In May 2023, Clingendael Academy organised its first-ever training on the nexus between climate change and conflict resolution. This was done in partnership with the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and took place in Bujumbura, Burundi.

The programme was designed for experts from the Climate Change Technical Working Group of the LVBC and followed their quarterly meeting on the implementation of climate change adaptation projects. Over three days, participants learned how climate change, conflict, and gender (and other intersecting) inequalities interact to create compound risks and insecurities that disproportionately affect some, but also how it may create opportunities for sustainable and inclusive adaptation. Participants developed their skills in conflict analysis, using negotiations for conflict resolution, designing project activities from a do-no-harm approach, and storytelling for effectively communicating climate data.

The Academy looks forward to expand this line of work, as the interrelated effects of climate change, conflict, and (gender) inequality demand a response in many of the contexts it works in.