Disaster Displacement at the NAP EXPO Chile 2023

From 27-30 March 2023, the Government of Chile hosted the NAP Expo 2023, an annual outreach event organized by the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) under the UNFCCC, to promote exchange of experiences and foster partnerships between a wide range of actors and stakeholders on how to advance National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).

In this context , the PDD Secretariat organized a session on human mobility and climate change in national adaptation plans, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment of Chile and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The session ‘Advancing Human Mobility in National Adaptation Plans: Where we are and how to scale up ambition’ aimed to encourage exchange of useful practices and available resources on the integration of human mobility in NAPs and to raise awareness on adaptation ambition by discussing best practices in place and challenges.

The session brought practitioners and government officials from Ecuador, Guatemala, Nepal, Vanuatu and others. The panelists discussed recent experiences in integrating migration in adaptation plans and policies, as well as institutional frameworks under the UNFCCC to address human mobility issues, in particular, the Task Force on Displacement. The creation of the Task Force on Displacement (TFD) was mandated by the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement, as part of the work programme of the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage. Other recent practices and tools were also shared to enhance national capacity in addressing human mobility in the context of climate change, including a new guide Methodologies for Assessing Adaptation Needs and their Application by the UNFCCC Adaptation Committee which incorporates recommendations on planned relocation, as adaptation options that can serve to reduce displacement risks.

The NAP EXPO 2023 outcome document included a specific recommendation ‘to prevent displacement through climate change adaptation interventions and ensuring safe, regular and orderly migration of affected populations’ as part of pathway 1 (addressing multiple dimensions of climate risk).

The event was moderated by Mr. Juan Carlos Méndez from the PDD Secretariat and Mr. Pablo Escribano, Regional Specialist at the IOM Regional Office in San José. Panelists included Ms. Shella Biallas, Co-Chair of the UNFCCC Adaptation Committee, Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta, Under Secretary, Ministry of Forest and Environment, Nepal, Ms. Karina Barrera Moncayo, Subsecretaría de Cambio Climático, Ecuador, Ms. Florence Iautu, Strategic Manager, Ministry of Climate Change, Vanuatu and Mr. Mario Mejía Clara, Department of Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change, Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, Guatemala.