The environment, climate change, and migration nexus are increasingly important in Asia and the Pacific.
Between 2008 and 2017, the region accounted for approximately 81 per cent or 198.1 million of the world’s population displaced by disasters. Over 95 per cent of this displacement occurs due to climate and weather-related sudden-onset disasters such as storms and floods.
Disaster-induced displacement is likely to exacerbate as Asia and the Pacific region is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its reliance on natural resources and agriculture sectors, big cities in coastal and low-lying areas, and persisting poverty in many parts of the region. Moreover, the population that is disadvantaged by gender, age, class, indigeneity, disability, and mobility is unable to migrate. Immobility leaves this population exposed to natural hazards and further socioeconomic marginalization.
Given the challenges posed by disasters and climatic changes to the region, the Organization aims to minimize forced migration, to ensure assistance and protection for those affected and seek durable solutions in case forced migration occurs, and to facilitate the role of safe, orderly and regular migration as an adaptation strategy to climate change.
Contact
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Migration, Environment and Climate Change Unit: [email protected]
ad interim Regional Thematic Specialist, Ms Maria VEGER: [email protected]
- Pacific Response to Disaster Displacement (PRDD)
- Location: Pacific Island Countries of Fiji, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu
- Duration: August 2019 – April 2022
- Transformative human mobilities in a changing climate
- Location: Australia and Pacific Island Countries of Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu
- Duration: 3 years (2019-2022)
- Enhancing protection and empowerment of migrants and communities affected by climate change and disasters in the Pacific region
- Location: Pacific Island Countries of Kiribati, Tuvalu, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji
- Duration: 3 years (2019-2021)
- Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Evidence for Policy (MECLEP)
- Location: Dominican Republic, Haiti, Kenya, the Republic of Mauritius, Papua New Guinea and Viet Nam.
- Duration: January 2014 - March 2017
- Assessing the Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration Nexus in South Asia
- Enhancing the Capacity of Pacific Island Countries to Manage the Impacts of Climate Change on Migration (PCCM)
- Location: Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Republic of Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Target countries are Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru.
- Duration: June 2013 – June 2016