An exposé of the challenges of access to and utilization of strategic climate change information in peace keeping operations

Abstract

The general objective of this study was to shed light on the complexities surrounding access to and utilization of crucial climate change information during peacekeeping operations. The specific objectives encompass establishing pre-deployment information for officers, assessing peacekeeping forces' knowledge on climate change issues, documenting operational hurdles hindering access to such vital information, identifying threats stemming from limited access, and investigating strategies used by peacekeeping forces to overcome challenges in utilizing strategic climate change information within their operational domains.The study was a cross sectional study and applied qualitative techniques where a purposively selected sample of 27 respondents informed the study. The findings reflected the concerns established in the literature review section, which indicated that no information on climate changes was provided to peacekeepers during their trainings.From the study findings, the study recommends that: a) there is a need to provide climate change tailored information to peacekeepers during pre-deployment trainings; b) that providing accurate, appropriate and useable information by research institutions and academia to the whole range and levels of decision-makers will go a long way in improving readability of climate change information especially to UPF; and c) UPF reviews its policies and plans to integrate strategic climate change information.