{"id":4130,"date":"2024-01-25T18:54:34","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T17:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gfmdcivilsociety.org\/staging\/9981\/?p=4130"},"modified":"2024-01-26T12:28:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T11:28:40","slug":"data-financing-and-regular-pathways-civil-society-co-chairs-roundtable-on-climate-and-human-mobility-at-the-14th-summit-of-the-global-forum-on-migration-and-develop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfmdcivilsociety.org\/staging\/9981\/data-financing-and-regular-pathways-civil-society-co-chairs-roundtable-on-climate-and-human-mobility-at-the-14th-summit-of-the-global-forum-on-migration-and-develop\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Data, Financing, and Regular Pathways\u2019: Civil Society Co-Chairs Roundtable on Climate and Human Mobility at\u00a0the 14th\u00a0Summit of the\u00a0Global Forum on Migration and Development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On the first day of the GFMD Summit in Geneva, the GFMD Civil Society Mechanism builds on its leading role in 2022-23 consultation and cooperation to co-chair an official Roundtable on climate and human mobility.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 14th<\/sup> Summit of the 2023-24 Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)<\/a> under the French Chairmanship<\/a> began in Geneva on 23 January 2024. Following an official opening and parallel panel discussions, the afternoon saw the first GFMD Government-led Roundtable (GRT) meetings, six of which are due to take place during the three days of the Summit\u2019s programme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside the governments of Fiji and Argentina, the GFMD Civil Society Mechanism<\/a> (CSM) co-chaired the 2023-24 GFMD GRT on climate change and human mobility.** Represented by Elana Wong, the CSM took a leading role in preparing, convening and hosting the 23 January GFMD GRT1 meeting \u2018The Impact of Climate Change on Human Mobility: Preventive Action, Humanitarian Action and Development\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

GRT1 Climate Change and Human Mobility: consultation, preparation and priorities <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government-led roundtables are the key GFMD process for consultative and collaborative work, undertaken during the preparation for each Summit, on the thematic priorities selected under each chairmanship. They are state-led and engage the CSM, Business<\/a>, and Mayors<\/a> Mechanisms, Migration Youth and Children Platform (MYCP)<\/a>, international organisations, academics, development partners, and other stakeholders to provide thematic inputs and assist in the preparation and review of GRT background papers.<\/a>[EW1]<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the priority of climate change and mobility, three preparatory GFMD GRT1 meetings took place in November 2022, and April and October of 2023. Additionally, 2023 saw two GFMD thematic workshops addressing the priority of climate change and human mobility: \u2018The Impact of Climate Change on Labour Migration\u2019<\/a> (29 March, Geneva), and \u2018Climate and Human Mobility\u2019<\/a> (28 June, Paris). A diverse range of civil society voices were present throughout<\/a> these global preparations and consultations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final GFMD GRT1 Background Paper<\/a>*** (\u2018The Impact of Climate Change on Human Mobility\u2019) is informed by the inputs of 40 contributing organisations and member states gathered via these consultations and events, and builds on prior GFMD discussions and conclusions in this area. The paper highlights three policy development priorities for climate change and human mobility – data, financing, and climate-resilient development and regular pathways \u2013 which formed the basis for discussions at the GRT1 meeting held at the Summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GRT1 Opening Panel: National, regional and global perspectives on climate change and human mobility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The GRT1 meeting at the GFMD Summit opened with an expert panel presenting perspectives on experiences, action, and priorities for climate change and human mobility drawn from the national, regional and global levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharing a national perspective, Mr. Aliyu Tijani Ahmed, Federal Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI)<\/a>, emphasised the severe and specific impacts of climate change for Nigeria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSixty per cent of our population farm crops, keep livestock, or fish, our population lives largely between two major rivers,\u201d he explained. \u201cEnvironmental degradation and drought mean land becomes unusable for agriculture or grazing, and sudden climate events such as flooding destroy land completely and make fish scarce. People are forced to move some distance from their homes, to find land or be able to fish, or to migrate to an entirely new context in order to ensure their livelihoods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Ahmed highlighted how the majority of this displacement is internal, with significant numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in camps within Nigeria. \u201cPeople may also have moved from their rural home to a city in search of employment, and then find that they can\u2019t go back because the land has degraded or has been destroyed,\u201d he added. \u201cSo this is another population that is displaced and living in insecure circumstances due to climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nigerian government is taking action both to address climate change and assist those affected, including by establishing and resourcing the Commission that Mr. Ahmed leads. \u201cWe are focusing on climate education for children and young people, and skills development for those displaced to urban areas,\u201d he stated. \u201cWe\u2019re also investigating in mitigation measures such as tree-planting initiatives, at the community level and in IDP camps.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helena Olea, Deputy Director at Alianza Americas<\/a>, reflected on experiences and lessons learned from Latin America and on the modalities of international cooperation and discussion on climate and mobility. \u201cIt\u2019s positive that here we can use both French and Spanish, as holding discussions on climate and mobility only in English – as is so often the case – excludes those who are most affected,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt makes participation only for elites, and this is profoundly unhelpful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She emphasised the benefits of opening spaces for international discussion in this area to civil society, youth, the private sector and local government. \u201cThe GFMD is part of this process, which is of great value, but here today I am certainly not able to represent the diversity of global civil society experiences and priorities.\u201d She pointed to the need to include indigenous populations in Latin America in discussion spaces, to learn from their considerable experience in challenging climate-damaging state and corporate practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Echoing experiences from Nigeria, Ms. Olea highlighted the need for policy to take account of the prevalence of internal displacement in migration driven by climate change. \u201cWe must also recognise the role of civil society in helping people to leave their communities when they can no longer stay, and in creating and supporting reception capacities in the places they move to,\u201d she urged. \u201cCities and local government are crucial partners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Olea emphasised the importance of regular pathways as a means to ensure migrants do not risk their lives in order to move. \u201cWe also need better data,\u201d she stated. \u201cWe know that around 500,000 people are on the move through Panama, for example, but our knowledge is inadequate to map or predict flows or meet specific needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Olea concluded with a call to make the best use of existing frameworks as vehicles for progress on climate and mobility. \u201cChile is leading a process around the 40th<\/sup> anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration in 2024, she explained. \u201cWe see here some potential to renew commitments to protection and rights, and to move forward on the dual issue of climate and mobility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking from a global perspective, Ugochi Daniels, Deputy Director General for Operations at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), highlighted progress on climate mobility at the December 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe heard clear messages on action, for example on fossil fuels and achieving the Just Transition, and importantly on the urgency of this action,\u201d she stated. \u201cCrucially, we also had the agreement on operationalising the Loss and Damage fund, which includes human mobility caused by sudden and slow onset climate change as a damage, meaning states will have possibilities to access the funds they need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Daniels pointed to migration as an opportunity to contribute to the climate resilience and adaptive capacity of communities envisaged in the COP Global Goal on Adaptation<\/a>, fill a considerable shortfall in labour needed to achieve the Just Transition, and provide opportunities and livelihoods for migrants themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe now need to deliver on the promise of migration, for migrants,\u201d she stated. \u201cThis means people-centred, regular, sustainable, and rights-based pathways.\u201d She highlighted several promising regional processes addressing the rights and needs of those in affected communities, both those who migrate and those who cannot or choose not to. These include the July 2022 Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change<\/a>, November 2023 Pacific Island Forum\u2019s Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility<\/a>, and a 2023 bilateral agreement<\/a> between Australia and Tuvalu enabling 280 Tuvalu nationals per year to settle in Australia, in recognition of the existential threat posed to Tuvalu by climate change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowledge, best practice, challenges and solutions: GRT1 breakout discussions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parallel breakout discussions in English, French, and Spanish each addressed one of the three GRT1 subtopics: data, financing, and climate-resilient development and regular pathways. Discussions were structured around three guiding questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n