The event took place in the context of the Cyprus Government Initiative for Coordinating Climate Change Action in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME), aimed at addressing and alleviating the impact of climate change and advancing mitigation actions following the Paris Agreement.
The Minister for Defence of the Republic of Cyprus, Charalambos Petrides, the Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA), Jiří Šedivý, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Kornelios S. Korneliou, and the Head of the European Commission Representation Office in Cyprus, Myrto Zambarta, opened the conference on Monday morning (11 October), in the presence of more than 20 ambassadors and diplomats accredited to the Republic of Cyprus. More than 50 participants from 16 countries and institutions attended the conference and shared their insights.
The conference aimed to enhance participants’ awareness of the security implications of climate change by enabling them to acquire basic knowledge about global warming as a phenomenon and a security threat multiplier. Participants examined the fundamental factors which affect the environment and the impact of climate change on international peace and security. In this regard, the conference identified climate change-related hazards and threats and presented the main instruments for mitigating their cascading effects.
As part of the conference, participants had the opportunity to attend the second International Conference on Climate Change held by the Cyprus Institute on 13 and 14 October 2021, focusing on climate change and air pollution in the EMME region.
