The OSCE Chairpersonship is hosting the Conference on Climate and Security in Espoo, Finland, on 11 June 2025. Gabriel Păun, president of Agent Green and UN Champion of the Earth, is the only Romanian invited to take part as a speaker alongside Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders, and other special guests in the session starting at 14:45.
The conference will offer a space for an exchange of expert views on the current climate, peace and security landscape. The event builds on Finland’s whole-of-society approach to crisis preparedness.
The conference will:
-
Address the current state of affairs on the climate and security agenda.
-
Discuss climate and security issues from a holistic and comprehensive perspective.
-
Contribute to identifying the OSCE’s comparative advantage within the broad field of international actors involved in climate action.
-
Detail ways to strengthen climate resilience and promote the safety and security of people in the OSCE region.
To be resilient together, we need stronger synergies at international and national levels. The conference promotes inclusive approaches involving multiple stakeholders, including cooperation with international organizations, the private sector and civil society actors. The conference discusses the climate and environmental costs of conflict, business participation in shaping climate security, and the role of environmental and climate defenders.
The conference will be broadcast live. You can follow the broadcast here.
The conference will bring together more than 200 officials from the OSCE, participating States and Partners for Co-operation, as well as representatives of civil society, academia, the private sector and other international organizations.
Agenda
Thursday, 11 June
10:00-10:45 Setting the scene – opening speeches
10:45-11:45 Session 1: The impact of conflicts on the environment and climate and the role of the OSCE
11:45-12:00 Cultural programme
12:00-13:00 Lunch
13:00-14:00 Session 2: A whole-of-society approach to climate security: the role of business in crisis preparedness and resilience work
14:00-14:15 Keynote speech
14:15-14:45 Coffee break
14:45-15:45 Session 3: Environmental and climate defenders
15:45-16:30 Closing remarks
Archive note: Two documents linked in the original are no longer available. For event context, see the official OSCE conference page.
