15 April 2025
Climate crises and fragility are ongoing matters of concern for millions of people worldwide. Beyond the impact on the planet itself, climate change affects livelihoods and security, creating vulnerabilities and posing challenges to governance. A growing matter of international concern, these vulnerabilities may be exploited by violent extremist terrorist groups to further destabilize communities.
The links between climate change and violent extremism conducive to terrorism is the core focus of the Initiative on Addressing the Nexus Between Climate Change and Violent Extremism. Led by Germany and Kenya with the support of implementing partner, the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, the Initiative aims to better understand how climate change may exacerbate vulnerabilities in communities and intensify known drivers of violent extremism conducive to terrorism.
To advance the conversation, the Leads convened a virtual workshop bringing together representatives from governments, civil society organizations, experts, and other key stakeholders. Building on insights from previous workshops, this session focused on developing practical and actionable solutions for practitioners and policymakers. It also acknowledged the complexity of the nexus, which is inherently multi-faceted, non-linear, and often context-specific.
The workshop outlined initial recommendations to support the preventing and countering of violent extremism (P/CVE) community in better conceptualizing and responding to this emerging challenge. Preliminary conclusions were presented based on dialogues held under the Initiative. Discussions highlighted the importance for P/CVE stakeholders to deepen their understanding of the interconnected drivers of climate change and violent extremism conducive to terrorism, identify key challenges, and propose concrete, context-sensitive responses.
Under the Germany-Kenya mandate, the Initiative will develop a GCTF Framework Document on climate change and preventing and countering violent extremism conducive to terrorism by gathering diverse experiences, research findings, and evidence-based research. Set for endorsement at the 26th GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting, the Framework Document will also create a network and knowledge hub of stakeholders relevant to the nexus between climate change and violent extremism conducive to terrorism.