Joint Meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation and the Permanent Council on the Security and Environment nexus in the 'shadow of the ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine'

The joint session, organized under the Bulgarian FSC Chair and 2023 OSCE Chairpersonship of North Macedonia, provided a platform to explore the role the FSC can play in the environment-security nexus and how the OSCE can best address issues such as protection of the environment during armed conflicts. The discussion was designed to raise awareness and foster further co-operation on the subject.

“We are glad to dedicate this security dialogue to the Security and Environment Nexus, particularly in the context of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. This war disrupts and affects the lives of millions of people, threatening human health and causing damage to the environment, critical infrastructure and security.” said Ambassador Emilia Kraleva, Chair of the Forum for Security Co-operation, in her opening remarks. “The recent destruction of the Kakhovka dam led to the devastating deterioration of human, economic and environmental security, including water access and quality. The implications are enormous and require ongoing effort, co-ordination and mobilization of resources, expertise and support.”

Remarks were delivered by OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, Yevhenii Fedorenko, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection of Ukraine, Dr. Rowena Watson, Chief of the US State Department Environmental Division and Colonel Christian Tournié, Deputy Head of Department in the French Ministry of Interior. Throughout the discussion, the speakers presented many of the existing challenges and the possible and diverse synergies to address them, including the role OSCE is able to play.

“There are many examples in the OSCE region of environmental degradation as a direct consequence of military conflicts. For already 25 years, the OSCE has been working to address environment and security challenges, including through our field operations, from disaster risk reduction and supporting transboundary water co-operation to the disposal of surpluses of Small Arms and Light Weapons,” said OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid in her address.

The meeting further recognised the inextricable link between environmental instability and exacerbated geopolitical and socio-economic tensions, including escalation to domestic and regional conflict - particularly in transboundary risk areas, such as shared waterways, forests, soil or air.

“The OSCE documents, starting from the Helsinki Final Act, recognize the nexus between Security and Environment. As OSCE participating States, we committed ourselves to the OSCE’s comprehensive and co-operative approach to security, which addresses the human, economic and environmental, political and military dimensions of security as an integral whole,” added Ambassador Igor Djundev, Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council. “Environmental issues are not limited to a country or one region; they are transnational and solutions require an appropriate and a global approach. Adaptation strategies become a collective process to attain environmental security.”

Participants were also invited to deepen their understanding and discuss the security repercussions of the destruction of the Khakovka dam during a side event titled “The destruction of the Kakhovka HPS dam: What Consequences for Environment and Security in Ukraine”. The event highlighted the role of the Organization in mitigating both short and medium-term impacts of this disaster, through monitoring, assessment and offering options for remediation.