This section features articles reflecting perspectives on disaster displacement. Members of our Steering Group and Advisory Committee are welcome to share their views here.
Platform on Disaster Displacement Key Messages for the International Migration Review Forum
Key Messages & Background Note Human Mobility in a Changing Climate & The Global Compact for Migration To inform the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), New York, USA, 17-20 May…
Platform on Disaster Displacement Key Messages for the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
Policy Brief and Key Messages for the 2022 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction Disaster Displacement and Disaster Risk Reduction to inform the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, Bali,…
Thirty Key Publications on Disaster Displacement to Inform the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2022
Thirty Key Publications on Disaster Displacement to Inform the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2022 To inform the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP22) in Bali, Indonesia,…
Protecting People and the Planet: From Commitment to Action – by Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan
Protecting People and the Planet: From Commitment to Action This article by Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan, was originally published in the Forced Migration Review (FMR) Issue 69, in March 2022.…
Climate Crisis and Displacement: From Commitment to Action – by Alexandra Bilak and Prof. Walter Kaelin
Climate Crisis and Displacement: From Commitment to Action This article by Alexandra Bilak and Prof. Walter Kaelin, was originally published in the Forced Migration Review (FMR) Issue 69, in March…
The Road from COP26 to the International Migration Review – A Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin
Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement on the occasion of the event "The Road from COP26 to the International Migration Review"…
Human Rights Council Intersessional Panel on Migrants in Vulnerable Situations – A Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin
Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement on the occasion of the Human Rights Council Intersessional Panel on Migrants in Vulnerable Situations 21…
Climate Change and the Migration & Displacement Nexus – A Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin
Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement on the occasion of the Climate Vulnerable Forum on Climate Change and the Migration &…
Water and Displacement – A Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin
Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement on the occasion of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) event on "Water and Displacement" 6…
High-Level Officials Meeting 2021 – A Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin
Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement on the occasion of the UNHCR and the Global Compact on Refugees High-Level Officials Meeting…
Platform on Disaster Displacement Key Messages for COP26
Platform on Disaster Displacement Key Messages for COP26 Increasing Action and Support to Better Avert, Minimize and Address Displacement Related to the Adverse Effects of Climate Change THE CONTEXT Large-scale…
Asia Regional Dialogue – A Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin
Asia Regional Dialogue of the Climate Vulnerable Forum Ministerial Segment Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement 29 September 2021 Chairperson, Excellencies,…
In Conversation With… Ms. Marion Couldrey
The Forced Migration Review (FMR) is an online and print magazine that has been publishing articles covering refugees, internal displacement and statelessness since 1987 (when it was called the Refugee…
Pacific Regional Dialogue – A Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin
Pacific Regional Dialogue of the Climate Vulnerable Forum Ministerial Segment Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement 3 September 2021 Chairperson, Excellencies,…
Human Mobility in the Contexts of Disasters and Climate Change in Africa – A Panel Address by Prof. Walter Kaelin
Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement Intervention at the GCM Africa Regional Side Event "Human Mobility in the Contexts of Disasters and Climate…
Africa & Middle East Regional Dialogue – A Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin
Africa & Middle East Regional Dialogue of the Climate Vulnerable Forum Ministerial Segment Statement by Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement 29 July…
Climate mobility in Africa: Taking the next steps for research and collaboration
This article was first published on the website of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law on 30 June 2021. It was written by Christina Daszkiewicz. In 2020, more than…
Keynote Address by Prof. Walter Kaelin
Keynote Address by Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement At the Occasion of the Opening Plenary Event "Developing a Research and Policy Agenda…
In Conversation With… Mr. Joshua Knowles
“The freedom to investigate, interpret and express the relationship between ourselves and our environment is natural and healthy, so the act of making art is a purpose unto itself. Having…
Preventing and Preparing for Disaster Displacement
By Barbara Essig, Policy Expert, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Sebastien Moretti, Migration and Displacement Lead, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the Secretariat of…
Policy Approaches to Climate Migration: Lessons From Latin America and the Caribbean
By Pablo Escribano, Regional Thematic Specialist on Migration, Environment and Climate Change, Americas and the Caribbean, International Organization for Migration (IOM). IOM is a member of the PDD Advisory Committee.…
In Conversation With… Ms. Cecilia Jimenez-Damary
"There is a recurrent debate about: are they really internal displaced persons (IDPs)? or are they migrants? are they moving voluntarily? or are they forced to move? We have to…
In Conversation With… Prof. David James Cantor
“Academic forums try to offer a neutral space where robust reflection on data and on the pros and cons of distinct policy approaches can take place as a productive exchange…
In Conversation With… Dr. Caroline Zickgraf
“HABITABLE will support the development of effective policy responses by formulating concrete, evidence-informed, and human rights-driven options for practitioners and policy makers”. The Hugo Observatory (University of Liège, Belgium) will coordinate HABITABLE,…
In Conversation With… Mr. Andrew Harper
"The impacts of climate change and disasters continue to exacerbate situations that force people to flee within their country as well as across international borders." The United Nations Refugee Agency…
In Conversation With… Mr. António Vitorino
“We know that environmental migration is multi-causal and each partner can bring their own expertise and experience to the table, making the partnership more than the sum of its parts.”…
In Conversation With… Prof. Walter Kaelin
“If we look at the magnitude of the problem, to do more of the same is simply not good enough” In late 2019, the UN Secretary-General established the High-Level Panel…
In Conversation With… Ms. Hannah Entwisle Chapuisat
“Art can help us understand what is at stake when we speak of disaster displacement, and why policy work to address the issue is so important.” Art has the potential…
Internal displacement in the context of disasters and the adverse effects of climate change – Submission by the Envoy of the Chair of PDD
Internal Displacement in the Context of Disasters and the Adverse Effects of Climate Change Submission to the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement by the Envoy of the Chair of the…
New pact paves way for innovative solutions to disaster and climate change displacement in Africa
By Dr Tamara Wood, lecturer in law, University of Tasmania; Centre Affiliate, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney; and member of the PDD Advisory Committee. Article first…
“Climate refugees” cannot be forced back home
By Professor Jane McAdam, Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney, and member of the PDD Advisory Committee. Article first published in The Sydney Morning…
In Conversation With… Lena Dobrowolska and Teo Ormond-Skeaping
“We don’t need more pictures of polar bears on thin ice. We need to connect the impacts of climate change to people.” In 2019, the Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD)…
Managing Displacement in the Era of Climate Change
By Professor Jane McAdam, Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney, and member of the PDD Advisory Committee. Article first published in the Georgetown Journal…
How conflict and climate change form a toxic combination that drives people from their homes
By Barney Thompson, 15 October 2019. Article first published on UNHCR's website. Photo © UNHCR/Oualid Khelifi They murdered his father, torched his neighbourhood and sent him running for his life.…
Opening statement at the 70th session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme
Opening statement at the 70th session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme, by Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | 07 October 2019 Originally published…
As drought compounds security woes, Somalis flee to Ethiopia
By Katie Nguyen in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia, 20 September 2019. Article first published on UNHCR's website. Photo © UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil When drought killed most of Barwako Noor Abdi’s cows and goats eight years ago,…
Interview: Deciding whether to migrate and where to go
Interview of Prof. Walter Kaelin by Sabine Balk, originally published in the international journal D+C in English and in German. Climate-induced migration has been a focus of political and public…
(Re) definiendo las fronteras de la agenda global y regional: La Plataforma sobre Desplazamiento por Desastres como ‘novel’ idea del mini-multilateralismo
Article in Spanish published on the blog Migraciones Climáticas En el año 2016 y con motivo de la Cumbre Mundial Humanitaria, fue lanzada oficialmente la Plataforma sobre Desplazamiento por…
The Environment Is Changing: Is the Migrant Caravan a Consequence?
The blog post was written by Ileana Sinziana Puscas (Support Officer in the Migration, Environment and Climate Change Division at IOM Headquarters in Geneva) and Pablo Escribano (IOM Regional Thematic…
PDD Statement on the occasion of the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Marrakesh, Morocco
The Secretariat of the Platform on Disaster Displacement is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services in Geneva. I am honored to deliver this statement in my capacity…
Key Messages for the 24th session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP24)
PDD Key Messages: Climate Change and Displacement in the Climate Change Negotiations under the UNFCCC Background Large-scale movements of people, with climate change as one of the drivers, affect regions…
Key Messages for the Adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
PDD Key Messages for the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration Marrakech, Morocco on the 10th and 11th of December, 2018 1. Background…
Migration and Climate Change in the ‘Dry Corridor’: A Call for Action by Central American Authorities of Environment
By Juan Carlos Méndez, Regional Advisor with the Platform on Disaster Displacement Two weeks after the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C was released by the Intergovernmental Panel on…
The Global Compact for Migration: A breakthrough for disaster-displaced persons and the beginning of a long process
Five questions to Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair, about the Global Compact for Migration 1. The text of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was…
‘Climate Refugees’ Beyond the Legal Impasse
Disaster displacement is one of the greatest humanitarian challenges facing the international community in the twenty-first century. Of particular concern is keeping the affected children, women and men at the…
Migration, environmental hazards and social justice in Southeast Asia. Insights from: “Living with Floods in a Mobile Southeast Asia: A Political Ecology of Vulnerability, Migration and Environmental Change”
By Andreea R. Torre Human mobility and resettlement, voluntary or forced, is one of the most severe consequences of environmental disasters. Floods, storms and earthquakes are increasingly impacting people’s decisions…
Statement by the Envoy on the occasion of the UNHCR High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection Challenges
Geneva, Switzerland, 13 December 2017 CROSS-BORDER DISPLACEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF DISASTERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE Chairperson, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen Let me start by thanking UNHCR for this kind invitation…
PDD messages to inform the Global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration
“HUMAN MOBILITY IN THE CONTEXT OF DISASTERS AND THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE” PDD messages to inform the Global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration Preparatory Meeting to…
Human rights, migration and cross-border displacement in the context of adverse effects of climate change
Statement by the Envoy at the occasion of the Intersessional panel discussion on human rights, climate change, migrants and persons displaced across international borders Human Rights Council, 6 October…
Harvey and Irma are part of a global humanitarian challenge
This article was written by Hajer Naili, the UN Migration Agency (IOM)’s Communications and Social Media Coordinator in Washington D.C and published on Medium. ---- First it was Harvey, and…
