Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

I am honored to take part in this symposium on environment and displacement. I do so as the Director General of an Organization that is deeply interested and invested in the issue on human mobility,  environmental degradation and climate change. Since the early 1990s, IOM has been advocating for better understanding of the complex linkages between migration, displacement, environment and climate. IOM has been publishing on the effect of climate change on migration for several decades. Only last week, I was in Paris to co-launch – together with Science Po the first ever Environmental Migration Atlas in French, with English and Spanish editions to follow. What was a marginal topic back then has now acquired very high visibility. But it has always been clear to us that these issues are of utmost importance.

As Panel 1 speakers have pointed out, there is increasing recognition that climate and the environment contribute significantly to human mobility and migration. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) estimates that 21.5 million people are displaced within their own countries by natural disasters. Displacement can, in turn, have environmental impacts: rapid urbanization, and poorly managed camps can put pressure on scarce resources and lead to improper waste disposal.

In this short presentation, I should like to draw attention to three policy challenges stemming out of the interplay between environmental degradation and human mobility.

1. Minimising forced migration

We must anticipate, adapt and build resilience.

Preparedness, undertaken in partnership with local and national authorities, is crucial to minimising the forced movements that occur in the context of environmental degradation and climate change.

Infrastructure capacity must be reinforced in areas likely to be affected by sudden-onset events, including rehabilitation of coastal storm defense systems, or construction of water-harvesting structures such as shallow wells.

Livelihoods need to be strengthened and diversified in ways that encourage resilience, such as introducing drought-resistant crops or promoting conservation.

IOM seeks to promote temporary and circular labour migration schemes to prevent the loss of livelihood associated with environmental degradation and natural hazards. We do so by facilitating institutional arrangements, transportation and access to labour markets. This approach has allowed affected communities to pursue structured and supported ways to find alternative incomes.

2. Reducing migrant vulnerability

When movement does occur, we must intervene to enable migrants to cope and to reduce environmental impacts.  

Moving can be the only option for affected communities in situations where alternative solutions are not available. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in its 5th Assessment Report, acknowledged that migration can be an adaptation strategy to cope with climate change, where “expanding opportunities for mobility can reduce vulnerability for such populations”.

Disaster preparedness measures, including well-planned evacuation frameworks, are needed to reduce loss of life and negative impacts on affected populations. Planned relocation reduces the exposure of vulnerable populations in slow-onset situations although planned re-location can be a complex process.

Concerned households must be given the opportunity to shape all key decisions affecting their long-term livelihood options, and to develop relocation plans.  

Planning for disaster preparedness should also take into account the potential environmental impacts of movements. Disaster preparedness and response plans should include measures that will mitigate or offset any environmentally damaging consequences of displacement.  

3. Bridging policy silos

We must work together

Partnerships are critical to bridge the gap between various policy silos: the environmental community and the migration/ displacement communities need to listen to each other and ensure exchange of respective technical expertise. For instance, IOM, as the lead of the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster in cases of natural disasters, has very specialized technical expertise that could be of help to the environmental community. And the work of environmental actors need to be understood and integrated in displacement approaches, notably on the question of environmental footprint of humanitarian displacement interventions. 

Multilateral forums are also important in fostering coherence in policy and action on climate and environmental migration and displacement, such as the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), represented in the first Panel. I attended the World Humanitarian Summit yesterday and the issue of environmental displacement was firmly on the agenda. The WHS was the occasion for the government of Germany to launch the follow up to the Nansen Initiative; – The “Platform on Disaster Displacement” –will play an important role in fostering action on this topic. Also on the agenda this year are the discussions around the 19 September Meeting on Refugees and Migrants in New York as well as the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals; all of these forums occasions for enhanced dialogue, understanding to propel action in favor of those in need

Conclusion

Migration is inevitable, necessary, and desirable, if well-governed. Climate change will continue to influence migratory patterns. Stakeholders have begun to respond to the challenges of climate change with concrete actions; but more needs to be done. One critical development on the road towards enhanced action has been the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement last December at COP21. The Agreement recognizes in its Preamble (a) the necessity to protect the rights of migrants when tackling climate change; and also (b) mandates the creation of a Displacement Task Force – a task force charged with developing recommendations to avert and minimize displacement in the context of climate change. Moving forward, we must undertake coherent and comprehensive responses to the changes and crises we all face. Our overarching objective is to make human mobility a positive, informed and safe option for resilience and adaptation that benefits all.