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Fireplace Hall located in Building B (1st floor) of the conference center Kokhi Somon. Accreditation to the conference is required for in-person attendance.

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During the Second International High-Level Conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, IOM will host a hybrid dialogue to discuss Central Asia’s experiences and good practices in addressing migration in the context of water security. 

Across the world, climate change impacts are causing rising temperatures, precipitation variability, heatwaves, protracted drought, and glacial melt affecting water availability. According to the Sixth Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), approximately half of the world’s population currently experiences severe water scarcity for at least some part of the year due to climatic and non-climatic drivers. Drought caused by prolonged water scarcity is impacting the lives and livelihoods of people by causing land degradation, food insecurity, and reducing agricultural production. With climate change impacting hydrological cycles, pre-existing inequalities and vulnerabilities are further exacerbated especially for those relying primarily on natural rainfall patterns for sustaining their well-being and livelihoods. 

While temporary migration is a traditional adaptation strategy to seasonal water stress, those exposed to prolonged water insecurity could migrate permanently. The impacts of migration on water sources are largely discussed in negative terms, mainly focusing on the increased demand for water in areas of destination.The positive impacts of migration on water security, such as access to finance for adopting irrigation technologies, are rarely considered. In the face of climate change, migration can act as a powerful driver of climate change adaptation and resilience-building if enabling conditions are in place. 

Integrating migration considerations in water action, policies and programming and ensuring coherence across institutions and different policy frameworks, can reduce pressure on climate-vulnerable destination and sending communities, provide an opportunity for livelihood diversification, channel income into resilient infrastructure, and lead to the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices and technologies.   

Global partnerships, cross-sectoral, cross-country and regional collaboration are needed to enable migration to be a powerful driver for climate change adaptation and resilience-building. Transboundary water cooperation and well-managed water governance are needed to protect shared water resources and promote the human right to safe drinking water. However, there has been limited integration of migration in many regional and national policies related to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Global Compact for Migration. 

The governance of water and migration are interconnected. More attention is needed to increase the collective understanding of the water-migration nexus. Ahead of the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, it is important to also mobilize stakeholders for integration of migration perspectives into water action as governments renew, and develop new, commitments. Global partnerships and enhanced regional cooperation and policymaking that focus on better planning for increased populations and safeguarding the needs of displaced people in the context of water security will play a key role in the achievement of the Paris Agreement as well as, the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs. 

The Second Dushanbe Water Action Decade Conference focuses on how governments, the United Nations and its entities, other international and regional organizations, international financial institutions, the private sector, civil society organizations, academia, communities, local governments and other stakeholders can catalyze water action and partnerships to contribute to the implementation of water-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Climate Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development and the New Urban Agenda at all levels, while supporting the global response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Panellist:

• Agency for Hydrometeorology, Committee for Environmental Protection, Government of Tajikistan
• Jane EBINGER, Sector Leader for Sustainable Development, World Bank-Kazakhstan
• Marat NARBAYEV, Deputy Director, International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea-Kazakhstan (online)
• Christina GHEORGE, Chief of Mission, IOM Tajikistan
• Jelle BEEKMA, Senior Water Resources Specialist, Asian Development Bank

Moderator: Soumyadeep Banerjee, Regional Migration, Environment and Climate Change Specialist, IOM RO Vienna.