Climate Change and Security
Climate change does not stop at national borders; persistent drought in the Negev Desert will affect the societies living there. Other countries in the Middle East, such as Jordan and Egypt, will also suffer if harvests fail due to drought, food becomes scarce and resources become a point of contention.
We would like to bring future decision-makers into a discourse on this topic and are therefore organizing a "Young Leaders Summer Academy" on the topic of "Climate Change and Security" this summer, with participants from Europe and the entire Middle East region. The partner for this is the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) at the University of Bonn.
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The dramatic escalation of violence in the Middle East once again underlines the urgency of a joint solution for all players. It also shows that peace will only be possible if a new generation grows up that is prepared to face the common regional challenges together.
With the aim of contributing to peacebuilding in the Middle East, the ICI Institute and the CASSIS of the University of Bonn are organizing a Young Leaders Summer Academy (YLSA) for future decision-makers from the Middle East and Europe.
The theme of the YLSA is "Climate change and security". A topic that challenges everyone in the region equally. The drought in the Negev Desert does not stop at the Jordanian border and the water shortage in the Sinai does not stop at the Israeli border.
Short-term extreme weather events such as storms or floods, as well as long-term changes in climate conditions, have a massive impact on the environment and people's habitats. At the same time, the move away from fossil fuels goes hand in hand with security policy considerations. Only a link between climate and security can form the basis for truly sustainable and holistic political strategies.
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The overarching goal of the YLSA is to bring together future decision-makers from the Middle East crisis region and beyond to give them the opportunity to jointly develop sustainable regional solutions.
Firstly, the YLSA aims to establish a comprehensive professional exchange and networking between young leaders and high-ranking international experts. Participants are encouraged to work and discuss together in a protected space free from domestic crises and political constraints.
Secondly, the YLSA aims to promote professional skills and knowledge in strategic foresight, scenario and strategy development, which participants can draw on in their future careers and with which they can strategically anticipate different futures and thus learn to think about alternatives.
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The aim of the YLSA is to bring together participants from different disciplines and with different practical backgrounds to discuss the connection between climate change and security policy and to develop explorative scenarios and successful strategies for dealing with these major challenges.
The YLSA participants receive professional insights from international experts in strategic foresight, scenario and strategy development in addition to in-depth content input. These skills and knowledge are essential to understand the impact of climate change on regional policy and to develop mitigation and adaptation measures from a multidimensional perspective.
With the intention of building a robust, interdisciplinary network of actors who can contribute to building and sustaining peace in the Middle East, the YLSA takes place once a year in the UN city of Bonn.
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Early-career talents and young leaders from academia, diplomacy, journalism and practice are encouraged to apply. We welcome applications from candidates with diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including social sciences, natural sciences, economics, law and history.
Please send your CV and a letter of motivation (max. 2 pages) as a single PDF file with the subject "CfA YLSA 2025 [your last name]" by March 15, 2025 to Dr. Iulian Romanyshyn (romanyshyn@ici-institute.de) by March 15, 2025.
All costs associated with participation (visa fees, meals, travel, accommodation) will be covered by the organizers.
Apply now by March 15, 2025 with electronic application documents as a PDF file!
