By Zamzam Osman - Reporter
Somalia, September 21 2025 – A three-day peace conference focusing on the impact of climate change on conflict and security in Somalia has opened today in Garowe.
The Annual Peace Conference, organized by the Puntland Development Research Centre (PDRC), runs from September 21–23 under the theme “Climate, Peace, and Security: Building a Peaceful and Resilient Future.”
Puntland Vice President Ilyas Osman Lugatoor delivered the opening address, highlighting the government’s efforts to integrate environmental protection into security policy.
“Puntland has just completed the training of 1,000 soldiers, half of whom are university graduates. Of these, 180 will be assigned to environmental protection and combating deforestation,” he said.
Puntland’s Minister of Environment, Rangelands and Climate Change, Mohamed Faroole, stressed that environmental degradation was at the core of the region’s challenges among them poverty and conflict.
“Prolonged droughts, shifting rainfall patterns, climate change and many other disasters are primarily driven by deforestation,” Faroole told participants.
The Minister of Interior, Abdi Farah Juxa, underlined the political dimension of the crisis which he described as enormous.
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“If governance and state-building are not corrected, security challenges and climate change cannot be addressed,” Juxa said.
The conference is supported by the Somali Stability Fund, the United Nations Political Office in Puntland, the Swiss Development Cooperation, and Puntland’s Ministries of Environment, Interior and Security.
PDRC Acting Director Abdinasir Yusuf said climate-related pressures were reshaping Somali society and called for new approaches to peacebuilding.
“Climate-induced conflicts demand responses that combine mediation, governance, and development-oriented strategies — strategies that restore livelihoods, strengthen resilience, and build hope for the future,” he told delegates.
The agenda features six panel discussions, eight academic papers, and community contributions from across Somalia and Kenya’s northeastern region, including testimonies from pastoralists and displaced people.
Organizers said the outcomes would be used to shape recommendations on peacebuilding, climate resilience, and governance.
President Said Abdullahi Deni is expected to close the conference on September 23 with a communiqué summarizing the key points.
