We Get the Word out

Across the globe, people, civil society organizations, and governments are all grappling with the challenges that people encounter when moving in the context of disasters and climate change. For some, the focus is on energy or food and livelihood security. The Platform on Disaster Displacement aims to build a general understanding of the risk that individuals or communities will face when being forced to leave their homes in the context of disasters and climate change, the protection needs of those displaced, and the policy and normative gaps that need to be addressed.

To get the word out, the Platform ensures that research and policy messaging reaches decision-makers by preparing key messages for major conferences and policy processes. The PDD raises awareness of the challenges of disaster displacement and promote effective practices and integrated approaches when implementing global as well as regional policy frameworks and instruments on climate change, disaster risk reduction, displacement, and on other forms of human mobility, such as migration and planned relocation.

The PDD engages in and organizes a range of activities, meetings and events, from side events at international conferences and negotiations to regional and national trainings and strategic policy dialogues. Through tools like webinars and podcasts, the PDD and its partners are sharing disaster displacement-related policy development and promoting effective practices. The Platform also employs innovative communication techniques to draw attention to the issue of disaster displacement, including working with artists.

While there has been significant progress in the implementation of global and regional policy frameworks and increased capacity and readiness for action, large gaps remain regarding the prevention of displacement and protection of the displaced. These gaps often relate to lack of coherence, cooperation, and strategic coordination. Through the PDD’s awareness raising activities, the Platform aims to make links between policy areas and provide capacity building tools to aid cross-cutting, coherent implementation and achieve more effective outcomes at national and local levels.

What does this look like?

Agenda setting

International policy processes provide an important opportunity to showcase and discuss key policy developments and challenges on public panels or in multilateral dialogues. In many cases, side-events offer civil society organizations an avenue of participation and a way to provide input into the main event and influence the agenda. The PDD consistently collaborates with partners to ensure that there are opportunities to discuss disaster displacement at key fora, through side events or other session formats.

Key messaging

In order to develop key messaging in line with PDD’s Strategy and the priorities of its Steering Group, the PDD engages the PDD Steering Group, other Member States, the PDD Advisory Committee and other partner to develop key messages to inform and advocate for international policymaking in gap areas and on issues relevant to disaster displacement. Such messaging drawing on evidence and data aim to ensure that disaster displacement is kept on the agenda, inform negotiations and that gap areas are addressed.

Communications

The PDD works to increase the visibility and awareness of disaster displacement among governments and engaged stakeholders at the global and regional levels. In addition to the disasterdisplacement.org website, the PDD engages on social media platforms to share resources and provide insights into the Platform’s latest news and events in order to raise awareness of the issues related to disaster displacement, to promote measures at global, regional and national levels, and to strengthen the PDD’s profile as an important voice in these areas.

Video stories have also provided the opportunity to showcase the impact of disasters and climate change on individuals and communities and what they are doing to prevent or respond to displacement. Videos provide an opportunity for partners to share local perspectives and showcase their work, how they prevent and address displacement and what they do to strengthen the resilience of their communities.

In addition, Podcasts and other media outlets provide a great way for the PDD to raise attention to disaster displacement and share policy developments and the tools available for addressing the issue.

Art

At the Nansen Initiative Global Consultation in 2015, the Nansen Initiative worked with curators and artists to bring artistic interventions to government delegates and the public. Since then, the PDD has partnered with curators and artists from the DISPLACEMENT: Uncertain Journeys to bring artwork to meetings and conferences to connect with audiences by engaging their emotions and senses, such as by exhibiting visual/auditory/interactive artworks or presenting artistic research findings during policy events. Key examples of this partnership include bring art to events such as the 2018 and 2024 Global Forum on Migration and Development Summits, the 2019 and 2022 Global Platforms on Disaster Risk Reduction, and climate change conferences.