The ConnexUs Thursday Talk, Climate Action as a Means for Peacebuilding in Iraq, featured Martha Gillberg from the Search for Common Ground – Iraq. This ConnexUs Thursday Talk was part of the climate security knowledge-sharing campaign, Climate Security: Finding Shared Solutions to Shared Challenges, hosted by ConnexUs and USAID. Gillberg provided a comprehensive view of the relationship between climate action and peacebuilding, focusing on the context of Iraq.

To begin, Gillberg explained how climate change has been identified as one of the root causes of violence and tensions in Iraq, making it a serious threat to the country’s security. She went on to highlight how climate change is already affecting the country, causing seasonal variability, drought, desertification, dust storms, and infertile land, all of which are threatening Iraq’s agriculture and crops. This, in turn, is leading to social and economic impacts of climate-induced migration and displacement in Iraq, exacerbating social tensions and unemployment.

One of the key takeaways from Gillberg’s presentation was the importance of understanding the link between climate change and security risks. She emphasized the need to act on climate change, recognizing the window of opportunity to act in Iraq. Gillberg also highlighted the existence of a healthy ecosystem of civic engagement and organizations, including young activists with amazing ideas and solutions on how to do policy advocacy and rearrange resources and water management.

Another significant point raised by Gillberg was the increasingly critical role of water and water scarcity on security and heightened tensions. She gave examples of local and national tensions caused by water management disputes, poor water quality, and the lack of state-level water management regulations. Gillberg also emphasized the urgent need to enable pathways for democracy, facilitate spaces for cooperative action, and empower leaders, especially women or youth, to act and reduce the gap between the national level and the local level.

Overall, Gillberg’s presentation highlighted the significant impacts of climate change on Iraq’s security, social cohesion, and economic livelihoods and the urgent need to act on climate change as a tool for peacebuilding. Her message was clear: addressing climate change in Iraq is not only necessary for the country’s future but also a crucial step toward building a more peaceful and prosperous society.

Speaker

Martha Gillberg is a Program Associate on Search for Common Ground’s peacebuilding program ‘Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action’ (JISRA)- a 5 year-long program promoting FoRB in the ISIS-liberated areas in Iraq. She works closely with our implementing local partners and supports the planning, execution, and managing of the multi-stakeholder dialogues with religious leaders, youth, and women. Martha previously led Search Iraq’s climate change advocacy efforts, which raised awareness of the link between climate change and conflict in Iraq, and created an effective and enduring space for civic engagement, particularly among youth and grassroots actors. As a part of Search’s climate advocacy efforts, Martha appeared on Iraqi radio to empower youth climate action and engagement. Outside of Iraq, she worked on EU post-conflict reconstruction policy and research with the European Research Council and European crisis response with a local Greek NGO. Her areas of expertise include mediation, post-conflict transformation, peacebuilding, FoRB, and climate security within the context of the Middle East and specifically Iraq. She holds an MSc in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics (LSE).