Translating Climate, Peace, Security and Displacement Research into Policy and Action

Three years ago, the CGIAR Climate Security team of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT established the Southern Africa Regional Hub, based in Pretoria, South Africa.

The main mandate of the Hub was to generate evidence on how climate variability and extremes compound existing vulnerabilities to peace and stability in the region and help shape policymaking in this space. Since then, we have engaged with local communities to generate data in extremely vulnerable settings in Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, while working and collaborating with the Copperbelt University in Zambia, the Institute of Development Sciences at the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe and Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique. 

On the 23rd of October 2025, after almost three years of engagement in the region, we organised an online regional conference to reflect with our partners on these experiences, disseminate the results of our joint research efforts, and, importantly, discuss possible ways forward to advance policy and action. The event was co-convened with partner academic and research institutions, bringing together a total of 102 participants from 20 countries. Participants ranged from government officials, academics, researchers, and practitioners from regional and international organizations.  

The conference was officially opened by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation from the Copperbelt University, the Director of the Centre for Policy Analysis at Eduardo Mondlane University, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences from the National University of Science and Technology, and the Global Lead of CGIAR of Climate Security. During the opening remarks, a strong emphasis was placed on the importance of addressing the dynamics of climate, peace and security in the context of ongoing climate shocks and hazards that affect social cohesion and stability within and among communities. Such an argument was further reinforced in the keynote address delivered by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation of Mukuba University:  

“Integrating climate–security linkages into the NDCs, NAP, and National Development Plan promotes policy coherence and unites adaptation, peacebuilding, and development goals.” 

Furthermore, the insights on the integration of climate, peace and security into policy and institutional frameworks in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique were further unpacked by senior officials from respective ministries responsible for agricultural development and environmental affairs in the three countries. Overall, it was made clear that research would not work in isolation and that synergies and collaboration between research, policy and financial mechanisms must be strengthened to mobilise resources. 

Linkages between climate, peace, security and displacement within Southern Africa 

The research institutions that partnered with the CGIAR Climate Security team to conduct research in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique presented insights from our joint work, focusing on different dimensions of the linkages between climate, peace, security and displacement. The Mozambican partner (Eduardo Mondlane) gave insights on dynamics of climate, conflict and fragility in displacement settings in Nampula province, the Zimbabwean partner (Institute of Development Sciences at the National University of Science and  Technology) focused on the effects of climate change in displacement settings, particularly highlighting the role climate-induced scarcity in altering the dynamics of interaction between internally displaced people and their host communities in relation to food, land and water systems. Finally, the Zambian partner (Copperbelt University) presented several community-led strategies implemented in Zambia’s Southern Province to adapt local food systems to climate extremes. Taken together, these findings help better understand the multifaceted nature of the social implications of climate change, where security should not be merely understood through a conflict lens. At the same time, our research highlights the need to consider local resilience capacity within climate, peace and security discourses.  

The key insights from the conference were: 

• Climate change is intensifying displacement in Southern Africa, with dire implications for social tensions within food, land and water systems, and health vulnerabilities in the region. Understanding these dynamics is crucial to better target and reorient interventions; however, this may only be possible by engaging those most affected by climate change and ensuring a plurality of knowledge is reflected in evidence-generation processes. Thus, interventions should be science-based, community-led, gender-sensitive and conflict-sensitive.  

• The research community must continue working hand in hand with policymakers in the realms of security, climate change, agriculture, and environment, as well as with civil society, to adequately translate knowledge into action. Co-creation of policy-relevant solutions ensures that interventions reflect both scientific knowledge and the lived realities of affected community.  

• Funding was highlighted as one of the most important factors influencing the effective translation of research into policy and institutional frameworks.  

Looking ahead 

The Southern Africa Conference on climate, peace, security and displacement served as a vital confluence of knowledge, expertise, and commitment towards translating research into policy and institutional frameworks in Southern Africa. The insights shared, particularly regarding the collaboration between the research community and policymakers to translate knowledge into action, highlight the importance of CGIAR’s presence and current and future impact within the Southern African region.  

• Generating evidence: Our expertise in generating evidence-based insights at the climate, conflict, and fragility nexus offers a unique opportunity to support the region in crafting integrated climate security policies. Through engagement with ministries and policy influencers, CGIAR Climate Security can provide evidence-based research that can inform policy and institutional frameworks. 

• Informing climate- and conflict-sensitive policy design: the ongoing development of National Development Strategies within the region presents exciting opportunities. Integration of comprehensive climate security research considerations into policy frameworks of countries within the region is necessary. 

• Strengthening collaboration with academic and government institutions: A key strategic opportunity lies in actively collaborating with academic and government institutions within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to ensure evidence-based research underpins the development and implementation of policy frameworks. This will significantly strengthen CGIAR’s presence and impact within the Southern African region. 

Authors: Siyaxola Gadu, Gracsious Maviza, Giulia Caroli and Ibukun Taiwo (Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT) 

This work is carried out with support from the CGIAR Climate Action Science Program (CASP) and the CGIAR Food Frontiers and Security (FFS) Science Program. We would like to thank all funders who supported this research through their contributions https://www.cgiar.org/funders/