NEW YORK – The UAE called for greater attention from the international community on the link between climate change and insecurity at the UN Security Council Open Debate on the impact of climate-related disasters on international security.

Speaking before the Council, H.E. Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, underscored that while climate change is not a security issue in the traditional sense, it is already worsening existing security concerns and contributing to new ones.

“Food and water insecurity, the loss of shelter, the deterioration of livelihoods, and the sense of powerlessness in the wake of repeated disasters create breeding grounds for desperation, extremism, and instability,” she noted.

Ambassador Nusseibeh stressed the importance of collective action to tackle the issue at hand.

“Addressing the link between climate change and international security does not necessarily require a change in the mechanics of the Security Council, but we should reframe climate action as a contribution to security,” Ambassador Nusseibeh expressed.

She called on Member States, donors, and the UN system to scale up development work in places that are most likely to experience climate-linked insecurity or are already experiencing it. She also emphasized the value of forecast-based financing in releasing resources in advance of credibly predicted climate disasters, in order to stem the fallout that can trigger insecurity.

Ambassador Nusseibeh concluded that the UAE hopes to see concrete initiatives that deliver simultaneous climate and security benefits at the June preparatory meeting in Abu Dhabi for the UN Climate Summit. Earlier this week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced that the UAE will host the preparatory meeting, paving the way for the Summit on September 23 in New York.