Compounding challenges in conflict settings

In the face of a multitude of crises, fragile and conflict-affected settings, positioned at the convergence point, are frequently the least equipped to confront the compounded effects of climate change, insecurity, extreme poverty, and violence. This underscores the imperative to address and tackle these crises intricate interconnections and reinforcing nature with specific attention to specific local contexts.

In this context, ahead of the first-ever Peace Day at #COP28 in Dubai, CSPPS released a backgrounder to illustrate how the interlinkages between climate, peace, and security play out in fragile settings titled: Compounding challenges in conflict settings: Local voices reflecting on Climate, Peace, and Security interlinkages.

At the grassroots level, frustration grows over COP's repeated failure to take effective action, despite decades of warnings from those most directly affected. This underlines the urgent need to amplify their voices and address their concerns. To showcase the direct impacts of these interlinkages, we have compiled case stories of CSPPS members from Cameroon, Chad, and Nepal reflecting on their lived realities, the compounding challenges of their work, and their perception of the interlinkages between climate, peace, and security.

Some common concerns echo across the narratives, including resource scarcity as a catalyst for conflict, increasing mistrust between different groups and communities; the disproportionate impact on women exacerbated by the often unsustainable nature of solutions; and the lack of management of existing resources, which overlooks the underlying causes of conflict. These case stories stress the need for more meaningful dialogue from the grassroots to the global level, as well as more inclusivity in decision-making processes, specifically regarding the engagement of women and youth.

Read and learn more about the impact of climate, peace,security interlinkages on the work and lives of CSPPS members and the countries they work in, as well as, what they expect from their partners at national and international levels, here. We invite you to share their insights among your networks.

Ahead of the start of COP28, CSPPS collaborated on a position paper with Cordaid titled: Addressing the Climate Crisis in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Setting which you can read here.