OSCE Chairpersonship Forum in Prague calls for action
on climate and security.
Participants at the OSCE
Finnish Chairpersonship's Forum: Building a Resilient Future in a Changing
Climate, Prague, 11 September 2025. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech
Republic).
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PRAGUE, 12 September 2025 — Over 200 participants—including representatives from OSCE
participating States, Partners for Co-operation, OSCE structures, civil
society, international organizations, and subject-matter experts—gathered in
Prague for the Chairpersonship Forum, "Building a Resilient Future in a
Changing Climate", held on 11 and 12 Septemb. er.
By.
Redaction : Le Courrier d”Afrique 54
Organized under Finland's 2025 OSCE Chairpersonship,
in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the
Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, and
the OSCE Documentation Centre in Prague, the Forum addressed forward-looking
ways for participating States to strengthen their resilience and responses to
security challenges stemming from climate change.
"As conflicts and wars take center-stage,
climate-related risks and environmental degradation are in danger of fading
into the background. Russia's war in Ukraine has placed climate and environmental
co-operation in a new and challenging light," said Elina Valtonen, OSCE
Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland. "The
OSCE is a particularly suitable forum for discussing the links between climate
and security, thanks to its comprehensive security approach, mandate supporting
broad dialogue, and framework that allows these connections to be explored
holistically."
The Forum featured a high-level opening with welcoming
remarks by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavský,
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina
Valtonen, OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu, Ukraine's Deputy
Minister of Economy Pavlo Kartashov, and Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and
Environmental Activities Bakyt Dzhusupov.
Four key thematic sessions focused on investments in
climate resilience through a whole-of-society approach, climate action driven
by cross-sectoral co-operation, the role of climate data and innovation in the
age of information security, and the inclusion and agency of youth in climate
security.
A research study commissioned by the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs of Finland, "Strengthening the OSCE's Climate and Security
Agenda", was also presented at the Forum, and a subsequent panel
discussion assessed advancing the role of the OSCE in climate change and
security.
The Forum reaffirmed that a resilient future in a changing climate is not merely a policy option, but an urgent imperative for sustainable development and regional stability.
For PDF attachments or links to sources of further
information, please visit: https://www.osce.org/chairpersonship/597399
Contacts:
Henriikka Ahtiainen
Office: +358 50 347 33 88
henriikka.ahtiainen@gov.fi
Wilhelmina Hindström
Office: +43 660 915 11 95
wilhelmina.hindstrom@gov.fi