Environment and Climate Change in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)

See https://environmentalmigration.iom.int/#policy

The UN has initiated work linking climate change, environmental factors and migration.  This post shows some of the work and refererences the programs involved.

The Global Compact on Migration (GCM) represents a strategic and significant opportunity for the international community to progress in terms of overall international migration governance and management through inter-governmental dialogue, identification of existing migration policy good practices and state commitments on migration. The GCM offers an opportunity to anchor the environmental and climatic dimensions in the international migration governance agenda. It offers a space to fully acknowledge the importance of climatic and environmental drivers, the multi-causality of migration and the impacts of migration on the environment.

Watch experts and political leaders give their input:

IOM’s Engagement and Action in the GCM on Environment and Climate Change 

IOM has engaged in the field of migration, environment and climate change since the early 90s and advocated for the integration of migration issues in climate change policy, contributing to the inclusion of human mobility questions in the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The GCM represents a key opportunity to mirror this mainstreaming work by bringing climatic and environmental factors in a migration-focused policy process, in line with IOM’s vision and work. IOM’s action is focused on minimizing forced forms of migration due to climate change and environmental degradation as well as supporting policies that recognize migrants and diasporas as positive actors of climate change mitigation and adaptation action and as contributors to sustainable development efforts.

IOM’s overall role in the GCM negotiation process was  defined in the “Resolution for the intergovernmental negotiations of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration” as jointly servicing the negotiations and providing technical and policy expertise; supporting the United Nations (UN) Secretary General to prepare inter-agency issue briefs, to develop a work plan, to organize discussions on regional aspects; and providing contributions through IOM’s International Dialogue on Migration and IOM’s work on Regional Consultative Processes on Migration (RCPs). The UN system will support states in the implementation, follow-up and review of the GCM through the establishment of a Network on Migration to ensure effective, timely and coordinated system-wide support to Member States. The Network will bring together members of the UN system for whom migration is of relevance to their mandates. IOM will serve as the Coordinator and Secretariat of all constituent parts of the Network.

Migration is itself an adaptation strategy.  One of the most difficult choices to make to survive changes which cannot support livelihoods in the places a migrant lived.

Further Information on Migration, Environment and Climate Change Policy

IOM action on migration and climate change in the climate negotiations (UNFCCC)

IOM action on disaster displacement in Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD)

IOM action on migration, environment, climate change and human rights

​IOM statement on migration, environment, and climate change – GCM Thematic Session II

IOM action on environmental migration in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)