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In the wake of an increasingly intertwined nexus between the climate crisis, conflicts, and hunger, urgent interventions and creative strategies are imperative to confront global food insecurity. Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), emphasized this urgency during her address at the United Nations Security Council High-Level Open Debate titled “The Impact of Climate Change and Food Insecurity on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security”.
Chaired by President Mohamed Irfaan Ali of Guyana, the event brought together over 80 Member States, with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressing in his opening remarks the exacerbating effects of climate disasters and conflicts on inequalities, livelihoods, and displacement.
Bechdol highlighted the disproportionate burden borne by farmers due to escalating climate impacts, including rising temperatures, erratic precipitation patterns, and intensified climate extremes. She emphasized that those most vulnerable are often rural populations reliant on agriculture and natural resources, who are increasingly susceptible to resource-related conflicts.
Citing the 2023 Global Report on Food Crises, Bechdol noted that 258 million people in 58 countries face acute food insecurity, with a significant portion attributed to the intersection of climate and conflict. She warned that if left unchecked, climate change could reverse progress made in alleviating hunger and exacerbate conflicts, potentially rendering a significant portion of agricultural land unsuitable for cultivation.
In response, Bechdol stressed the importance of equipping communities with tools to mitigate and recover from crises swiftly. She cited positive outcomes in rural communities, such as in Afghanistan, where efforts to enhance resilience have yielded promising results.
Addressing the intertwined nature of climate change and conflict, Bechdol emphasized the role of initiatives like the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund in addressing these challenges and reiterated FAO’s commitment to supporting such projects.
Bechdol outlined five critical actions to address the climate-conflict nexus, including prioritizing investments in climate-resilient agrifood systems, enhancing data analysis and reporting on climate risks, improving strategic coordination, sourcing specialized advisors, and establishing regional hubs for climate, peace, and security.
The Deputy Director-General outlined five critical actions to address climate-conflict nexus:
- Prioritize investments to build climate-resilient agrifood systems, drawing on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and community-based approaches.
- Request UN entities to regularly analyse, and report on, risks and links associated with climate change. Data and information are key for targeted interventions.
- Improve strategic coordination at all levels and leverage existing mechanisms– such as, the UN Climate Security Mechanism and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) Climate Security Coordination Mechanism.
- Source specialised climate, peace and security advisor roles in more UN missions, especially those susceptible to climate change.
- Establish regional climate, peace and security hubs, such as done by the Office of the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa.
Bechdol concluded by stressing that agriculture cannot be neglected. It is a key solution to the growing threats from climate change, conflict and their impacts on food security. “It is time to focus on farmers, on pastoralists, on fisherfolk, on foresters – we cannot afford to leave anyone behind,” she said.
SOURCE :Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
