Radio Miraya
2834: Climate Change and Security in South Sudan: UNPOL Strengthens Capacity to Address Challenges
We continue with the nation's big conversations now on Miss climate peace and security unit. In coordination with the unpool organizer training on trainer of trainers of trainers on climate peace and security and to discuss more about this training and the impact of climate change over the past few years on South Sudan. We are joined in the studio with our guest on Miss climate security expert Lukas Distraika and training planning and evaluation officer at the unpool training unit. We have Lamine Trowarli. Good morning gentlemen. Thank you so much for making our time to speak to us today. Good morning. Thank you very much for the invitation. Right. I will start with you Lamine. So over the past few years we have seen climate change impact across South Sudan or just before you answer that just tell us about the training. How was it? Good morning. Thank you very much. The training was good because the targeted audience at the unpool, unpool are the people who will go in the fields and have contact with the National Police Service and conduct other trainings, conduct PCRCs, conduct capacity buildings for them and they would cascade the training also to the population also. So because the impact of climate goes to the population, so it's important also for the population to get aware and this awareness starts through the training of unpools. So that is where we started for now. Right. So where did it happen? The training is happening at Tompin here and the police learning and development unit training hall. Okay. Thank you so much. Let me look us as an expert over the past few years. We have seen climate change impacts across South Sudan. Just tell us more about the ranges of these impacts that the country is at front to. So South Sudan has always been affected by climate shocks, especially seasonal flooding, heat waves and drought for example. So what scientific evidence has shown us in the past years is that these climate shocks have actually intensified due to the effects of climate change. So global warming due to human activity in essence, the emission of greenhouse gases is causing much more extreme weather events and climate shocks all over the world. In South Sudan, we can see that in the form of historic flooding, which happened in 2020, 2022, 2024, where usually we see seasonal flooding happening, but now seasonal flood waters are actually no longer receding and we see like permanent flooding in many parts of the country. So apart from this, we also see more erratic rainfall and longer periods of drought, especially in the dry season, which is causing more seasonal unpredictability, making it much more difficult for farmers and pastoralists to plan seasonally. And then of course, there's the many heat waves that South Sudan is facing. I think earlier this year in April, the government was even forced to close the schools for a few weeks because of the heat wave. So these are all climate impacts that we see increasing in South Sudan because of climate change. Yes, we spoke about some human activities that are contributing to this. So what are some of those human activities that are contributing to these climate shocks in South Sudan? So the main cause of climate change, of course, globally is human activities and industrialization. So emissions of greenhouse gases are something that happened over the past 100 years and increased a lot, especially in industrialized countries. So they are the main cause of climate change. Okay, so that's globally. So when we trickle it down to South Sudan, we are not contributing. No, of course, South Sudan is one of the least contributing countries to climate change. And unfortunately, it is one of the countries in the world that is most affected by the effects of climate change. Thank you, Lucas. I mean, the United Nations has recognized the adverse impacts of climate change in South Sudan. So how does the UN mission in South Sudan's mandate address these realizations? Thank you. For the UN, it is critical that we they try to mitigate the effects of climate change. And at the same time also, they learn how to adapt and change to a change in environment. This is something that UN tries to do for itself, but also those in support of government and communities affected by climate shocks also. One makes works in different ways to address the adverse impacts of climate change that includes adopting as a mission to a changing environment, supporting disaster risk management, such as the flood response, reducing the environmental impact of its own operations, investing in sustainable energy, waste management, et cetera. Training and capacity building that strengthen knowledge sharing, implements activities that can help prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict, filled by climate impacts, example, peace dialogues between communities affected by flooding. So example, the direct management to product, displaced persons, logistical support for humanitarian and disaster responses, food sensitization, and conflict reversions, campaign, peace buildings, et cetera, and et cetera. Right. Yes. Okay. So, Lucas, in what ways do these impacts that you mentioned earlier become part of peace and security risks in the country? Yes. So, this is something that is really exceptionally visible in South Sudan. So, if you ask yourself the question, how would you cope if your farmland is no longer yielding because of trot, or when pasture is no longer accessible for your herds, or when your house is being destroyed by flooding? Right. So, people often cope with these kinds of shocks by moving out of affected areas in search for alternatives, which is a very normal adaptation strategy to these kinds of shocks. So, but when they move into regions where other groups are residing and struggling also with the same issues, they might not be not always be welcomed by those groups. And especially when there is already a history of conflict or tensions between those groups. And you can also see that the risk of conflict increases, especially when people move across customary or administrative borders in South Sudan. For example, from one state to another, this is something that is highly sensitive sometimes for host communities. Right. And let me, how does the UN police specifically assist in effective response to climate security challenges? The UN police, that is the unpold, they respond in different ways. The crucial role they play is one capacity building and training. They provide training and capacity building programs for local law enforcement officers. They also engage in community engagement, where it fosters strong community relationships and engages in local populations to understand the specific climate security challenges. They also involve in data collection and analysis by collecting and analyzing data on crime conflict in the context of climate change. They help also identify trends and hotspots where climate related issues might lead to security challenges also. They support peacekeeping operations in missions where climate change exhibits tensions on pull members can assist in stabilizing regions. They also coordinate with other UN agencies to collaborate and implement holistic strategies that address both immediate security needs. They promote rule of law by supporting the establishment of a rule of law justice system. They engage in early warning systems also where they contribute to the development of any warning system that can alert communities and law enforcement about potential conflicts different by climate change. And through these efforts, on pull not only addresses the immediate security concerns arising from climate change, but also contributes to building resilience in communities vulnerable to climate related issues. Right. Well, thank you so much. I mean, for that. And Lucas, allow me to take you back a bit on that point you made earlier, where globally, you know, because of the emission of greenhouse gases and all those other human activities. And then I asked you about South Sudan. And you mentioned South Sudan is one of the least contributing countries. But how come it's one of the most affected? Like, yes, what are the nitty-gritty's there? So the reason why South Sudan is one of the most affected is basically because of the region where it's located. So if you look at the effects of climate change globally, I think the East Africa region more generally is highly, highly vulnerable to climate shocks. So first of all, there is a higher exposure to these kinds of shocks, such as drought, flooding, and so on. So some of the regions globally are more exposed than others. Now, what is making a country vulnerable to climate change is not only the exposure to these shocks, but also its ability to adapt. And so South Sudan has many, many challenges when it comes to trying to adapt to these kinds of shocks. So there is, of course, lacking infrastructure, lacking resources, and so on, to adapt to these challenges. So globally, there is also a lot of funding that is trying to be focused at these most vulnerable countries to climate change. But this funding is also quite challenging to access. And that is something that is being discussed at the highest political level, trying to make vulnerable countries like South Sudan, gain them better access to climate financing, and allow them then to to adapt to these climate shocks. Right. Right. Now, another area of focus, Lukas in South Sudan is sexual and gender-based violence. How does climate change worsen this problem? So we know that in times of crisis, the risk of sexual and gender-based violence can increase. And women and girls in particular are often more vulnerable to becoming a victim of violence abuse when climate disasters are cured. This is not only something that we see in South Sudan, but this is something that you can see across crisis in the world. So, for example, when drought is affecting communities, it is often the men who would migrate out to find solutions to this and to find other ways of income. So this means oftentimes that women and children are being left behind without their father, without a husband, or a head of household. And this can then also expose them to increase the risks of sexual and gender-based violence. When climate change is, for example, affecting access to water, of course, in rural areas, it's often women and girls who are responsible also to find water. So when climate change is affecting the availability of water, you can see that women and girls often travel further to access water, exposing them also to higher risks of violence against them. Right. And let me, how can enhanced collaboration with the National Police Service help address some of the problems? It can help address in several ways. One, it can improve resource management, where a national police service can work with harmful to develop and implement strategies for managing natural resources to enable it. Two, training and capacity-building, like I mentioned earlier, the National Police will benefit from training provided by international partners, allowing them to acquire knowledge and skills necessary to handle climate-related issues. Three, it can enhance intelligence sharing. Also, that would facilitate the sharing of information and intelligence regarding climate risk. Four, unified response frameworks, where they will be working together. The National Police can establish a unified, operational frameworks to respond to climate-induced disasters. Five, community trust engagement, where joint initiatives can help build trust between National Police Forces and local communities. And six, capacity for medical and conflict resolution. When it happens, you provide medical services for the people, the National Police Service. They should be trained in mediation and conflict resolutions. Eight, the data collection and research, those programs can facilitate comprehensive data collection on crime and climate-related issues. Nine, policy development and implementation. It will help by including National Police in climate security policy discussions. Both parties can create more effective strategies and laws that consider local context. Crisis response coordination also. It can enhance collaboration that allows for better coordination during climate-related disasters, ensuring that National Police can respond effectively to emerging security threats related to such events. Though, these collaborative efforts, the capacity of law enforcement agencies to address the complexities of climate security challenges, is significantly improved, leading to better outcomes for communities affected by the detrimental effects of climate change. Right. Well, thank you so much. As we conclude this look, as you mentioned, how South Sudan is caught in the middle because of her position, where it is, and some of the issues is adaptability, lack of infrastructure and so on. So, what long-term strategies can be implemented to improve South Sudan's coping and adaptive capacities in response to the worsening effects of climate change? So, the South Sudanese government has taken some really important steps in strengthening its legal and policy framework related to climate change and environment. So, some examples of this include the National Adaptation Plan to Climate Change, which was adapted in 2021. There is also the draft National Land Policy from 2023, and the draft Environmental Protection Bill from 2023. So, these are all important policy frameworks. However, many of these frameworks still remain in a draft stage. So, it is really critical at this point to ratify them and start also with the implementation of these policies. This is a critical step that can then allow the government also to mobilize more climate financing and address some of these issues on the longer term. So, I think also, in the longer term, it is important to shift the response to these climate impacts from a more humanitarian and disaster-related approach, which is quite short-term, to also seeing it as an opportunity for development. So, there are really a lot of job opportunities in the green transition. This is something that a country like South Sudan can really benefit from. So, the UN, both the UN and the broader UN country team, can of course support along these efforts. Right. Look at the striker, and let me show early. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Thank you very much. All right. And yes, a conversation about climate change. Well, on this climate peace and security unit in coordination with Unpol Deed Organiser training of trainers on climate peace and security. And of course, we have been speaking more about the issues in South Sudan and what strategies can be laid for South Sudan to adopt to some of the shocks that the country is exposed to. Well, thank you so much. I was speaking to an expert on the climate security expert, Lucas, the striker, and also the training planning and evaluation officer at the Unpol Training Unit. Let me know what you think.