UN Efforts to Help Conflict-Affected Countries Address Climate Change

The International Peace Institute asked the Capstone team to analyze how the UN can best support climate mitigation and adaptation policies in conflict-affected states. By conducting qualitative assessments of climate and security contexts in South Sudan, Nigeria, and Iraq, the Capstone team identified best practices, challenges, and lessons that can inform future UN action. Using elements of Andrews et. al’s Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) toolkit, climate security frameworks developed by the UN Climate Security Mechanism (UNCSM) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), and supportive academic literature, the team analyzed the root causes underlying political, social, and economic factors connecting conflict and climate change.  

Based on their research, the Capstone team identified climate challenge entry points in each of these countries, specifically flooding in South Sudan, GHG-emitting sectors in Nigeria, and desertification in Iraq, to assess local and national climate mitigation, adaptation, and prevention strategies. The team looked at these three countries’ national policies, compared their commitments to actual implementation, and researched local community responses to climate-security issues. The student team conducted interviews and surveys with relevant experts, practitioners and stakeholders. These conversations augmented their open-source research, helping them to identify specific best practices, challenges, and lessons in UN support to national responses and civilian populations.