Climate change is increasing disaster risk, particularly for the most vulnerable people. Instead of starting new programmes to address these new risks by themselves, the challenge is to integrate them into our humanitarian work. The international community needs to understand…
There is considerable uncertainty in predicting climate change-induced migration. Firstly, we do not know the extent and magnitude of the climate changes responsible for pushing and pulling migrants. Secondly, the individual contexts, perceptions and behaviour of those affected by climate…
The topic of environmental change, particularly climate change, and migration is exploding onto the global policy agenda. Yet little evidence-based research exists to inform sound decision making. To address the need for more sound empirical research and to identify how…
There is of course no shortage of political or media interest in the nexus between climate change and migration. Yet there seems to be a dearth of analysis on how exactly climate change will lead to displacement and on what…
A dominant theme of rights-based discourse is that rights should not be violated by displacement. There are, accordingly, well established international, regional and national legal instruments, covenants and norms to protect the rights of people forcibly displaced by conflict, persecution,…
It has been my privilege to serve the UN for the past 25 years, working for four different agencies in five countries. Now, as Director of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), I am involved in supporting communities…
The sun rises over a flat expanse in West Darfur. A seemingly endless number of plastic-sheeted domes and mud-brick structures cast long shadows. A low hum of quiet conversation grows louder as one hundred thousand displaced people begin to stir.…
The Vienna Forum did not end up with specific declarations, plans or pledges as is usually the case with such events. It merely brought together around 2,000 representatives of governments, international organisations, civil society and the private sector, as well…
While there is no evidence to support the claim that refugee populations have an increased prevalence of HIV, it is true that refugees are inherently more vulnerable to HIV – due to social instability, loss of relatives and breadwinners, increased…
In 1980 the Mexican government created the Mexican Commission of Aid to Refugees (Comisión Mexicana de Ayuda a Refugiados – COMAR) to assist refugees arriving from South and Central America. 20 years later, Mexico became a signatory to the 1951…