Climate Change and Disaster Displacement

The Migrants4Climate (M4C) Award 2023 was launched in 2022 at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt. 

It has been organized by the GFMD 2022-2023 French Chair, the Ghanaian Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This Award aims to give visibility to initiatives led by or - inclusive of and targeting - migrants and diaspora and features a strong engagement in climate action and environmental sustainability.  

The D4C initiative is funded by the IOM Development Fund and capitalizes on the dynamic link between diaspora communities and their home countries to enhance responses to climate change. It strategically focuses on priority sectors in four countries: Moldova, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Jamaica. These countries are all significantly affected by the negative impacts of climate change, and the challenges they face require immediate action from a variety of stakeholders.

At the initiative of its President, France hosted more than 300 Heads of State and Government, international organizations and representatives of civil society and the private sector on 22 and 23 June 2023. The aim of the Summit was to lay the groundwork for a new financial system suited to the common challenges of the 21st century, such as fighting inequalities, poverty and climate change and protecting biodiversity.

The CLIMB Database on Human Mobility in the Context of Disasters, Climate Change and Environmental Degradation (UNNM, 2023), compiles over 1578 national policy instruments in 172 countries and over 230 bilateral and/or regional policy instruments between 140s and 2022 across sectors of human mobility, disasters, climate change and sustainable development. This database shows the increasingly higher extent of references and provisions to the distinct dimensions of human mobility in the context of disasters, climate change, and environmental degradation in existing and diverse policies.

The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons was established by Decree 52 of 1989 now Cap. N21, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 (NCFRMI Act).

The NCFRMI Act incorporated the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the status of Refugees, its 1967 Protocol and the 1969 Organisation of African Unity Convention governing specific aspect of Refugees problems in Africa and they together form the guide to the protection and management of asylum seekers and refugees in Nigeria.

The Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union comprises a bilateral treaty between Tuvalu and Australia, as well as a commitment articulated in a joint leaders' statement to uplift their broader bilateral partnership. It was signed by Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Natano on 9 November 2023.

The key features of the Falepili Union are:

Addressing displacement in the context of disasters and the adverse effects of climate change has been part of the regional agenda of the South American Conference on Migration (SACM) in recent years.

Government officials and humanitarian actors participated in two three-day simulation exercises, one between Kenya-Ethiopia (3-5 May 2023) and one between Uganda-Kenya (9-11 May 2023). These exercises were aimed to test and validate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on admission and stay in cross-border disaster displacement contexts. Its objective was to offer pragmatic guidance for the two countries on improving collaboration in preparation for, and response to, sudden-onset hazards such as floods and landslides, which occur frequently in this region.

A number of UN agencies and partners established a Joint Programme funded under the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) to improve regional and national migration governance in the context of the adverse impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. To enhance this governance, evidence is key. The Joint Programme has therefore supported these studies. Among the sudden onset hazards that are relevant in determining such displacement figures in the IGAD region, floods and cyclones play an important role.

The Project to Avert, Minimize and Address Disaster Displacement (PAMAD) aims to develop a better understanding of displacement in the context of losses and damages associated with climate change and support measures aimed at averting, minimizing and addressing displacement and its impacts for vulnerable people and communities.

Objectives:
Develop a better understanding of displacement in the context of losses and damages associated with climate change