Climate. Peace. Security. Three words which, in the Sahel, no longer belong to separate fields of action. They are superimposed and intertwined, redrawing the lines of a common horizon. It is how they are linked that will determine the future of an entire region. For in a region already weakened by inequalities, conflicts and demographic pressure, every additional degree, every resource depleted, every tension aggravated, puts the cohesion of societies to the test.

This is the background to the regional climate security program launched by the UNDP in 2022, with a dual objective. The first is to help anticipate crises by strengthening early warning systems and information sharing between stakeholders, enabling institutions and communities to act before risks become shocks. The second is to anchor climate safety in public policy, as close as possible to the territories, realities and populations that experience the intersection of these vulnerabilities every day. The program maps out a path towards a more stable and secure future for the Sahel, by supporting the resilience of the most exposed countries, promoting more inclusive governance of resources, and preventing tensions and consolidating peace.

Today, the countries of the Sahel are among those most exposed to the effects of climate change. Temperatures there are rising 1.5 times faster than the global average, and over 80% of the territory is already affected by desertification. Rising temperatures, irregular rainfall, land degradation, water scarcity, growing tensions over natural resources... these are just some of the factors fuelling insecurity, forced displacement and local conflicts.

The Lake Chad Basin is a striking example. Its surface area has shrunk by almost 90% since the 1960s, upsetting local balances. Competition for water and grazing land has intensified, leading to recurrent tensions between herders, farmers and fishermen, and the displacement of over three million people. In the Liptako-Gourma region, on the border between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, up to 60% of local conflicts today are linked to access to land and natural resources. The climate does not create conflicts, but it aggravates them, making them more frequent, more intense and often longer-lasting.

In recent years, more and more voices have come together at regional level to lay the foundations for a common response. Governments, institutions, local authorities, young leaders, researchers, farmers, technical partners... All are converging on a shared observation: without climate security, there will be neither lasting peace nor possible development in the region. The important thing today is to transform this observation into concrete responses. Both in the field and in political circles, the same need is being expressed: to link data to decision-making, territories to governance, adaptation to living together. This requirement takes on its full meaning in a region where over 33 million people live in a situation of food insecurity, and where almost 70% of the population is directly dependent on natural resources for survival. This orientation now guides many regional initiatives, where visions, tools and commitments converge towards a common base of actions.

This set of priorities has now been clearly identified. The aim is to integrate the challenges of the Climate-Peace-Security Nexus into public policies at all levels. Building the capacities of local players, by giving them the skills and means to act. Recognize the central role played by local authorities and communities in responding to crises. To make data accessible, readable and usable. And, in the run-up to COP30, to make a strong regional voice heard, driven by the realities of the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea.

In this dynamic, the role of young people and women was obvious. Not as vulnerable targets, but as drivers of change. Through sustainable agriculture projects, community alert systems and local mediation initiatives, they have shown that the response often comes from those who live the crisis on a daily basis. The Youth, Climate, Peace and Security program, supported by the UNDP, supports these local players, promotes their innovations and builds bridges between generations.

A follow-up process has now been set in motion, to give concrete expression to the commitments made and strengthen coordination between countries. The aim is not to close one cycle, but to open another: more operational, more firmly rooted. The real challenge today is to anchor the Climate-Peace-Security Nexus in public policy, so that it doesn't remain a theoretical framework, but becomes a real lever for stability, as close to home as possible.

In a Sahel in search of stability, climate security can become much more than a concept: it can become a compass for action, a lever for transformation. Provided that it is rooted in the realities on the ground, that it is supported by communities, and that it inspires sincere alliances between local, regional and international players. It is by rethinking together our ways of cooperating, deciding and acting that we will find fair, concrete and sustainable solutions. For it is from these areas of tension that a new way of living in the world can emerge, one that is more lucid, more supportive and more liveable.

In the run-up to COP30, the Sahel's voice needs to carry further. In 2023, less than 5% of global climate financing was allocated to the most fragile countries, even though the majority of them are in West Africa. This imbalance must be corrected. Climate security is not a supplement to public policy: it is the foundation of it. The solutions exist: they are local, cross-border and rooted. What we need today are clear political commitments, appropriate funding and a shared determination to act. The Sahel can become an area of strategic innovation. All we need is momentum.