Mother Channel Environmental, climate change news and media.
Platform on Disaster Displacement, UN Refugees Agency, International Organization for Migration, OXFAM, Norwegian Refugee Council
Moderator:
Simon
Panellists:
Ms. Camila Minerva Rodriguez Tavarez
Humanitarian Action Program Manager
Oxfam
Ms. Nina M Birkeland
Senior Adviser
Disaster and Climate Change, Partnerships and Policy Department
Norwegian Refugee Council
Ms. Marine Franck
Program Officer Climate Change and Disaster Displacement Division of International Protection
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Ms. Mariam Traore Chazalnoel
Associate Expert – Migration, Environment and Climate Change International Cooperation and Partnerships
International Organization for Migration
UN Migration Agency
Mr. Atle Solberg Policy Officer
United Nations Office for Project Services
Human mobility (displacement, migration and planned relocation) related to disasters and the adverse effects of climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing States, communities and CSOs in the 21st century. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), sudden-onset disasters displace an average of 25 million people a year. That is equivalent to someone being forced to flee their home every second. At the same time, rising seas, drought, and other ‘slow-onset’ changes are eroding people’s land, livelihoods and security, and magnifying existing vulnerabilities. While climate change affects us all, the risks of displacement are significantly higher in lower-income countries and among people in living in poverty. Women, children, older and indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups are also disproportionately affected. However, much can be done to minimize the risk of displacement linked to climate change, and to guarantee rights and protections for people who are forced to move. This press panel featured several lead organizations working to address displacement in the context of climate change, including members of the WIM Task Force on Displacement, established in Paris at COP21. Speakers provided insights into human mobility and climate change, update on actions, and outline progress needed under the Paris Agreement, new Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees, and Sendai Framework.
