On 9 September 2025, the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) and the Climate Security Mechanism (CSM), with support from Denmark and Germany, co-convened a Strategic Dialogue on the theme “Bridging the Gap: Advancing Climate Action for Peace, Security, and Resilience in Africa.”

The dialogue promoted experience and practice-sharing among key stakeholders and featured interventions from Dr. Jihane El Gauzi, Head of AU Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy; Ms. Néfertiti Mushiya Tshibanda, Permanent Representative of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie to the AU and ECA; Mr. Titike K. Bahaga, Climate Scientist at ICPAC; Mr. Koularambaye Julien Khoundja, Secretary-General of Chad’s Ministry of Environment; and Mr. Mohamud Mohamed Khadar, Environmental Governance Advisor at Somalia’s Ministry of Environment.

Discussions underscored the central role of climate, peace and security in Africa’s resilience agenda, identifying the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and Central Africa as critical hotspots. Participants emphasized the urgency of early warning systems, climate-sensitive adaptation, and community resilience programmes to address climate-related risks.

The dialogue formed part of the broader engagements leading to the Addis Ababa Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action, expected to include strong commitments on climate finance, resilience, governance, and the recognition of climate-induced mobility, peace, and security—marking a milestone in the political acknowledgment of the Climate, Peace and Security agenda.