Integrating Development, Environment and Security - The IDEAS action programme

The IDEAS programme brings together a unique multidisciplinary group of more than 200 experts and organisations from around the world - each with their own extensive networks – all actively engaged in interdependent solutions to the interdependent issues of development, environment and security. Together we especially work to make meaningful contributions in actions on climate change and international, regional, national, human and environmental security.

The IDEAS programme involves the further development and coordination of four “communities of practice”:

The Brussels Dialogue on Climate Diplomacy (BDCD) is an informal network for the exchange of information and  promotion of cooperation among 40+ European institutions, international organisations, think tanks and NGOs active in the nexus between climate change and international, national, human and environmental security. Since the start in 2016, there have been 14 regular meetings of the network and three international conferences co-organised by EDRC and other BDCD partners. > LEARN MORE

The North-Atlantic Civil-Society Working-Group on Environment and Security (NCWES) was set up in response to the opportunity for civil society organisations to contributeinput in the NATO 2030 process. In 2021 the EDRC invited the non-governmental organisations participating in the BDCD and other NGOs, think tanks and individual experts to join the informal NCWES to exchange ideas and produce the report entitled: “Sustainable Peace & Security in a Changing Climate: Recommendations for NATO 2030”. The group consists of over 50 representatives of 25 organisations and 20 other individual experts on climate, development, environment, and security issues.

The report prepared by 30 writers and contributors contains 116 policy options and practical recommendations for consideration in the NATO 2030 process which can help strengthen NATO in a time of new environmental-related challenges in the interest of promoting sustainable peace and security for all.

Climate Change and International Security: Since its founding EDRC’s work has included attention to climate change including in our co-founding in 2002 of the Institute for Environmental Security (IES) and in our coordinating of the Global Military Advisory Council on Climate Change.

GMACCC is an international network of 26 serving and retired military officers, other security professionals and 7 associated institutions, committed to highlighting the potential security implications of a changing climate and advocating action, including by the military, to minimise the risks. Founded in 2009 the Council has organised several events on climate change and international security and Council members have been guest speakers at many international conferences around the world. GMACCC has also (co-) published a series of papers on the security threats of a changing climate including papers focused on specific regions such as Africa and South Asia. > LEARN MORE

The pilot project Transatlantic Responses to 21st Century Environmental Challenges (TREC) is working toward the establishment of a new Transatlantic Environment Forum (TEF) with the vision that through new ways of learning from each other, of pooling our knowledge and creating new innovative dialogues between environmental experts and policy makers we can increase the effectiveness of our separate - and also common - efforts. > LEARN MORE