Bonn Climate Change Conference – Displacement, human mobility and climate change: UNFCCC and beyond

June 24, 2019
Events

Background:

In 2018, it is estimated that 17.2 million people were newly displaced as a result of disasters linked to natural hazards, a majority of which were weather and climate related. This number is likely much higher when accounting for all people forced to move from their home in the context of slow-onset events and processes linked to the adverse effects of climate change and environmental degradation. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C clearly states that it is urgent to act now to avert and minimize climate change adverse impacts on human systems.

At COP24 in Katowice, Poland, Parties welcomed recommendations to avert, minimize and address displacement related to the adverse effects of climate change. Now, the international community needs to rally behind these recommendations to ensure that they are both visible and implemented.

Objectives of the side event:

Generate awareness and recognition of the adverse effects of climate change on risk, vulnerability, exposure, and human mobility (displacement, migration and planned relocation) today and in the future across the various work streams under UNFCCC, including adaptation and resilience, mitigation and loss and damage.
Present practical steps to implement the recommendations of the Task force to avert, minimize and address displacement related the adverse effects of climate change and showcase examples of how the recommendations are already being implemented.
Situate and link the work of the UNFCCC’s work on displacement related to the adverse effects of climate change to other relevant global policy processes and promote dialogue, coordination, coherence and synergies between Discuss how displacement can feature in the UN Climate Summit in September 2019.

Panel:

UNFCCC: Dr. Koko Warner, Manager of the “Impacts, Vulnerability, and Risks” sub-programme, Adaptation Programme (Moderator)
Task Force on Displacement co-facilitator: (TBC)
Action Aid: Harjeet Singh, Global lead on climate change
United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth: Dolphine Magero
Platform on Disaster Displacement: Atle Solberg, Head of the Platform on Disaster Displacement Coordination Unit
International Organization for Migration: Susanne Melde, is Senior Analyst, Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC)

Location: Room Bonn, World Conference Center, Bonn, Germany

Date and time: 13:15-14:45, Thursday 27 June 2019

Organised by: NRC, UNHCR, Hugo Observatory/University of Liege as part of the Advisory Group on Climate Change and Human Mobility

The Advisory Group is composed of the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC, IDMC), Refugees International, the Hugo Observatory and the Arab Network for Environment and Development (RAED). The group shares most recent available knowledge and provides technical support to UNFCCC Parties on human mobility related to climate change.