This section features articles reflecting perspectives on disaster displacement. Members of our Steering Group and Advisory Committee are welcome to share their views here.
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…
The importance of including disaster displacement provisions in disaster risk reduction planning and practice
Blog post from Prof. Walter Kaelin published on PreventionWeb on 31 July 2017. Disaster displacement ranks among the biggest humanitarian challenges of the 21st century. In 2016, new disaster…
Climate action: mobilizing the world
Remarks by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres - New York University Stern School of Business – 30 May 2017 I would like to thank everyone at New York University, and…
Addressing humanitarian challenges linked to disaster and climate change induced mobility
Remarks by Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien at the occasion of the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment High-Level Panel in Geneva, 23 June 2017 Excellencies, ladies…
Seven reasons the UN Refugee Convention should not include ‘climate refugees’
By Professor Jane McAdam, member of the Advisory Committee - Wednesday, 7 June, 2017. Article first published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Critics of the United Nations Refugee Convention…
Security Implications of Climate Change: Sea Level Rise – Presentation by Prof. Walter Kaelin to the Security Council
Security Implications of Climate Change: Sea Level Rise - Presentation by Prof. Walter Kaelin to the Security Council. Walter Kaelin is the Adviser to the Chair of the Platform on…
El reto de la migración ambiental en Mesoamérica y el Caribe
Article in Spanish published on the website of IOM Regional Office for Central America, North America and the Caribbean El cambio climático que se ha venido acentuando en las últimas décadas…
Interview: preparing for climate and disaster migration
Article published in openDemocracy on 10 March 2017, interview by Cameron Thibos As sea levels rise, lands dry out, and disasters linked to natural hazards become more common, more and more people…
The Atlas of Environmental Migration
Human migration, environment and climate change 13 February 2017 By Daria Mokhnacheva, PDD Programme Officer in IOM, Thematic Specialist at the Migration, Environment and Climate Change Division, International Organization for Migration (IOM),…
After the Storm – A Message from Costa Rica
Hurricane Otto hits Central America 12 December 2016 By Juan Carlos Méndez, PDD Regional Adviser in Costa Rica Hurricane Otto landed in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua on Thursday 24 November…
Excerpts of Mr. Achim Steiner’s Speech at the Advisory Committee Workshop
Learn more about Mr. Steiner’s perspective on disaster displacement and his role as Envoy 14 October 2016 By Mr. Achim Steiner, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement, Director…
Forced to flee
The catastrophic effect of climate change on mass migration is undeniable. How can governments protect migrants and the communities that give them refuge? 14 September 2016 By Walter Kälin Professor…
UNHCR distributes relief aid to Belize hurricane displaced
The UN Refugee Agency and its partners are to provide relief and reconstruction assistance to the victims of Hurricane Earl, including asylum-seekers from the Northern Triangle. By: Brooke Del Greco and…
Quitter son île dans la dignité
Interview published in French, German and Italian in Un Seul Monde Un seul monde: Selon qu’ils sont chassés par la guerre ou la misère, les migrants n’ont pas les mêmes chances…
Disaster displacement: the time to act is now
Article published in the New World Magazine. Walter Kälin is former Envoy of the Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative and former UN Special Representative on the Human Rights of Internally…
Fleeing Floods, Earthquakes, Droughts and Rising Sea Levels: 12 Lessons Learned About Protecting People Displaced by Disasters and the Effects of Climate Change
12 LESSONS LEARNED Every year, millions of people are forcibly displaced by floods,tropical storms, earthquakes, droughts, glacial melting, and othernatural hazards. Many find refuge within their own country butsome have…
Human vs ‘natural’ causes of displacement: the relationship between conflict and disaster as drivers of movement
Human vs ‘natural’ causes of displacement: the relationship between conflict and disaster as drivers of movement By Tamara Wood May 27, 2015 In 2011, more than a million people were displaced across…
Driven out by drought
Driven out by drought By Vikram Kolmannskog April 22, 2013 Global average temperatures are rising, and the weather is becoming wilder. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that climate…
From the Arctic to the Sahel: uniting against climate disruption for a more secure future for all
From the Arctic to the Sahel: uniting against climate disruption for a more secure future for all We visited the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic together last year. There we…
Climate change and disasters – Where would you go ?
When typhoon Glenda made landfall on July 15, many people affected by the storm faced one question: Where should I go? Fortunately the disaster preparedness measures put in place by…
