NUPI to provide research support to Denmark in the UN Security Council
People
Denmark was the summer of 2024 elected as a member of the UN Security Council – the UN’s highest body with a mandate for securing international peace and security. As Norway did in 2021 and 2022, Denmark will take up a non-permanent seat in the council in 2025 and 2026. The country during its tenure aims to put climate change on the agenda of the high-ranking body. A group of researchers at NUPI will contribute to this important effort through giving strategic advice and publishing actionable research.
NUPI and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is collaborating on a climate-related peace and security project that was initiated to support Norway’s prioritized efforts to highlight the effects of climate change on international peace and security during its last tenure in the UN Security Council. The project has also provided research support to Switzerland and the Republic of Korea during the 2023-2024 period, when they were elected members of the Security Council. The goal of the project is to produce relevant and actionable information on risks connected to climate, peace and security for specific countries and regions on the agenda of the UN Security Council.
The main knowledge product of the project is the publication of a series of context-based fact sheets. Such fact sheets have in 2024 for instance been published in relation to the appearance of Myanmar, Colombia, Libya and The Central African Republic on the council agenda. The project team at NUPI consists of Research Professor Cedric de Coning, Senior Researchers Thor Olav Iversen and Minoo Koefoed, and Junior Researcher Ingvild Brox Brodtkorb.
– We are excited to support Denmark during its coming tenure as an elected member of the UN Security Council. Research and experience show that climate change exacerbates existing vulnerabilities and can undermine peace and human security. The project synthesises the research evidence that is available on the relationship between climate change and peace and security on the countries on the agenda of the Security Council. Our work informs diplomatic efforts aiming to secure international peace and security at the very highest level of the UN and is thus a good example of how research can support policy, says project leader Cedric de Coning.