One World

Project—Addressing climate-related threats to human security in Southern Africa

Client—British government: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)

Project purpose—To strengthen, on the international stage, the voice of vulnerable Southern African countries*, by mobilising political will to address climate-related threats to human security, in particular access to secure water resources as a conflict multiplier.

Area—Sub-Saharan Africa

Timeline—April 2009—March 2011

OneWorld is working on phase three of a four-phased project for the British High Commission to place climate-related threats to human security onto the agendas of continental and international bodies.

Phase One saw the integration of scientific and political analysis, illustrating the threat to human security posed by climate-induced changes in water availability.

Phase Two saw the production of the documentary Too Many Degrees: Human Security and Climate Change, which tells a compelling story about just how people’s lives can become devastated by increased regularity and intensity of the extreme events of flooding and droughts, greater unpredictability of seasons and general hardship in access to water.

Phase Three is a process of engaging with regional leaders through the SADC organ for peace and security, ZAMCOM and SADC member state defense (and other) ministries, COMESA, ECOWAS and the African Union. Various ministries are made aware of the human security risks attached to climate-related water scarcity.

Phase Four will run from January 2011 to March 2011. During this time, the project plans to make available a regional framework that can be used by governments and regional bodies to integrate climate change into human security processes. Drawing on existing continental early warning systems, such systems may also become available within the SADC region.

OneWorld at the United Nations Security Council