IMRF Hybrid Side Event | Facilitating Safe and Regular Migration Pathways in a Changing Climate: Lessons from GCM Implementation

May 12, 2022
Events, Press Releases

Hybrid Side Event –
Facilitating Safe and Regular Migration Pathways in a Changing Climate: Lessons from GCM Implementation
International Migration Review Forum 2022
18 May 2022, 08:30 – 09:30 (New York)
Room 12, UN Building / UN Web TV

[Access to the UN Web TV livestream here]

Every year, millions of people are compelled to move in the context of sudden-onset disasters, while the livelihoods of millions more are affected by slow-onset climate change and environmental degradation, with many leaving their homes, and others remaining trapped in areas at risk. Unless such population movements are orderly, safe, and regular they can pose significant challenges to human security and people’s rights, even so in rapidly growing urban areas, and greatly undermine sustainable development, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and migration governance efforts.

This official side event will take place from 08:30 – 09:30 (New York) on 18 May 2022. It will share existing national, regional and local migration policy perspectives, instruments and practices to address these challenges from a migration governance perspective, recognizing that safe, regular and orderly migration, if well managed, can also offer opportunities for migrants’ inclusion, their host communities and societies.

Both the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants and the GCM include a commitment to enhance the availability and flexibility of pathways for regular migration in disaster and climate change contexts.

To build on progress to date and identify priority action for the future, a diverse range of high-level speakers will debate the commitments and principles set out in particular in Objective 5 of the GCM and will present and discuss key findings from the GCM baseline mapping project implemented under Thematic Priority 4 of the UN Network on Migration, and share reflections from international, regional, national and local perspectives.

This hybrid event, Facilitating Safe and Regular Migration Pathways in a Changing Climate: Lessons from GCM Implementation, is co-organized by PDD, IOM, C40 Cities and Mayors Migration Council (C40-MMC) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It will be held in person at the UN Headquarters in New York (Room 12) with livestreaming available via UN Web TV.

You can register for the side event here or watch the livestream here.

It seeks to:

Highlight progress and gaps in current implementation of GCM commitments related to migration governance in disaster and climate change contexts;
Showcase effective practices and available policy instruments related to pathways for regular migration in disaster and climate change contexts at regional, national and local levels; and
Sensitize governments and raise awareness of challenges and opportunities to improve future voluntary monitoring and review efforts under the GCM.

Join us to hear from:

Mr. Tobias Lindner, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Germany;
Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair, Platform on Disaster Displacement;
H.E. Dr. Satyendra Prasad, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Fiji to the United Nations;
Ms. Helena König, Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Affairs, European External Action Service;
Ms. Florencia Carignano, National Immigration Director, Argentina;
Mr. Mohamad Atiqul Islam, Mayor of Dhaka North, Bangladesh, co-lead of the C40-MMC Task Force and C40 Vice-chair on migration;
Ms. Rania Ahmed, Deputy Regional Director, IFRC’s MENA Regional Office;
Ms. Caroline Dumas, Director General Special Envoy for Migration and Climate Action, International Organization for Migration;
Ms. Kayly Ober, Refugees International.

IMRF will be host to a number of other events exploring the subject of human mobility in the context of disasters, climate change and environmental degradation. Navigate to our summary of Human Mobility in a Changing Climate at IMRF to find out more. If you are also interested to learn more about these issues, the PDD Secretariat has prepared a policy brief and background note. Check it out!

We look forward to seeing you there (or online)!

Header photo © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH