Exploring progress at the intersection of Gender, Climate, Environment and Security

2025 marked the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, a landmark resolution recognising the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and the critical role they play in peacebuilding. To celebrate this anniversary, the CoE and CivOpsHQ organised an event in October 2025 to explore how gender and environmental considerations intersect in conflict contexts and how civilian peace missions can better respond to these challenges.

Climate change and environmental stressors exacerbate resource scarcity, displacement, and social tensions, often fuelling conflict. These dynamics have gendered consequences, with women and girls, and other marginalised groups, facing heightened risks of violence, exclusion, and loss of livelihoods. As our understanding of how climate change and security are interrelated has grown, so too has the recognition that women and men are often differently impacted by climate change, and that gender inequality limits communities’ abilities to adapt to climate change, be resilient to climate shocks, and slow environmental damage.

Integrating gender-sensitive and environmentally aware approaches into conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict recovery is essential for sustainable peace because climate change exacerbates gender inequality and conflict risks, while women's participation and empowerment enhance resilience and stability. These integrated approaches ensure that policies and programmes address the disproportionate impacts of environmental changes on women, address climate-related security risks, and leverage women's leadership for more inclusive and effective peacebuilding outcomes. 

The keynote address focused on the power of integration by carrying forward the spirit of both the agendas Women, Peace, and Security  and Water, Peace, and Security. This was followed by two research pieces on gendered dimensions of climate-related security risks in conflict areas. The focus then shifted to the practical implementation of the WPS and Climate, Peace and Security agendas. It was concluded that regarding civilian peace missions there is a need for increased mutual integration of objectives with regards to gender considerations in environmental work and vice versa. In addition, there is a need for more mutual integration of objectives and greater sensitivity in environmental assessments. 

Reference: Flach, M. (2026). Exploring progress at the intersection of Gender, Climate, Environment and Security. European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management.