CiR2P Option 45 | Social programs for sustainable peace
DISCUSSION:
Providing support for social programs can help to prevent the re-emergence of violence, resolve ongoing conflicts, and rebuild societies in the aftermath of an atrocity event. Social programs that deserve priority support include those that assist women become more central to major decision making processes and those that facilitate the return of young people to school.
The role that woman can and should play in water diplomacy has been a recent focus of climate security researchers and practitioners. The UN estimates that at least one-quarter of the world’s population will live in water-scarce regions by 2050. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan believed that ‘fierce competition for fresh water may well become a source of conflict and wars in the future’.
Women and girls globally are responsible for water collection in 80 percent of households. However, water diplomacy – efforts to solve water-related conflicts and promote water cooperation for peace – remains male-dominated. Support for programs that elevate the status of women in water negotiations, particularly those of a transboundary character, are worth serious consideration. Education and relevant employment opportunities are the first steps with clear pathways to leadership positions.
USAID and UKAID have established programs that seek to better understand the links between gender inequality, conflict and climate change. The hope is that by improving our understanding of the many interrelated problems involved, integrated strategies and solutions can be developed that heighten the prospect of achieving a sustainable peace.
Getting children back to school signals a return to normalcy and shows that the country is willing to invest in its future. For these reasons, rebuilding schools, training teaches, and distributing materials must be given priority.
Where possible, schools should provide information on the likely impacts of climate change on their communities, alongside actions that individuals can take to respond. UNESCO state that “Education can prepare all learners and segments of societies for the challenges climate change poses and equip people and economies with the knowledge and competencies to engage as informed citizens in shaping green, low emission and climate-resilient societies”.
Climate education instruction in schools should also consider the mental health impacts of climate change, which are increasingly impacting on young people in particular.
There are many international actors that can, and do, play a significant role in climate education and literacy in schools in fragile states. UNESCO, together with a range of UN agencies, particularly UNICEF, promote climate change education and public awareness at high-level events and supports countries seeking to integrate climate change into their education systems.
Working with UN agencies, foreign governments and the NGO community, governments in fragile and post-conflict countries could consider the best way to incorporate climate change education and literacy into the curricula of schools.
The UN’s Peacebuilding Commission was established in 2005 in response to the problem that donor resource allocation was highly skewed towards immediate post-conflict situations to the neglect of longer-term peacebuilding considerations. In this respect, the PBC provides a forum for UN agencies, governments and non-government actors to coordinate their efforts and develop plans to address the longer term rebuilding problems of the country in question.
provide a forum for all key actors – national governments in question, donors, regional and international organisations and the international financial institutions – to reach agreement on priorities, coordination and delivery. It works right across the UN systems, explicitly linking its political, security and economic functions
The PBC is an important institution for advancing the topic, in particular in making sure that UN peacebuilding efforts are climate-sensitive and more combined programmatic responses to address climate-fragility risks are financed and implemented.
It can also help ensure that UN peacebuilding efforts are climate-sensitive and that combined programmatic responses to address climate-fragility risks are financed and implemented. Specifically, the PBC could more to: Address climate change in regional and national engagement; Organise thematic meetings on climate-fragility risks and how to address them; Use its advisory and bridging role to foster action across the UN system on climate-fragility risks.