The purpose of this technical brief is to help readers make connections about the relationship between climate change and conflict. It provides USAID’s definition of climate security, and highlights multiple ways in which climate change and conflict interact, and describes approaches for USAID programming.

Corruption is increasingly seen as the very “operating system” of many developing country governments, and is connected to sophisticated networks that cross sectoral and national boundaries in their drive to maximize returns for their members. Indeed, independent studies suggest that corruption is woven into the fabric of governing institutions due to kleptocrats’ ability to co-opt or disable independent authorities, promote willful blindness, competing incentives, or inattention.