Understanding Climate-Related Risks for Early Warning, Prevention and Peacebuilding in the Middle East and North Africa Region

Jun 30, 2023 | Ginevra Cucinotta and Maylina St-Louis
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Climate change is recognized as one of the greatest risks to global peace and security. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the impacts of climate change, such as soaring temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events, can contribute to increased political and social instability as they intersect with the region’s history of conflict, governance challenges, and pronounced vulnerabilities. Countries in the MENA region have faced deteriorating security and political environments over the past several years.  Alongside other cross-border challenges, environmental degradation and extreme weather events — amplified by climate change — have increasingly challenged the ability of UN Special political and peacekeeping missions to carry out their mandates and hampered capacities of UN country teams to sustain peace through their work.