Climate Change and Violent Extremism: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

Description

On 20 September 2023, the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) hosted a side event titled “Climate Change and Violent Extremism: Causes, Consequences and Solutions” on the margins of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in partnership with the Government of Germany, the Government of Iraq, and the Coventry University.

The impact of climatechange is today most extreme in regions and countries that are both environmentally marginal and where governance is weakest. In many cases, these are also regions where violent extremism and terrorism is already a risk. Six of the most impacted countries from terrorism are also among the top hotspot countries that face catastrophic ecological threats, and GCERF is currently programming in four of them: Iraq, Mali, Nigeria and Somalia.

The panel discussion combined insights from academia, policy, and practice to understand the linkages between climate change and violent extremism, specifically how climate change impacts the drivers of radicalisation and recruitment to violent extremism. The firsthand accounts and interventions from civil society organisations operating in Somalia, Nigeria, and Mali shed light on how violent extremist groups exploit governance failures in response to the effects of climate change. They leverage these shortcomings to radicalise, recruit, and exploit local communities impacted by climate-related challenges.

Additionally, insights from academia and policymakers underscored the pressing need for increased research on the intricate links between climate change, conflict, and radicalisation. There is growing recognition of the importance of allocating additional resources to mitigate the impacts of climate-induced #conflict and #radicalisation

Period	20 Sept 2023
Event type	Conference
Location	New York, United States, New YorkShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International