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Environment and Security
The Environment and Security Initiative (ENV
SEC) was launched in May 2003 simulta-
neously at the 5th Environment for Europe
ministerial conference in Kyiv and the OSCE
Forum in Prague, by three international or-
ganisations with different while comple-
mentary agendas and missions: the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN
Development Programme (UNDP) and the
Organisation for Security and Co-operation
in Europe (OSCE). In 2007 the Initiative has
been joined by the UN Economic Commis-
sion for Europe (UNECE), the Regional En-
vironmental Centre for Central and Eastern
Europe (REC), and the Public Diplomacy Di-
vision of the North-Atlantic Treaty Organisa-
tion (NATO) as an associated partner.
From the outset ENVSEC has seen its prima-
ry goal as helping countries to identify, un-
derstand and where possible mitigate risks
to stability and security that may stem from
environmental problems and challenges.
Likewise it aims to promote more sustainable
solutions to security challenges by address-
ing their environmental aspects. The Initia-
tive seeks to contribute to solving existing
or emerging political disputes by improving
dialogue and promoting cooperation on en-
vironmental issues throughout the pan-Euro-
pean region. Assessments in South-Eastern
Europe and the Southern Caucasus have so
far led to a broader, deeper and more con-
crete understanding of how environmental
and security concerns and policies intervene
and affect each other. ENVSEC analyses
and maps are known and used at schools
and universities, in public debates as well
as in governmental planning. Assessments
are accompanied by projects on the ground
ranging from awareness-raising and in-
depth field investigations of specific issues
to helping countries strengthen their institu-
tions, improve policies and find solutions to
concrete problems in the environment and
security domain.
The Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC)
has been able to draw on research and
analysis produced within the framework of
the CEP. Production of the ENVSEC East-
ern Caspian report also included independ-
ent assessment missions on the east coast
of the Caspian Sea region in 2006. During
these field assessments to the Turkmen
and Kazakh provinces on the Caspian, local
authorities, local experts and NGOs were
consulted. The field missions were followed
by national-level consultations in Ashgabat
in September 2007. This event brought to-
gether international and national experts on
the issues raised by the report. At the same
time, these consultations were instrumental
in developing recommendations and pro-
posals for follow-up actions.
Both CEP and ENVSEC look at environmen-
tal issues, however the main strength of the
ENVSEC initiative is to combine environ-
mental analysis with a security perspective,
trying to understand how these two dimen-
sions are related.
In a context where fossil fuels are of para-
mount importance for the global economy,
energy policy is a key area in which stakes for
both the environment and security are very
high. The issue of stable energy supply be-
comes a matter of national security and the
centre of geopolitical interests. The
drive to-
wards energy security and away from extreme
energy dependence
can have both positive
and negative local and global environmental