Briefings on Climate Change and Migration for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and for Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
30-31 May, New York, USA
IOM together with the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) organized two briefings for states on climate change and migration: one for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and the second for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
The nexus between migration, the environment and climate change has been increasingly recognized as a key global policy issue over the past decade, and issues related to climate and environmental migration are high on the global policy agenda, both from the perspective of climate change policy and of migration policy. This has been reflected through the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).
Evidence reveals that in Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) both slow changes in the environment and sudden-impact disasters directly and indirectly affect the movement of people. Slow onset impacts of climate change in the LLDCs include desertification, land degradation, drought and flooding. However, few studies have focused on the specific challenges faced by LLDCs in terms of climate change and migration.
In the case of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), slow-onset changes such as sea level rise, freshwater salinization and coastal erosion present significant threats to people’s livelihoods and ability to live, as well as sudden onset events such as storms, hurricanes and cyclones. Whilst the high vulnerability of SIDS is recognized on the global agenda, there remain severe data and policy gaps.
These briefings sought to stimulate an exchange on the climate-migration nexus in the context of LLDCs and of SIDS, regarding: data and knowledge gaps, current policy developments and opportunities under both global and regional climate and migration negotiations. Discussions looked into examples of innovative programme and policy responses to address climate migration and reflected on necessary future programming.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recently collaborated with the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan's Ministry of Labour, Migration and Population Employment to co-organize an event entitled “Migration in the Age of Vanishing Waters.” The event, which took place at the National Library on 19th June, was a precursor to the International High-Level Conference from 20 to 22 June on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”. It attracted a diverse array of participants from diplomatic missions, research institutes, Tajikistani Government, and other domestic and international partners. Participants discussed the impacts of climate change on water as a driver of migration, sharing their own experiences and highlighting potential responses and best practices under the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The event’s panel was moderated by Mrs. Sindarova Azizakhon, Acting Chief of Mission of IOM Tajikistan. Panelists included officials from UN-Water, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Regional Environment Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), and the Sharq Forum. The keynote address was delivered by Mr. Moyonsho Mahmadbekov, Head of the Human Mobility/Migration Department of the Republic of Tajikistan. Mr. Mahmadullozoda Nurullo Rahmatullo, Deputy Minister of Labour, Migration and Population Employment of the Republic of Tajikistan, also offered his remarks. He stressed that Tajikistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the Central Asian region and that a partnership-oriented approach will be key to addressing the issue.
Participants examined case studies from diverse contexts throughout the event, noting that water issues, climate change, and migratory movements are often deeply interwoven. The main points of the side event fed into the discussion of the Action Panel on “Water for vulnerable people, including refugees and migrants”, which focused on the linkages between water, poverty and migration. The Action Panel also contributed to on-going discussions on the strategies to improve water security and the livelihoods of rural communities, as well as to ensure the human right to access to water, including for migrants and refugees.
IOM Leads Climate Induced Mobility Tracking in the Lake Chad Basin
IOM is preparing to launch its first climate induced mobility tracking exercise in the West and Central Africa region in Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. Teams were trained in June on climate related displacement and data collection methodologies. They will be deployed in early July to gather quantitative data from local authorities and institutions as well as households across 32 villages in the Lake Chad Basin.
This initiative is part of a larger project to collect data on the climate change, livelihoods, migration and conflict nexus in the Lake Chad Basin which will culminate in a comprehensive study including policy recommendations. The study will be disseminated amongst relevant stakeholders at a regional conference in October and published on various online platforms.
MECC Regional Policy Forum for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean 4-5 June 2018, Pretoria, South Africa
IOM facilitated the first Regional Policy Forum on Migration, Environment, and Climate Change (MECC) for the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) Member States, earlier this month. The event was hosted in Pretoria, South Africa, and was the first of its kind in the region. Forty participants attended, including officials from the fourteen SADC countries, the IOC Secretariat, UN agencies, and international non-governmental organizations.
Countries shared their national experiences on environmental migration, including the findings of national research conducted by IOM on environmental migration in four countries of the region (Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique and Namibia). The event also represented the opportunity to discuss regional and national policy priorities on the topic. IOM also used the event to celebrate World Environment Day on June 5th, marking the occasion with a cocktail reception for forum participants and an exhibition of Samuel Turpin’s photographic and cinematographic series Humans and Climate Change Stories.
The Southern African and Western Indian Ocean regions are already acutely experiencing the impacts of climate change upon migratory patterns. These impacts will intensify in coming years as climate change accelerates. IOM Regional Director for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Charles Kwenin made the opening remarks at the forum, commenting that, “the complex nature of events and realities we witness in the region makes it very clear that no one country can address the issue alone, making regional and sub-regional dialogue and cooperation indispensable.”
IOM, the UN Migration Agency, organized and facilitated a 2 hours hard talk on protection issues in natural disasters during the Protection Conference and annual retreat of the Global Protection Cluster (GPC) late May in Bangkok.
The event brought together field practitioners with pertinent expertise from key organizations such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), the Gender-Based Violence Area of Responsibility (GBV AoR) and IOM. Discussions addressed the key issues of integrating and mainstreaming protection in disaster preparedness and response activities. The audience was made up of representatives of UN agencies, donors and civil society, including international non-governmental organizations, mainly focusing on protection in conflict settings. Therefore, the attention paid to disaster displacement in this session was positively welcomed by the participants.
Mesoamerican Countries Discuss Protection of Migrants and People Displaced by Disasters at an RCM Workshop Organized by IOM and PDD 6-7 June 2018, Mexico City, Mexico
Thirty-two officials from ten countries of the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) convened in Mexico City to exchange experiences and strategies pertaining to the protection of migrants in the face of natural disasters. The workshop, focusing on the "Prevention and assistance to migrants and people displaced across borders in the context of disasters," was hosted by the Government of Mexico and organized with support from IOM, the UN Migration Agency, and the Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD) and with the financial assistance of the Government of Switzerland and the Government of the United States of America, through the Office of Population, Refugees and Migration.
"The countries of the region are committed to reducing the vulnerability of migrant populations exposed to environmental risk factors, and IOM, through events like this, helps governments to successfully face the challenge of human mobility in the context of disasters", stated Christopher Gascon, IOM's Head of Mission in Mexico.
On World Environment Day IOM, the UN Migration Agency, added its voice to the global effort to beat plastic pollution and protect the environment. Understanding that swift action is needed to protect our environment, IOM joined the United Nations Environment Management Group and established its institutional environmental sustainability programme in line with United Nations’ sustainability standards in 2017.
“If we invest in protecting our environment today, we can reduce the risks of displacement due to climate change and environmental degradation for future generations,” said Dina Ionesco, Head of IOM’s Migration, Environment and Climate Change (MECC) Division.
Mobility has constituted a key element of livelihood strategies in the West African Sahel region and in Senegal for a long time. In the last decades, however, natural and man-made factors have accelerated environmental degradation and exacerbated the vulnerability of local households.
This brief provides an analysis of the links between household vulnerability, exposure to environmental degradation and migration, based on empirical research conducted in four villages in Senegal and at two migration destinations in Italy and Spain.
