Deadline
22
Nov 2023
The 1st International UNITAR Research Conference - Climate Security: Peace… Peace
Type
Conference
Location
Bonn, Germany
Date
Self-paced, open-enrolment event
Is this event associated with a learning outcome?
No
Does the event include an objective assessment of learning?
No
Duration of event
1 Days
Programme Area
Peacekeeping
Website
https://www.unitar.org/sustainable-development-goals/peace/our-portfolio/events/1st-international-unitar-research-conference
Price
$70
Event Focal Point Email
jon-hans.coetzer@unitar.com
Registration method
By application & selection
Mode of delivery
Face-to-Face
Languages
English
Background

Following a number of UN climate related conferences that intend to mitigate the impact of the climate change while achieving the SGD goals and the UN 2030 agenda, UNITAR launches its first international research conference. The first UNITAR International Research Conference will take place in Bonn (Germany), hosted at the UN Campus, on the 24th November 2023. There will be a research network event on the 23rd November 2023 on the campus for the researchers to interact with the Bonn research ecosystem. Research contributions (basic and applied research pieces) addressing any aspects of Climate Security are welcome: Peace and Security Consequences of Climate Change. Besides this theme, other papers in the fields of climate change and environmental sciences with a particular reference to security aspects may also be submitted.

The research seminar and conference is a joint undertaking between UNITAR (Division for Peace), the Technological University Dublin (Ireland), the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC, Spain), and the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM).

 

Event objectives

The aim of the call is to explore the threats and risks that derivate from climate change and affect the peace and security prospects. Climate security and related risks have global security implications that will influence governance, conflict, and peace in profound ways. Early work on the security facets of climate change focused on the military and national security components of these threats, and later works have focused on the humanitarian consequences, including climate migration and displacement of human population. Current research interests include diverse intersection and cross-cutting issues of climate change as terrorism or the risks and dangers attached to resources and waste management, amongst others. This conference will address the convergence of these various aspects of climate security.

 

Content and Structure

For a few decades, Climate Change has been in the spotlight of the international rethink the international order emerging from climate change. The need to properly assess the effects of climate change is becoming a crucial aspect for human security and its interrelated spheres. There is a need to understand climate security as related security risks do arise. Climate Change security and related risks have global security implications that will in influence governance, conflict, and peace in profound way. This is directly related to the SDGs agenda and specific to Goals 12, 13, 16, and 17- and latently many more. The international community has committed itself to work towards achieving a long- term sustainable society. Early works on the security facets of climate change focused on the military and national security components of these threats and later works have focused on the humanitarian consequences.

The hardships associated with climate change and their role and impact on intensifying situations of political conflict are not a new theme. The mixture of conflict, extreme climate conditions, and complicated topography can increase the country’s challenges to recover from ongoing and emerging conflict dynamics. Climate change has become a challenge to humankind survival with severe economic, political and security implications. As Collier and Hoeffler (2004) well known greed and grievance hypotheses there is a relationship between natural resources and armed groups activities which can aggravate complex and fragile security situations. The relation between security, conflict, health, and climate change is an evolving topic. Therefore, the importance of case studies as a source of knowledge on climate change and security is of utmost importance.

Security issues related to climate change include impacts on food, water and energy supplies, increased competition for natural resources, loss of livelihoods, climate-related disasters and forced migration and displacement, and health. Moreover, as previously mentioned, the climate change can reinforce existing conflict axes or create new conflict dynamics in fragile contexts. The aim of this workshop is to explore how we understand the international order and global stability in the face of this tension between climate change, security, and development.

Methodology

Proposed Themes & Interrelated Topics:

  • The UN Climate Change, Security, and Peace Nexus.
  • Security: The geo-political and security issues related to climate change.
  • Disaster Risk Reduction, Emergency Operations, Public Health and Climate Change.
  • Climate Change and Emergency and Disaster Medicine.
  • Renewable & Solar Energy in Fragile Settings.
  • Data analysis and data management to assess climate change risks and climate change mitigation.
  • The Climate-Conflict Nexus is related to resource wars, insurgency, and terrorism.
  • Organized Crime and Climate Change (including corruption, resource extraction and conflict-generating potentials).
  • Climate Security and Higher Education.
  • Geo-economics of climate change and interrelated security situations.
  • Globalization and climate security inequalities
  • Governments and international organizations respond to climate-related security risks.
  • Climate change and resources management risks.
  • Waste management security.
  • Climate Change, Inequality, Minimum Access, and Just Earth Systems Boundaries
  • Climate Finance, Accounting, Disclosure, Reporting and Assurance
  • Pedagogical Approaches for Climate Change Education
  •  Global Citizenship Education and the SDGs for Climate Change
  • Transdisciplinary Pedagogy for Climate Change Education
  • Interplay between Climate Change, Peacebuilding, and Business Models: Opportunities and Challenges
  • The Triple Bottom Line: Climate Change, Fragility, and Peacebuilding through Business Models
Targeted audience

The Research conference is intended to bring together researchers engaged in the Security Management, Peace & Development Studies, Economics, Resources, Political Science, Public, Disaster and Emergency Health, and Environmental Sciences doing climate change research. Doctoral students are strongly encouraged to submit papers for consideration. Applied research pieces and case studies coming from professionals and practitioners are as well encouraged to apply.

Additional information

Papers in English should be original and not submitted for publication elsewhere. Papers accepted for conference at the Seminar might be published as Conference Proceedings. Furthermore, a number of selected papers will be intended to be published in special themes editions. Proposals for panel sessions will also be considered.

If you are interested in attending, send a one-page abstract in English to: drajmil@uoc.edu and jon-hans.coetzer@unitar.org. Abstracts submission should be sent by the 31st of July. 

A title page with a complete list of authors, their academic/professional position, addresses, phone and fax numbers as well as E-mail should be included separately. The decision of the Scientific Committee will be communicated to the authors by early September 2023.

Workshop participants will be expected to send a draft paper by the 30th October, 2023. Length should not exceed 7,500 words (including tables, figures, and references).

Papers discussed at the conference are aimed to be presented as a proposal for publication in a UNITAR sponsored publication.

UNITAR will not be able to provide sponsorship for accommodation and travel to the conference.

BANKING DETAILS

Branch Name: Citibank N.A

Branch Address: One Penn’s Way, New Castle, Delaware 19720

Branch Number: 940

Account Name: United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Account

Account Number: 36347452

Bank Swift code: CITIUS33

Bank No: (ABA) 021000089