Nigeria’s capital is hosting a high-level international forum on peacebuilding and climate resilience, as policymakers, technical experts and development partners convene to address the growing link between environmental change and insecurity.
The three-day 2026 Peer Learning Forum on Peacebuilding and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Processes opened on Tuesday at the Abuja Continental Hotel. The event is co-hosted by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the NAP Global Network.
Participants drawn from across Africa and other regions are meeting at a time when climate-related pressures are increasingly recognised as drivers of conflict. In Nigeria, challenges such as the shrinking Lake Chad Basin and recurring farmer-herder clashes linked to erratic rainfall patterns highlight the country’s vulnerability to climate-induced instability.
Speakers at the forum emphasised that climate change has evolved beyond an environmental concern into a “threat multiplier,” exacerbating resource competition, displacement and violence, particularly across the Sahel. Rising temperatures, desertification and water scarcity continue to strain fragile communities, placing governments under pressure to craft more integrated policy responses.
Central to the discussions are National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), a key instrument under global climate frameworks designed to help countries assess vulnerabilities, prioritise interventions and strengthen long-term resilience. However, experts noted that many NAP processes have historically overlooked conflict dynamics, especially in fragile and violence-affected settings.
The Abuja forum is therefore focused on bridging that gap. Delegates, including representatives of national NAP teams and ministries responsible for environment, security and peacebuilding, are examining how adaptation strategies can be aligned with conflict prevention and stabilisation efforts.
Sessions are expected to highlight practical approaches such as sustainable land management, improved water governance and community-based adaptation initiatives that not only address environmental risks but also reduce tensions and support livelihoods.
Organisers said the forum is structured around peer learning, enabling countries to exchange experiences, lessons and innovations tailored to their specific political and security contexts.
The opening session underscored the need for cross-sector collaboration, with policymakers warning that climate resilience efforts may prove unsustainable if peacebuilding considerations are not fully integrated into planning and implementation.
Nigeria’s role as host reflects its strategic importance in regional climate and security discourse. As Africa’s most populous country facing both environmental stress and complex security challenges, it provides a critical case study for the issues under discussion.
The forum is expected to conclude on May 7 with a set of priority actions aimed at strengthening the integration of peacebuilding into national and subnational adaptation planning.
Analysts say the timing of the meeting is significant, as intensifying climate impacts and evolving conflict patterns make the convergence of adaptation and peacebuilding an urgent policy imperative rather than a theoretical objective.
