Document Library / Knowledge Hub

This report summarises lessons learned, and knowledge gained from a small but growing cadre of field-based Climate, Peace and Security Advisors located within UN field missions or seconded to regional organizations under the auspices of the Climate Security Mechanism at the United Nations,

This UN Women Guidance Note provides practical, evidence-based guidance on integrating climate change into National Action Plans (NAPs) on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). Climate change is a major driver of conflict and insecurity in different contexts, and NAPs offer key benefits in addressing the challenges and opportunities it presents for peace and security. A first of its kind, this Guidance Note focuses on the unique challenges and solutions in the Asia-Pacific region while incorporating comparative experiences and models from other regions to provide broader insights that can be adapted locally.

Regional Policy Coherence for the Great Green Wall Initiative: Restoring Land and Sustaining Peace: The Great Green Wall and the Climate– Peace–Security Nexus in Africa

In May 2024, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), in collaboration with the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and with the support of the German government, launched an initiative to address the interconnected challenges of climate change and violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel. Entitled “Strengthening National and Regional Approaches to Address Climate Change and Violent Extremism Risks”, this project aims to support national and regional stakeholders in developing more informed and robust strategies and policies in response to complex and growing regional security risks exacerbated by climate change and violent extremism.

The 2025 Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) Thematic Review on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS), commissioned by the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) in partnership with UNFPA, UNICEF and Climate Security Mechanism, and led by the UN University’s Centre for Policy Research, outlines programmatic best practices and lessons learned on youth participation in peacebuilding, drawing on examples from 41 PBF-funded projects spanning 33 countries and territories between 2018-2022. One of the cohort of projects reviewed is dedicated to youth engagement in climate, peace and security (CPS) and environmental peacebuilding and examines 12 initiatives in Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Honduras, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Somalia.

The United Nations Climate, Peace and Security Hub for the Horn of Africa is the first regional Hub of its kind and the first implementation of the UN Secretary- General’s recommendation for regional hubs under the New Agenda for Peace.

The practice note summarizes the outcomes of the Regional Capacity Building Workshop on Climate, Peace, and Security (CPS) in Central Africa, held in October 2024 in Gabon. The practice note includes an overview of key CPS risks in Central Africa, which include heightened intercommunal tensions over scarce resources, increased displacement, food insecurity, and loss of livelihoods, which are all exacerbated by climate change impacts such as irregular rainfall, land degradation, and extreme weather events. It outlines practical recommendations for stakeholders, including ECCAS member states, the UN, civil society, and donors, to develop integrated policies, strengthen crisis prevention, and support local initiatives, with an emphasis on building a sustainable, collaborative community of practice to address CPS challenges in Central Africa.