The interconnectedness of conflict, climate change, and food insecurity is becoming increasingly apparent, as these forces intensify and feed into one another in many contexts across the globe. In conflict-affected areas, the challenges of bringing opposing parties to one table are profound. Climate action and hunger relief programs can present opportunities to serve as entry points for dialogue and cooperation, by bringing conflict parties together around shared goals, such as combating food insecurity and addressing environmental degradation. Since such efforts address grievances often rooted in resource scarcity, they can help foster social cohesion and build trust among communities. This, in turn, has the potential to enhance stability and lay a foundation for broader peacebuilding initiatives, including mediation efforts and peace processes. Such approaches reveal the strategic potential of addressing the climate-food-conflict nexus. By embedding food security and climate resilience into peacebuilding initiatives, the chances of achieving sustainable peace are significantly enhanced. This points to the geopolitical importance of the nexus and the need to further integrate it in foreign and security policy.

With this High Level Panel at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2025, the MSC, in cooperation with the BMEL, aims to shed light on the intersection of peacebuilding, food security, and climate action. The discussion will serve to connect perspectives from different areas of expertise, to identify how the fight against hunger and the protection of the climate can constitute building blocks of an effective peace and security policy.

Panelists

Keynote Speaker

Rommel Arnado

Rommel Arnado

Mayor / Founder

Municipality of Kauswagan / From Arms to Farms

Moderators & Panelists

Michael Werz

Michael Werz

Senior Advisor for North America and Multilateral Affairs

Munich Security Conference

Cem Özdemir

Cem Özdemir

Federal Minister

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture

Elizabeth Carabine

Elizabeth Carabine

Climate, Peace and Security Advisor

UN Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General to the Horn of Africa

Anne Beathe Tvinnereim

Anne Beathe Tvinnereim

Minister of International Development

Kingdom of Norway, Oslo 

Caroline Delgado

Caroline Delgado

Director of the Food, Peace and Security Programme

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Solna