Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to welcome you once again on behalf of The Commissioner for Political Affairs Peace and Security, H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye and to express my excitement at the opportunitity to set the ball rolling on a subject I consider to be crucial to our collective development and the peace on which it depends.

Africa stands at the forefront of a global paradox. We are the least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, yet we bear the heaviest burden of climate-induced shocks. Droughts in the Horn of Africa, desertification in the Sahel, floods in Mozambique and Libya, and coastal erosion along the Gulf of Guinea all remind us that climate change is not a future risk but a present reality. These environmental shocks intersect with existing fragilities: poverty, displacement, weak governance, and the proliferation of armed groups.

It is in this convergence of climate pressures and social vulnerabilities that the risks to peace and security become most visible. When harvests fail or water sources dry up, competition for resources intensifies. When communities are displaced, tensions with host populations escalate. And when states are overstretched, extremist organisations exploit grievances to recruit and entrench themselves. This is the essence of the climate–peace–security nexus: the recognition that climate change acts as a risk multiplier, magnifying vulnerabilities and destabilising already fragile contexts.

Invested with clear mandates from both the AU Assembly and the Peace and Security Council, the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security has, in recent years, led the development of a coherent framework on the climate–peace–security nexus through the elaboration of the CAP-CPS. As this framework nears completion, one lesson has become evident: even the most carefully crafted strategies will falter if they are not anchored in public understanding, informed debate, and accountability.

This is precisely where journalism becomes indispensable.Afterall it is through the stories journalists tell, the truths they uncover, and the narratives they curate that societies can make sense of crises, mobilise collective will, and chart pathways to peace.But journalists are not mere chroniclers of events. They are also mediators between knowledge and society, between communities and policymakers, between Africa’s lived realities and the global imagination. Without their agency, the climate–peace–security nexus risks remaining an abstract phrase in policy documents rather than a lived concern capable of mobilising urgency and action.

It is therefore with a deep sense of anticipation that we seek today to situate journalism within the ongoing continental conversation on climate, peace, and security, and to reflect on how their agency can shape both policy and practice.

Allow me, Distinguished Participants, to illustrate with three brief cases that capture the very essence of why we are gathered here today.

Consider, the prolonged drought in Somalia. Between 2020 and 2023, four consecutive rainy seasons failed, displacing over one million people and pushing communities into acute food insecurity. As families migrated in search of water and pasture, competition over scarce resources intensified, often sparking localised conflict. Extremist groups like Al-Shabaab exploited these vulnerabilities to recruit and expand their influence. Journalistic coverage of this crisis, particularly by Somali and Kenyan reporters, was instrumental in bringing global humanitarian attention to the crisis. Without those stories, the magnitude of the displacement and its security implications might have remained invisible to the international community.

Again take the case of Lake Chad Basin, once a vibrant economic hub, now reduced to a fraction of its former size due to climate change and unsustainable use. Millions of farmers, fisherfolk, and pastoralists have lost their livelihoods, feeding grievances that armed groups like Boko Haram have been quick to exploit. Here again, it was investigative journalism and local reporting that revealed the human dimensions of the crisis—stories of women forced into survival economies, of youth left with no opportunities, of communities fractured by displacement. These stories helped connect climate degradation to insecurity in ways that policy briefs alone could not.

Finally, let us not forget the deadly floods in Libya in September 2023, which claimed more than 11,000 lives in Derna. While much of the immediate coverage focused on the sheer scale of destruction, a few investigative journalists highlighted deeper issues: the collapse of governance, the lack of early warning systems, and the vulnerability of communities caught between conflict and climate shocks. Their work illuminated not just the tragedy of a flood, but the systemic risks that arise when climate change collides with fragile political orders.

These examples underscore the point that journalism can either leave crises as fragmented headlines or weave them into a coherent narrative of the climate–peace–security nexus, compelling both leaders and citizens to act. But to play this transformative role, journalism must first overcome challenges some of which are deeply context-specific. In conflict-affected settings, for instance,press freedoms may be curtailed, access to information restricted, and journalists may face threats to their very safety. In countries where climate governance is weak, reporters may risk political backlash when they expose mismanagement of resources or inequities in climate finance.But beyond these local pressures lie cross-cutting challenges shared across the continent. Too many journalists lack the technical training to translate complex climate science and security dynamics into language that ordinary citizens can understand and act upon. Investigative reporting, meanwhile, is constrained by scarce funding, leaving little room for sustained coverage once the headlines fade. And above all, the rise of disinformation and misinformation has created a perilous environment where facts are contested, rumours travel faster than truth, and public trust in institutions is steadily eroded.

The problem of disinformation and misinformation deserves particular emphasis. It is no coincidence that the very platforms which spread harmful falsehoods can also be harnessed by responsible storytellers. Yet when disinformation prevails—when floods are misattributed to divine punishment, or when conflicts over pasture are framed as inevitable ethnic rivalries rather than the outcome of resource scarcity—our collective capacity to respond is undermined. Journalists therefore bear a dual responsibility: to report accurately and to contest falsehoods actively. In doing so, they defend not only truth but also the very possibility of building consensus for action.

What then can be done to support journalists in this essential task? We must build an ecosystem of support. This includes investing in capacity-building programmes that equip journalists with the tools to cover the climate–peace–security nexus comprehensively, drawing on both climate science and conflict analysis. It requires working with Member States to create enabling environments that protect press freedom, even in fragile contexts. It calls for leveraging digital platforms not merely as channels of disinformation but as vehicles for fact-based, people-centred storytelling. And it demands the mobilisation of partnerships to provide resources, knowledge, and networks that empower journalists to do their work with depth and integrity.

Dear Friends, this is not simply about supporting the media. It is about recognising that without a deliberate journalistic agenda across the continent, the climate–peace–security nexus will remain under-reported, misunderstood, and under-prioritised. Too often, coverage of climate disasters presents them as isolated tragedies, stripped of their wider implications for governance and peace. Too often, the resilience of women, youth, and displaced communities is overlooked, denying us the opportunity to learn from their innovation and agency. And too often, Africa’s voice in the global climate discourse is drowned out by narratives crafted elsewhere. A deliberate journalistic agenda can change this. By systematically connecting the dots between climate shocks, security dynamics, and policy responses, journalists can spotlight what is at stake, what is being done, and what remains neglected. They can ensure that Africa’s Common Position on Climate, Peace and Security is not only articulated in Addis Ababa but echoed in local communities, national parliaments, and global negotiations.

Let me also stress that journalism’s role is not only reactive but also preventive. By highlighting the risks before they erupt into crises, journalists can contribute to early warning and early action. By exposing inequities in climate finance or maladaptation strategies, they can encourage course corrections before grievances fester. And by amplifying success stories—of community adaptation, of cross-border cooperation, of inclusive dialogue—they can inspire replication and scale-up across the continent. In this way, journalism becomes not only an instrument of accountability but also an agent of resilience. In the end, the real question is not whether journalism matters but whether our journalists are sufficiently supported, empowered, and protected to rise to this challenge. Africa’s story on climate, peace, and security can and must be told with accuracy, urgency, and justice. But are the storytellers ready, and are we doing enough to equip them?

As we move into the panel discussion, allow me to leave you with a few guiding reflections. How can journalists be better empowered to expose the links between climate impacts, livelihood insecurities, and the conflicts they fuel, while countering the disinformation and misinformation that often obscure these realities? What kinds of training and collaboration are most urgently needed to help reporters translate complex climate science, peacebuilding, and governance issues into narratives that ordinary citizens and policymakers can act upon? And how do we distinguish between the context-specific barriers faced by journalists in fragile states where press freedom and access to information are limited and the broader, cross-cutting challenges such as funding constraints, technical gaps, and safety risks, that affect media across the continent?

With these reflections, I invite you to Panel One. Thank you for your attention.

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