Climate change must become fixed part of UN Security Council agenda – German foreign minister

German foreign minister Heiko Maas has reiterated his government’s calls to make climate change a key focus of all deliberations in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). “Climate and security belong firmly on the Security Council agenda to reflect its ‘primary responsibility for […] international peace and security’,” Maas told government representatives in a UNSC meeting. Maas again called for regular reporting by the UN secretary-general on the security implications of climate change and the appointment of a special representative for climate and security, as well as climate-sensitive prevention, mediation and peacebuilding.

The German government had made the security implications of climate change a key issue of its two-year stint as a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 2019 and 2020. However, with the coronavirus crisis and resistance of some members, the government’s efforts have produced only limited tangible results. Maas now called for a new UNSC resolution to be put forth and adopted. “A strong resolution would demonstrate to the world that the Security Council is showing leadership on what is one of the gravest threats to peace and security of our times,” he said.