First I would like to thank the organizers for inviting the Czech EU Presidency to this event to discuss the important topic of security implications of climate change.
The evidence is clear: according to the recent IPCC Assessments on Impacts of
Climate Change, approximately 3.3 to 3.6 billion people live in
contexts that are highly vulnerable to climate change. Extreme weather and climate events have exposed millions
of people to acute food insecurity and reduced water security, hindering
the efforts to meet Sustainable Development Goals. Climate change is contributing to humanitarian crises,
and is increasingly driving instability and forced displacement.
Recently, the brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine has
significantly deepened these problems. It has caused a huge humanitarian crisis in Europe as well as energy
and food crises on a global scale. All this jeopardizes the efforts for climate protection.
In 2007, first-ever debate on the impact of climate change on
peace and security was held in the UN Security Council, based on the initiative of the United Kingdom.
Same year the European Council initiated the first
joint EU report on the impact of climate change on the international security. And
now the Climate Diplomacy is one of the key policies of the European Union. It is built on three major pillars:
multilateralism, development
cooperation and climate security. Those pillars are not separable and we have to make the efforts
to integrate them even further.
The EU welcomes the recently adopted UN resolution
acknowledging the universal human right to clean, healthy and sustainable environment. EU is interested in the successful
outcomes of both, the UN Climate Conference COP27 as well as of the UN Water Conference
next year.
Progress on building climate resilience - adaptation agenda and agenda of loss
and damages – should be one of the major topics at the COP conference. Generally, countries that have
historically contributed least to the global emission budget suffer most by the
adverse impacts of climate change. Some climate vulnerable countries
face climate induced conflicts. The
existence of other countries such as small island developing states is threatened.
The European Union - as well as Czechia in its national capacity - deeply regret that the UN draft
resolution on climate and security was vetoed last December.
The EU is the biggest provider of Official Development
Assistance and the biggest provider of climate finance. The whole third of all climate finance is
provided by the EU and its Member States and the share on mitigation and adaptation is quite
balanced.
Moreover, at least 30 % of the EU Multiannual Financial
Framework 2021 – 2027 budget has to be allocated to climate action, including for the purposes of the EU
development cooperation.
However, it is clear that no country can save the
climate alone. Even the European
Union with its ambitious activities such as Fit for 55 or RePowerEU Plan cannot
save the climate alone as it emits less than 10 % of global emissions. We
have to find solutions together. It is vital that the biggest polluters become an active part of this
process.
Czechia holds the climate
security high on its EU Presidency agenda. In our approach it is a paramount task to integrate climate security
nexus in all development and humanitarian undertakings to see the real change
on the ground. We generally
strongly support implementation of the humanitarian, development and peace
nexus. During our Presidency, we build on the relevant expertise of the OECD in the formulation of the
EU development cooperation and humanitarian assistance policies against the
backdrop of climate change. Especially policies of more efficient
Disaster Risk Reduction in the context of climate change and fragility shall be
elaborated.
We intend to draft
Council Conclusions on this subject, highlighting the role of early warning systems, preparedness, anticipated humanitarian action and
participatory work on adaptation. In this way we would like to encourage
mainstreaming of DRR related measures in the framework of National, EU and Global Development
Plans as a major components serving to build climate resilience.
Czechia also
strongly supports the organization of the 2023 UN Water Conference, which will be a unique opportunity to raise the
global attention to an urgent need for action on water-related issues to meet
the 2030 Agenda. In this
context, it is key to strengthen water governance, human rights related to water and
sanitation as well as other related human rights, enhance action across the
water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus and the linkages with the climate
agenda, as well as a more
effective implementation of water policies at all levels. We cannot
forget that water-related conflicts have also the potential to affect
international peace and security.
Ladies and
gentlemen, we need to
communicate and share lessons and successful solutions – I view this event as an excellent opportunity to do so.
Speech for the World Water Week 2022; held on August 31, 2022 in Stockholm.