To increase awareness and discuss regional co-operation on climate change and security, the OSCE gathered more than 40 representatives from its field operations to meet in Istanbul for a workshop on 13 and 14 December 2023. Emphasizing that the effects of climate change can exacerbate economic challenges and environmental degradation, which may negatively affect prosperity, stability and security in the OSCE area, the OSCE provides a platform for political dialogue on a wide range of issues associated with climate related security risks. These conversations form the basis for the implementation of activities on the ground.
"Climate change poses immense challenges to societies, economies and the environment, which is evidenced by a wide range of interconnected climate risks in the OSCE area," said Ellen Baltzar Mossop, Climate Adviser at the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA). "This workshop is the second of its kind where we gather practitioners from OSCE field operations to contribute to building a shared understanding of climate-related security risks in the OSCE area and to foster collaboration among participants on this topic."
Organized by OCEEA in co-operation with the Berlin-based think tank adelphi, the workshop was a follow-up to the Training on Climate Change and Security for OSCE Field Operations and Other OSCE Executive Structures that took place in Istanbul in November 2022. Both events built on the 2021 OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on climate change, which tasks the relevant OSCE executive structures and the OSCE field operations with supporting OSCE participating States in implementing its provisions.
"The workshop demonstrated the important role that the OSCE, through its regional presence and field operations, can play in promoting regional co-operation and joint activities to address the multiple risks and challenges posed by climate change," emphasized Lukas Rüttinger, Senior Advisor at adelphi.
The event also reflected the Secretary General's Conclusions from the OSCE High-Level Conference on Climate Change, which highlighted the importance of raising awareness around climate considerations and mainstreaming them throughout the work of the OSCE.
"This workshop was a great opportunity for us to learn from each other's experience working in climate and security hotspots across the OSCE region, and to reflect on how the organization's joint activities are facilitating co-operation within and among different regions. Our work in the Shar/Šara Mountains and Korab Massif area is a good example of this," said Kristina Jovanova, National Programme Officer at the OSCE Mission to Skopje.
"The impact of climate change and its security implications are already evident in Central Asia, and especially in the region's high mountain areas," said Dmitry Prudtskikh, Regional Development Officer at the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek. "The workshop was a useful opportunity for us practitioners to gain insights on how to efficiently design and deliver climate and security programming, with a focus on inclusive and participatory approaches. It also allowed us to brainstorm future joint activities to co-operatively address climate-related security risks."
The Practitioners Workshop: Building Capacities and Fostering Collaboration among OSCE Field Operations was organized within the framework of the OSCE extra-budgetary project, Strengthening Responses to Security Risks from Climate Change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia which is implemented in partnership with adelphi and funded by Andorra, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
