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Biodiversity conservation emerges as a pathway for trust-building and collaboration, aligning stakeholders around shared goals such as climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods. Reliable and comparable data sets are critical for evidence-based planning, fostering dialogue and cooperation among divided groups. The estimates presented in this paper aim to support robust, data-driven strategies to safeguard biodiversity in geopolitically sensitive and overlapping regions, with far-reaching implications for global conservation and international cooperation.

The PFI operational guidelines provide a structured yet flexible framework for the implementation of the Peace Forest Initiative (PFI) in different contexts. The guidelines reflect the comprehensive approach of the PFI by integrating land and environmental restoration, conflict-sensitive strategies, governance aspects and peace-building efforts. They compile principles, operational processes, conceptual frameworks and methodologies related to environmental peace-building efforts for practitioners to apply at all levels. Given the holistic nature and conceptual approach of the guidelines, their usage goes beyond the implementation of the PFI activities. Ideally, they can serve as a practical guide for all actors involved in environmental and scientific peacE-building processes.

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the linkages between land, peace and security in the context of the UNCCD Peace Forest Initiative, drawing insights from global research, case studies, and expert perspectives. It sets out the political case for investing in land and ecosystem restoration as a powerful contribution to international peace and security and calls for policymakers and practitioners working in the field of environmental restoration and peace-building to incorporate its findings and recommendations into their strategies for addressing land-related conflicts as a route towards sustainable peace.

The COP29 Presidency launched the Baku Call on Climate Action for Peace, Relief, and Recovery (BCCAP), a milestone initiative aimed at addressing the urgent nexus of climate change, conflict, and humanitarian needs, on 15 November 2024. This initiative responds to the growing recognition that the adverse effects of climate change—such as water scarcity, food insecurity, land degradation and human displacement—can act as catalysts for conflict and instability, especially in the most climate-vulnerable regions.

Declaration of the World Coalition for Peace with Nature: A call for action to enhance national and international efforts towards a balanced and harmonious relationship with nature — protecting nature and conserving, restoring and sustainably using and sharing our global biodiversity. A call to recognize the vital knowledge, innovations and practices of Indigenous people, people of African descent, farmers and local communities. A call for life.

This Guidance Note, developed by the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), with input from a Sounding Board of experts, is the first of its kind to bridge the Climate, Peace, and Security (CPS) and Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agendas. It highlights youth-led efforts to address climate-related security risks and provides practical guidance for advancing a unified agenda on youth, climate, peace, and security, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and supporting youth’s transformative role.

The Climate Security Mechanism, the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA), and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) co-convened a Strategic Dialogue on Climate, Peace and Security in Stockholm, Sweden, on 4 and 5 May 2024. The first-of-its-kind dialogue provided a forum for experience sharing among senior UN mission leadership as well as Climate, Peace and Security Advisors. The dialogue yielded actionable ideas to advance climate, peace and security (CPS) in good offices, mediation and diplomacy; strengthen conflict resolution approaches and the prevention lens; advocate for climate finance for conflict-affected countries; and expand the inclusion of women and youth. This report captures key strategic insights and lessons learned from the Strategic Dialogue.