Dialogue on Human Mobility, Climate Change and Disasters Addresses Regional Perspectives

July 14, 2023
Events, Press Releases

Geneva, Switzerland, 21 June 2023 – Stakeholders gathered in Geneva for a workshop on “Regional Perspectives, Global Convergence: A Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Human Mobility, Climate Change and Disasters” to discuss the protection needs of people on the move in a changing climate from a regional perspective.

Disasters and climate change are profoundly shaping human mobility patterns. From shifting seasonal migration to protracted displacement, the climate crisis is both an indirect and direct driver of human mobility, intensifying existing vulnerabilities and creating new forms of mobility. According to the Internal Displacement Centre (IDMC) in 2022 alone, disasters triggered an estimated 32.6 million internal displacements. Storms generated 19.2 million displacements around the globe and floods nearly half that figure.

This workshop provided space for dialogue among a regionally diverse group of primarily civil society stakeholders on policy development on disaster displacement. The event evolved from a series of national and regional dialogues organized throughout 2023 by the CMDP’s Steering Group in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).

Setting the scene, the PDD Secretariat presented an outline of regional policy development based on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) baseline mapping. IOM and UNHCR shared their perspectives on ongoing regional policy development on human mobility in the context of disasters and climate change, followed by discussion among civil society representatives from Latin America, Africa, the Pacific Islands, South and Southeast Asia, and Georgia.

After discussing relevant frameworks and available guidance on the protection of cross-border displaced persons in disaster and climate change contexts at the regional level, participants highlighted the gap in policy implementation and the lack of localized knowledge in guidance published by international organizations.

“We don’t need more guidance; we need resources to implement what we have.” said Salote Soqo, Director of Advocacy, Global Displacement, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.

A set of key takeaways resulted from the workshop, which organizers committed to sharing through their networks. They provide a basis to inform further advocacy on addressing disaster displacement in the run-up to human mobility related processes and platforms in 2023, including the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) and the Global Refugee Forum.