the frontlines of climate change
- UNEP (2019). Addressing climate-related security risks
- UN CC:Learn, UN Women, UNEP, adelphi and CSM (2022). MOOC: Climate Change, Peace and Security: Understanding Climate-Related Security Risks Through an Integrated Lens. This open, free, and self-paced online course was jointly developed by the One United Nations Climate Learning Partnership (UN CC:Learn), UN Women, UNEP, adelphi and the CSM. The course explores opportunities for promoting inclusive climate action, conflict prevention and peacebuilding. A special focus examines the ways in which gender norms and other factors of social identity shape how people from different backgrounds experience and respond to these emerging risks.
