Capacity Building Session at Conference of Youth (COY18)

What are we talking about? You can read about it in the newspapers; you can read about it in the IPCC; you can hear about it from researchers, from practitioners, from policy decision-maker. It is something that has gained a lot of visibility over the last years: migration and climate change. It has gained a lot of visibility, but the narratives spreading on it can sometimes be misconceptions. Let’s debunk these false narratives together!

What is the link between both? There is a growing awareness that the adverse impacts of climate change increasingly contribute to reshaping the patterns of migration and displacement, whether it is within countries or across borders. This is only one aspect of it: there are many other different links between migration and climate change. This is the space to discuss the multiple facets of migration and climate change together!

How does this relate to you – the youth of today? It is clear that you are heavily concerned by migration dynamics, with one out every 8 migrants a child. At the same time, you are least responsible for climate change, and yet are among the most impacted by its effects.

What is in it for you? You are important agents of change in raising awareness and taking action: you have shaped a space to make your own voices heard to urgently address climate change impacts. This one hour capacity-building session is only here to provide you with the tools to familiarize yourself with the latest evidence on migration and climate change. It will also be the opportunity to discuss the latest policy progress to support your advocacy work targeted at States to implement what they committed to under the Paris Agreement.

This interactive capacity-building session aims at answering to the questions below:

• Who is a climate migrant?
• How many people move in the context of climate change?
• Can migration be a solution at all?
• What have they been deciding on migration in past COPs?
• How is migration related to adaptation and loss and damage?
• What is next for you on migration and climate change?