Annual Thematic Meeting of the Platform on Disaster Displacement
24-25 February 2019, Dhaka, Bangladesh
by Daria Mokhnacheva, IOM MECC
As part of its responsibility as the Chair of the State-led Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD), the Government of Bangladesh hosted the first Annual Thematic Meeting of the Platform on Disaster Displacement.
The meeting, organized with the support of the International Organization for Migration, was conducted under the theme “Striving together for addressing displacement due to slow and sudden-onset disasters”.
More than 150 participants gathered for the event, in the presence of the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh H.E. Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, the Principal Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, the Foreign Secretary, and other high-level representatives of the Government of Bangladesh. Participants included representatives of the PDD Steering Group, regional and international organizations, UN agencies, civil society organizations and academic experts.
Discussions aimed to bring attention to, and form a joint understanding on how to address the challenges of human mobility in the context of sudden- and slow-onset disaster events linked to natural hazards and the adverse effects of climate change. The meeting also provided an opportunity to reflect on the progress made under global and regional policy processes, showcase effective national practices in responding to disaster displacement, and discuss the way forward towards the implementation of global policy commitments.
The discussions highlighted the importance of international and regional collaboration, policy coherence and a whole-of-society approach in order to address disaster displacement comprehensively, while noting challenges related to national and local capacities and resource mobilization.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment from the Government of Bangladesh and PDD Steering Group Members to continue efforts to address disaster displacement, in partnership with international, regional and national stakeholders.
For more information, please visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh and the website of the PDD.
Planned Relocation: Four Points to Consider in a Changing Environment
by Kimberly Vindas and Pablo Escribano, IOM San José
The Caribbean countries are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, both in the form of sudden-onset disasters (hurricanes, floods) as well as slow onset events such as sea level rise and land degradation. Many Caribbean countries and territories have large percentages of their urban centers and economic activities in low-lying coastal areas, facing specific risks linked to the adverse effects of environmental and climate change. (...) Adaptation options in vulnerable areas may be limited. In this light, Caribbean countries have started considering planned relocation as an option in their climate change plans and strategies. (...)
The IOM, UNHCR and Georgetown University’s Toolbox: Planning Relocations to Protect People from Disasters and Environmental Change identifies a series of important factors to be considered when designing planned relocation processes, including:
The existence of a well-defined and appropriate legal framework, based on human rights law, to govern the planned relocation process;
The extent to which the needs of affected populations and the impact of planned relocations on them are taken into account and the manner in which affected populations are consulted in the process;
The complexity of land tenure issues in terms of vacated areas, land acquisition, relocation sites, etc.;
The importance of adequate monitoring, evaluation and accountability mechanisms at all stages of the process.
As climate-induced environmental change continues affecting Caribbean countries, mitigation and in situ adaptation may not be sufficient in vulnerable areas, and planned relocation appears as a viable last resort option. Knowledge and expertise-sharing remain crucial in this endeavor. In this line, IOM is organizing with the support of GIZ, a two-day Migration, Environment and Climate Change Regional Capacity Building Workshop for Eastern Caribbean States in Castries, Saint Lucia on 14-15 March 2019.
Migrants in Agadez, Niger Undertake Training in Agriculture
by Monica Chiriac and Maria Veger, IOM Niger
Migrants staying at IOM’s transit center for migrants in Agadez, Niger are now undertaking training in sustainable agriculture since December 2018. The aim is to organize weekly trainings in agriculture for close to 500 West African migrants staying at the Agadez center, as they wait for their travel documents to be ready.
IOM provides direct assistance to migrants who wish to return to their countries of origin from Niger, under the Migrant Resource and Response Mechanism (MRRM), funded by the European Union. At the six IOM transit centers in Niger, all migrants have access to accommodation, water, food, medical care, preparation of travel documents, psychosocial support, recreational activities and vocational trainings in business management, and more recently, in agriculture.
At the end of January 2019, 100 migrants staying at IOM’s transit center in Agadez had already received the training in agriculture. The training lasts five days per week for groups of 25 migrants, and is divided into technical and practical sessions taking place on the plots of land allocated by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
This project is possible due to the unique partnership of IOM with UNCCD looking at the reintegration of migrants and the fight against radicalization via job creation in the land restoration field. The training aims to contribute to environmental and climate change action in both transit and origin countries, thus minimizing forced migration due to the environment - an objective aligned with the Global Compact for Migration (ph. 18.i)).
Rising sea levels are already severely impacting the people of the Carteret Islands in Papua New Guinea.
Migration Governance: An Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change
by Karina Odio, IOM San José
The recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report projects that at 1.5°C, SIDS will face increased incidents of internal migration and displacement, freshwater stress and even more worrisome increased aridity, coastal flooding and wave run-up that might leave several atoll islands uninhabitable. In this regard, Dr. Douglas Slater, Assistant Secretary General at the CARICOM Secretariat, commented: “We [Caricom] have to keep sounding our small but powerful voices because climate change is existential to us.”
Caribbean States have launched an exemplary range of adaptation measures such as early warning systems, insurance funds, infrastructure works, and resilience building as is the case in Dominica. However, it remains important to address the links between climate change, vulnerability, displacements and the increased potential risks faced by SIDS to ensure environmental-induced migration is not equated with crisis, but with adaptation.
The Importance of Local Planning in
Limiting the Consequences of Climate Change
by Pauline Maguier, IOM Burkina Faso
Local planning is a key element in anticipating and minimizing the threats represented by climate change. Stakeholders at the local level are more aware of specific problems and needs, and more likely to define adequate responses. As the consequences of climate change keep on impacting populations’ lives, it is necessary to have locally planned and designed policies that take into account the adverse effects of climate change, including internal displacement. IOM Burkina Faso together with the Burkinabe Ministry of Environment have launched the project “Reinforcing local authorities’ capacities in Burkina Faso in order to integrate Migration, Environment and Climate Change in local planning.”
The launch of the project took place in the Centre-North region of Burkina Faso in the presence of the IOM Burkina Chief of Mission, Abibatou Wane, and it will be implemented in two localities, Mané and Bokin, in Burkina Faso. Based on capacity building activities, IOM in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Planning will develop a guide as well as tools aimed at supporting local planning in the targeted localities. The guide and tools are expected to aid in implementing sustainable strategies that can answer climate change as well as migration related challenges.
Vers des partenariats autour de la migration, environnement, et changement climatique en Guinée
par Fatou Ndiaye Diallo, OIM Guinée Cheffe de mission
En février 2019, la Cheffe de l’OIM Guinée a rencontré les représentants du Comité Inter Etats de Lutte contre la Sécheresse dans le Sahel (CILSS) et du Ministère de l’environnement, des Eaux et Forêts à Conakry afin d’identifier des opportunités de travail conjoint sur les problématiques autour de la migration, l’environnement et le changement climatique.
La Guinée, tout comme de nombreux autres pays dans la région, fait face à de multiples défis climatiques et environnementaux, notamment liés à la sécheresse et la dégradation des terres, qui ont à leur tour un impact sur les communautés vulnérables et sur la migration. Dans le cadre de sa stratégie régionale 2019-2020 pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre, l’OIM donne une place centrale au renforcement de l’action et de partenariats au niveau national et régional afin de répondre aux défis liés au changement climatique et enjeux environnementaux et leur impacts sur la migration.
Les rencontres entre l’OIM et les partenaires étatiques ont permis d’identifier les priorités en termes d’action et les opportunités de collaboration entre l’OIM et les acteurs nationaux et régionaux, et ont constitué une première étape vers une action commune et concertée sur ces questions en Guinée.
Stakeholder Meeting on Climate Change and Disaster Displacement in the Pacific
26-28 March 2019 | Suva, Fiji
Migration in times of climate change: A discussion of (climate) policy options for action / Migration in Zeiten des Klimawandels: Eine Diskussion (klima-) politischer Handlungsoptionen
27 March 2019 | Berlin, Germany
