The meeting held on 18 February marked the launch of the Action on Policy Coherence for Adaptation and Resilience and set the foundation for stronger alignment between peace and climate adaptation efforts in fragile settings.
The initiative supports a more integrated approach to the climate, peace, and security nexus, building on the EU’s 2023 Joint Communication on the Climate-Security Nexus.
In the opening remarks, the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments highlighted that while climate and security have traditionally been addressed primarily from an environmental perspective, in recent years, there has been a shift towards a more comprehensive understanding of how climate change interacts with conflict dynamics and security risks.
Identifying Gaps and Opportunities for ‘Champions’
The meeting contributed to the development of a baseline assessment to identify knowledge gaps and inform a framework for aligning peace and climate adaptation strategies. Participants emphasised the need for stronger incentives and more strategic engagement opportunities to enable cross-sectoral planning.
Discussions underscored several structural challenges:
- Conflict and security risks are not systematically integrated into climate adaptation planning.
- Peacebuilding processes tend to have less structured planning frameworks compared to climate adaptation strategies.
- Coordination gaps persist between ministries, as well as between national and local authorities.
Participants highlighted the importance of mainstreaming locally-led solutions into national policies and exploring how successful local approaches can be scaled or replicated.
The European External Action Service also noted that the climate crisis is not limited to environmental challenges but is also inextricably linked with peace and security crises.
The Peace and Climate Adaptation Action aims to build a network of ‘champions’: practitioners and policymakers who can help overcome institutional silos and operationalise the climate, peace, and security nexus more effectively.
Country Implementation and ‘Help Desk’ Function
The findings of the expert meeting directly informed the next phase of the project, which will run until October 2028 and support alignment efforts in selected fragile settings.
Iraq was presented as a potential implementation case. As the country updates its Nationally Determined Contribution and develops its National Adaptation Plan, participants discussed how to build on existing EU engagement and national development priorities to strengthen coherence between peace and adaptation strategies.
A central feature of the Action is a multi-level support structure, including a dedicated “Help Desk” function for EU delegations and in-country partners.
By promoting policy coherence, strengthening coordination, and supporting locally informed approaches, the Action contributes to the EU’s broader efforts under the EU Global Threats programme to address the interconnected challenges of climate change and security in fragile contexts.
Details
- Publication date
- 20 February 2026
- Threat area
- Climate change and security