Once again, the CIHEAM will be taking part in COP29 which takes place in Azerbaijan. The CIHEAM is a key participant in the Mediterranean Pavilion at the United Nations COP29 Conference of the Parties, an initiative led by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in collaboration with other Mediterranean stakeholders. This pavilion is intended as a house for all actors – public and private, scientific and academic, technical or involved in policy definition, civil society, finance and business – actively engaged in addressing the climate crisis in and around the Mediterranean Sea.

COP29 - The Climate, Peace and Security Nexus in the Mediterranean : Connecting the Dots

Date: 15/11/2024

Time : 9:30 - 11:00am (CET, +3h Bakou)

Place: Mediterranean Pavilion, Blue zone F1B

Organised by: CIHEAM, ECCO think tank, MedECC, UfM

Livestream

At a historic moment which appears to be dominated by conflict and instability on the one hand, and by the increasingly devastating impact of climate change on the other, connecting the dots among the climate, energy and security dimensions is no longer deferrable. Indeed, the effects of climate change on stability and security must be at the top of the agenda of the international community; in this sense, initiatives like the COP29 Climate Peace Initiative go in the right direction as they highlight the extreme and urgent relevance of the “climate change, security and peace nexus”.

This particularly applies to the Mediterranean region, where the impact of climate change interacts with pre-existing factors of instability, risking to exacerbate old crises and trigger new ones at local, national and transnational levels, with cross-regional repercussions. As such, integrating the dimension of climate and taking concrete steps towards building resilience stand as a condition sine qua non for the promotion of security, stability and development in this macro-region, as well as for the development of an advanced toolkit to address key issues such as food security and migration flows.

During this policy-oriented panel discussion, a diverse selection of experts from national governments, intergovernmental organisations and scientific expert networks will delve into this matter, sharing insights and proposing solutions.

Agenda

Introductory remarks by Giulia Giordano, Director Mediterranean and Global Strategies, ECCO – the Italian Climate Change Think Tank

Panel discussion (10 minutes each) by:

–   Marie-Claire Boillot, Senior Expert on Energy and Climate action, Union for the Mediterranean (in person)

–   Eda Acara, Project Coordinator and Researcher, Istanbul Policy Center (IPC); Coordinating Lead Author of the MedECC Special Report on Environmental changes, conflicts, and human migration

–   Valeria Sinisi, Project Manager for the Mediterranean Dialogue, Friedrich Naumann Foundation

–   Yasmine Seghirate, Administrator at the General Secretariat, International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) (remote)

–   Sylvie Goyet, Deputy Co-Ordinator, Head of Environmental Activities, OSCE

–   Representative from Italy MFA tbc

Q&A and Interactive Discussion led by the chair

Wrap Up by Giulia Giordano, Director Mediterranean and Global Strategies, ECCO