Coordinating Climate-Resilient Development

The document argues that the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process is uniquely suited to support peacebuilding in fragile states because its long-term, holistic, and participatory nature aligns with the timelines and goals of conflict recovery. It highlights that climate risks and conflict often share drivers, such as poverty and weak governance, and that failure to adapt can exacerbate resource competition. The briefing provides examples of countries like Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Palestine that have integrated conflict dynamics into their NAPs, while noting ongoing challenges such as the lack of climate data in conflict zones and the exclusion of refugees from planning processes.

• There is a significant overlap between states that are the most fragile and those most vulnerable to climate change and least prepared to adapt, as exemplified by Somalia, which is ranked as the most vulnerable to climate change and the second most fragile.
• Conflict and climate change can be mutually reinforcing; climate impacts can trigger or exacerbate conflict, while violence weakens the governance and institutions necessary for building climate resilience.
• Fragile states face severe barriers to adaptation, including the destruction of climate data infrastructure (e.g., the Taliban burning archives in Afghanistan), the suspension of technical training, and the diversion of funding toward immediate humanitarian needs over long-term adaptation.
• The NAP process is well-positioned to support peacebuilding because its medium- and long-term timelines align with the decades-long recovery period of conflict-affected economies, and its participatory nature can build trust among marginalized groups.
• Several countries use their NAPs to prevent climate-related conflict, specifically regarding land and water use among pastoralists and farmers in Togo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Sudan, and Burkina Faso.
• In some cases, conflict is identified as a primary driver of climate vulnerability that limits adaptation options, such as in the State of Palestine, where restrictions on movement and imports constrain the ability to implement adaptation measures.
• Despite the potential of the NAP process, critical gaps remain, including the failure to account for transboundary risks, the difficulty of implementing plans during active conflict, and the exclusion of refugees from adaptation decision-making.

APA

Crawford, A., & Church, C. (2020). Coordinating Climate-Resilient Development. NAP Global Network. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/napgn-en-2020-the-nap-process-and-peacebuilding.pdf

Chicago

Crawford, Alec, and Clare Church. Coordinating Climate-Resilient Development. NAP Global Network, 2020. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/napgn-en-2020-the-nap-process-and-peacebuilding.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Crawford |first1=Alec |last2=Church |first2=Clare |title=Coordinating Climate-Resilient Development |publisher=NAP Global Network |date=February 2020 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/napgn-en-2020-the-nap-process-and-peacebuilding.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{crawford2020coordinating, author = {Crawford, Alec and Church, Clare}, title = {{Coordinating Climate-Resilient Development}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2020}, month = feb, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/napgn-en-2020-the-nap-process-and-peacebuilding.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }