John Brady
Question:38. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts Ireland will undertake to address the impact of climate change in conflict-riven regions of the world, particularly in Africa. [47098/21]
View answerThursday, 30 September 2021
Questions (38)
Written answers
In fragile and vulnerable situations, climate change acts as a threat multiplier, with serious implications for peace and security. 80% of UN peacekeepers are deployed in countries that are the most exposed to climate change.
Ireland is working to address these issues, in particular, through our membership of the UN Security Council. On 23 September, the Taoiseach chaired a High-Level Open Debate on Climate and Security at the Security Council. This event drew attention to what the Security Council can tangibly do to address climate related security challenges, including in conflict-affected regions in Africa. During this debate, the Taoiseach announced that Ireland would convene a discussion on a thematic resolution on Climate and Security, which would be a major step forward for the Council.
In addition, as co-chair of the Informal Expert Group on Climate and Security at the Security Council, Ireland is working to raise awareness on climate related security risks and how these can be acted upon. To date, this year, we have held meetings on the Sahel and South Sudan.
Ireland has been working to secure language in Security Council mandated peacekeeping operations to enable the inclusion of risk assessments and risk management strategies to help address climate related security risks.
Finally, Ireland is providing targeted finance to address this challenge, including funding for a UN Climate Action Officer in Somalia, through the UN Volunteer Programme. One of the messages which Minister Coveney received during his visit to Somalia in July was the increasing interplay there between climate change and security risks. Irish Aid supports a research project, Weathering Risk, which aims to analyse how climate change undermines peace as well as to strengthen the abilities of governments and international organisations to act in affected regions. Additionally, through the bilateral programmes managed by Irish Embassies in Africa the Irish Aid programme is helping mitigate the effects of climate change.