President Kaljulaid: the UN Security Council must pay more attention to preventing security risks arising from the climate crisis

President Kersti Kaljulaid, who is attending the UN General Assembly this week in New York, participated in today’s UN Security Council meeting, which focused on the impact of the climate crisis on international peace and security. The Estonian Head of State backed the adoption of a UN resolution granting the Secretary-General of the UN a mandate in this field to develop data-based preventive measures.

“In recent years we have seen an increase in the frequency and intensity of weather-induced disasters all over the world. These have caused the displacement and migration of millions of people, which is a clear sign that climate change is already affecting our security. We cannot ignore this. It calls for our common attention and action,” said President Kaljulaid at the Security Council meeting. She also stressed the importance of not losing sight of people who are most vulnerable to climate change. “Many of them do not have the capacity to cope with climate-related security risks, and they will need significant assistance and support from our international community,” Kaljulaid added.

In the Security Council, the President of the Republic also highlighted the importance of the availability of relevant data in the fight against the climate crisis. “The whole UN system should be better informed on security risks induced by climate change. Likewise, the responsibility of the UN Security Council should not be limited to dealing with conflicts. Prevention must play a central role. This requires a comprehensive and systematic approach to the whole topic,” said President Kaljulaid in support of the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution on climate and security. “The Secretary-General of the UN must receive a mandate for collecting these data and developing the respective policy,” said Kaljulaid. “Constant data collection which takes into account regional specifics would be a major step forward towards bringing about real change.”

President Kaljulaid attended the 76th UN General Assembly this week in New York, where she made a state speech, met with the Secretary-General of the UN and participated in several side events and meetings with heads of state. The President of the Republic will return to Estonia tomorrow evening.