Press and News Spurring Climate, Peace, and Security Intervention Through Beyond the Map Fund

The fund is timely, coinciding with the development and launch of the Climate Security Observatory (CSO) by The Alliance in May of last year which serves as a decision support tool, aiding policymakers, practitioners, and scientists in comprehending and addressing climate-related security risks. CSO provides evidence on how climate exacerbates the root causes of conflict, locates the areas where this occurs, identifies the most vulnerable groups to climate and security risks, and suggests mitigation strategies.

Access the CSO here 

The Alliance of Boiversity Internatonal and CIAT seeks to use Beyond the Map Fund to actively engage communities located within the climate security (CS) hotspots identified in the Climate Security Observatory. The primary goal is to validate the hotspots, raise community awareness of climate security issues, and promote local and resilient solutions through participatory mapping. The project aims to actively engage stakeholders, organizations and communities in different climate security hotspots such as Turkana, Wajir, Mandera and Marsabit. The fund is expected to play a pivotal role in shedding light on the challenges faced by communities in the affected areas, serving as a catalyst for the exploration of potential solutions. These objectives align with HOTOSM's goal of enhancing humanitarian action and community development through open mapping. It also aligns with its strategy, which recognizes that the world's biggest challenges are local in nature and emphasizes the crucial role of community voices. Moreover, the initiative will support Alliance’s ongoing effort through the Climate Security Observatory to document local climate solutions that may contribute peaceful outcomes. 

The project’s journey commenced with a dynamic inception meeting on January 15, 2024, at the HOT regional offices, Nairobi. This gathering served as a platform to discuss the project's objectives, activities, and timelines. Attended by both the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Climate Security team and the HOT team, this inaugural meeting marked the beginning of an exciting journey towards our shared goals. It was also an opportunity to build effective communication channels, establish mutual expectations, and lay a robust foundation for the seamless implementation of the project. The meeting also played a crucial role in selecting Isiolo as the ideal location to host an upcoming workshop scheduled for March this year. The workshop will focus on immersive, hands-on mapping exercises on-site, providing a productive and enriching experience for participants.