Joint Nordic Statement on Sea-Level-Rise - Implications for International Peace and Security

Thank you for convening this timely meeting on a matter of outmost urgency. Thank you also to our distinguished briefers, for providing important context for today’s debate.  

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Denmark.

According to the IPCC, an estimated 680 million people from coastal communities across the world are particularly exposed to ocean and cryosphere change, such as sea level rise and associated loss of biodiversity.

The citizens of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and especially of the low-lying atoll countries, are faced with the existential threat of their country becoming uninhabitable, or even the partial or complete inundation of land territory.

If your land territory becomes inundated, where do you go as a people, and how do you preserve your culture and your heritage?  How can sovereignty be maintained and what are the implications for a State’s maritime zones?

These questions have been raised by SIDS countries for decades – it is high time that we together find clear answers. As the International Law Commission is considering the legal aspects of these questions, we welcome today’s discussion particularly on the peace and security implications of sea level rise.

This debate is well-timed given the Council’s critical role in promoting a greater understanding of the issues at stake, to prepare and protect people as climate change forces them to adapt and eventually relocate.

Today’s plight of communities in low-lying coastal areas is tomorrow’s plight of the global community.

President, let me address your pertinent questions:

There is increasing evidence that climate change is a significant risk-multiplier, especially when combined with other factors, such as socioeconomic inequality and weak resource governance.

In line with the Council’s mandate to maintain international peace and security, the Council also has a role: in raising awareness of threats to peace and security, including when this can prevent or help decrease the risk of relapse into conflict, but also when it comes to promoting human security. We thus urge the international community to redouble efforts to reduce the impacts of sea-level rise.

In relevant resolutions on UN peace operations, the Council must continue to consider the UN’s supportive role in helping States mitigate and adapt to the adverse effects of climate change in order to address climate related security risks.

The Council should explicitly request the UN to continue to build its capacity and expertise in addressing climate related security risks, and strengthen UN Missions’ engagement with local, regional, and other actors in this process. 

Some countries such as Fiji have already progressed on national legislation and plans on how to respond to the adverse effects of climate change. Sharing of ideas and lessons among those most affected by sea-level rise could identify entry points for where UN and its Member States can help support national and regional engagement on addressing climate, peace and security risks.

President,

The protection of State sovereignty and individual human rights are enshrined in the UN Charter. In addition, the Nordic countries remain confident that UNCLOS, which sets out the legal framework for all activities in the oceans and seas, is the appropriate framework for successfully addressing these and other emerging challenges.

But the global security implications of a country’s land territory being completely submerged, for states and their citizens, are yet to be fully discovered. To ensure solutions that promote peace and stability, it is essential that we jointly pursue a deeper understanding of how climate change impacts the peace and security situation in specific countries and contexts, but also related challenges. As a starting point, we reiterate our support for regular reports by the UN Secretary General on the topic, and for climate-related security risks to be integrated into country specific reporting to the Council.

Finally, we should never stop looking for opportunities: We know that inclusive natural resource governance is key to peace and security.  Where governments invest in legislation and capacity to benefit all communities, the associated peace dividend can reduce the risk of conflict.

Taking action to battle the climate crisis we collectively face is key. Involving the right people is imperative. Participation of rights holders, especially women, youth and local communities must be at the center of these efforts, to ensure that the solutions are locally owned and led, empowers marginalized groups, and do not inadvertently harm those we seek to protect.