In her remarks at the UN Security Council open debate, State Secretary Štiglic highlighted the close interaction between climate change and food security, and the direct impact of food and water scarcity on the outbreak of new conflicts. “Climate change is a defining challenge of our time. It poses a direct existential threat to many UN Member States and it can act as a driver of conflict. The transboundary nature of climate change and food insecurity demands the response of the international community as a whole,” Štiglic said in New York, adding that the Security Council needs to address the adverse effects of climate change and food insecurity on peace and security and that Slovenia stands ready to take part in such efforts.

The entire international community has to respond through emergency humanitarian assistance, development cooperation and efforts to maintain international peace and security. In this context, Slovenia stresses the importance of full, equal and effective participation of women in these processes. "Millions around the world are bearing the brunt of the changing climate, with women, children and older persons hit the hardest. Eating last and eating least is a daily reality of mothers in the most fragile communities,” said the State Secretary.

Conflict risks escalate when food and water are scarce, and armed conflicts also often lead to the devastation of food systems, said Sanja Štiglic, drawing attention to problems in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine, where war has had a long-term impact on global food supply chains. Armed conflicts affect the human and natural environment long after the guns have fallen silent.

"Prevention is key," stressed the State Secretary, calling on the UN system to use all the tools at its disposal for timely detection of processes related to climate change and food security that could lead to conflict. In this context, Slovenia advocates both the role of climate advisers working on the ground and the role of modern technologies, including satellite data and artificial intelligence.

The high-level debate was convened by Guyana in the context of its presidency of the Security Council to highlight the linkages between climate change, food security and conflict, and the need for better coordinated responses and proactive approaches to address climate change and food insecurity as potential drivers of conflict.

In the margins of the UN Security Council debate, State Secretary Štiglic held bilateral talks with Ted Chaiban, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, and Ilse Brands Kehirs, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, and attended a reception on the occasion of the visit of the President of Guyana to the UN.