New OSCE Special Representative Kerstin Stendahl: Climate security is part of crisis resilience
As part of Finland’s Chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe OSCE, Kerstin Stendahl from the Ministry of the Environment has started as the Special Representative on Climate and Security. Finland holds the OSCE Chairpersonship in 2025. The overarching theme of Finland’s Chairpersonship is resilience, which is also being challenged by climate change.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe OSCE has 57 participating States from Europe, Central Asia and North America. The activities are founded on the Final Act signed in Helsinki in 1975.
OSCE’s comprehensive security concept comprises not only politico-military security but also the human dimension, such as human rights, and economic and environmental issues. During the Chairmanship Finland will emphasize the linkage between climate change and security.
Climate resilience as part of OSCE’s work
Senior Ministerial Adviser for International Affairs Kerstin Stendahl started as the Special Envoy on Environmental Security at the Ministry of the Environment in September 2024. During Finland’s Chairpersonship she will also serve part-time as the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Climate and Security. Her aim is to incorporate environmental perspectives into OSCE’s work on conflict prevention, peace building and crisis management.
OSCE has made efforts to strengthen the role of climate change in the discussions on regional security. Fight against climate change and adaptation to its impacts are key factors in terms of the sustainable development and security of the region.
“My mission is to encourage and support OSCE’s participating States to adopt and implement international climate and environmental agreements, which will reinforce the resilience of the States in the changing climate and environment,” Stendahl says. She considers that in its own activities OSCE has a good opportunity to strengthen the linkage of environmental security to a broader perspective on security.
Climate change has various kinds of impacts in the OSCE region as it covers a huge geographical area: Europe, Central Asia and North America. The area includes many different kinds of climate conditions and environmental challenges, which is why there may be considerable variations in the impacts of climate change between the States and regions.
Ukraine is also one of the priorities of Finland’s Chairpersonship. As the Special Representative, Stendahl sees good opportunities to promote synergies between the work on environmental security in the Peace Formula and OSCE’s work. Finland has an important task in this as co-chair of the Peace Formula working group on Environmental Security together with Germany and Bulgaria. Last autumn Finland organised a virtual summit on the topic, convened by the Prime Ministers of Finland and Ukraine.
In her work in OSCE Stendahl also considers it important to promote democracy and human rights because these are prerequisites for the stability and crisis resilience of societies. Climate security is closely linked to the theme as the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right. In addition, Finland wants to strengthen the role and empowerment of women in decision-making concerning climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Despite the current geopolitical situation, Stendahl believes in OSCE.
“We can make progress in promoting climate security even in this situation, as long as we can maintain dialogue and interaction between the participating States. Among the concrete plans is to continue the series of climate security conferences by organising an event in Finland on 11 June.”
During the Chairmanship, Finland also plans to increase discussion on the role of the civil society in promoting climate security.
“Cherishing true democracy and civil society is important because, at the moment, these are being challenged around the world. Even if no new decisions can be actively promoted in this political situation, enforcing the ones that have already been made would take us quite far.”
There are a lot of international actors working for climate and the environment. Finland wants to strengthen OSCE’s role in climate work and promote cooperation with other actors. During the Chairpersonship Finland will produce a study on how the added value brought by OSCE could be further reinforced in climate security issues.