The third edition of the yearly Bologna Peacebuilding Forum (https://www.peacebuilding.eu), will take place virtually on 18-19 May 2021 and unpack the complex and still under-scrutinised linkages between climate, the environment and conflict.
The two-day event, organised by the Agency for Peacebuilding (AP) in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University SAIS in Bologna and the New-Med Research Network run by the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), will explore ways in which climate change can increase the occurrence of or aggravate conflict situations, or provide new opportunities for peacebuilding initiatives and peace processes.
The Forum will examine how shared environmental problems due to climate change can become a catalyst for conflict but also potential cooperation, which in turn can help reduce tensions, facilitate trust-building and eventually promote sustainable peace. The need for the inclusion of climate-fragility risks into peacebuilding interventions will also be addressed by exploring concrete entry points for integrated peacebuilding and climate resilience approaches and programming. A geographic focus on the Mediterranean will be included on day two of the Forum, providing room for an analysis of the Mediterranean as a climate change ‘hotspot’ and discussion of policy recommendations for improved multilateral action in mitigating the climate emergency in this region.
This event will include international experts and practitioners and result in an final publication containing research findings from the Forum.