At the occasion of World Environment Day, IOM Philippines launched the “Framing the Human Narrative of Migration in the Context of Climate Change” report on 4 June 2021. Despite being among the smallest contributors to climate change, the Philippines ranks as the second most affected country by the impacts of climate risks, according to the 2020 Climate Risk Index.

Developed under the scope of the “Climate Change Adaptation and Community Resilience in the Philippines” project, funded by the IOM Development Fund, the report asks: What is the current state of migration in the context of climate emergency in the Philippine setting?

Through a literature review and exploratory interviews with community members and local governments, the report presents two key findings:

1. "The relationship between the climate emergency and migration is mediated by the quality of one’s livelihood as well as access to security, peace and stability.
2. Planned and orderly migration, such as permanent and circular migration, occur as voluntary adaptive strategies for the climate emergency, while unplanned migration, such as distress migration and relocation, occur as involuntary adaptive strategies.”

As the report highlights, farmers and fisherfolk, older persons, the urban poor and women are among the most vulnerable to climate change. Women represent 80 per cent of those displaced by the climate emergency in the Philippines.

The event, opened by the United Nations Resident Coordinator, reached over 500 people and is intended to serve as the basis for upcoming policy discussions on migration as an adaptation strategy.

The report may be accessed at the following link.

Media coverage of the launch event:

• Climate Change Commission “IOM Report: Climate change drives more Filipinos to migrate”
• Philippine Information Agency “IOM Ph reports migration as a resilience strategy to climate impacts for Filipinos”
• Manila Bulletin “Climate change spurs ‘adaptive’ migration in PH – IOM report”