UNEP’s Disaster and Conflicts Branch started developing the Strata data platform in 2020, to meet the data visualisation and analytical needs of practitioners and policymakers working in the fields of climate change adaptation, natural resource management, and peace and security in conflict-affected regions. A first phase of development (completed in mid-2022), in partnership with the University of Edinburgh and EarthBlox, with support from the EU and the Government of Norway, comprised the methodological design, the prototype for Somalia, and the expansion of Strata’s geographical coverage to the Horn of Africa region. To further develop and expand the Strata approach to a global level,  United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) established a collaboration with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the EU-UNEP Climate Change, Environment, and Security Partnership.

UNEP and FAO: Driving Solutions for Climate Security

Through this collaboration, UNEP and FAO have combined their resources and expertise to further develop STRATA and formed a unique way for cross-sectoral and integrated approaches in understanding how climate change and environmental degradation intersect with security risks. STRATA is now powered by the successful platform Earth Map – a user-friendly tool built on Google Earth Engine’s big data capabilities – which have been recently acknowledged by the GeoForGood Google Impact Award.