Side-Event at the International Migration Review Forum

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Every year, millions of people are compelled to move in the context of sudden-onset disasters, while the livelihoods of millions more are affected by slow-onset climate change and environmental degradation, with many leaving their homes, and others remaining trapped in areas at risk. Unless such population movements are orderly, safe, and regular they can pose significant challenges to human security and people’s rights, even so in rapidly growing urban areas, and greatly undermine sustainable development, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and migration governance efforts.

This official side event will share existing national, regional and local migration policy perspectives, instruments and practices to address these challenges from a migration governance perspective, recognizing that safe, regular and orderly migration, if well managed, can also offer opportunities for migrants’ inclusion, their host communities and societies.

Both the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants and the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) include a commitment to enhance the availability and flexibility of pathways for regular migration in disaster and climate change contexts.

To build on progress to date and identify priority action for the future, a diverse range of high-level speakers will debate the commitments and principles set out in particular in Objective 5 of the GCM and will present and discuss key findings from the GCM baseline mapping project implemented under Thematic Priority 4 of the UN Network on Migration, and share reflections from international, regional, national and local perspectives.

This hybrid event, Facilitating Safe and Regular Migration Pathways in a Changing Climate: Lessons from GCM Implementation, is co-organized by PDD, IOM, C40 Cities and Mayors Migration Council (C40-MMC) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

It will be held in person at the UN Headquarters in New York (Room TBC) with livestreaming available via UN Web TV (TBC).

It seeks to:

• Highlight progress and gaps in current implementation of GCM commitments related to migration governance in disaster and climate change contexts;
• Showcase effective practices and available policy instruments related to pathways for regular migration in disaster and climate change contexts at regional, national and local levels; 
• Sensitize governments and raise awareness of challenges and opportunities to improve future voluntary monitoring and review efforts under the GCM.

Agenda:

• Mr. Tobias Lindner, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Germany;
• Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair, Platform on Disaster Displacement;
• H.E. Dr. Satyendra Prasad, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Fiji to the United Nations (TBC);
• Ms. Florencia Carignano, National Immigration Director, Argentina;
• Mr. Mohamad Atiqul Islam, Mayor of Dhaka North, Bangladesh, co-lead of the C40-MMC Task Force and C40 Vice-chair on migration;
• Mr. Alasan Senghore, Secretary General of the Gambia Red Cross Society;
• Ms. Caroline Dumas, Director General Special Envoy for Migration and Climate Action, International Organization for Migration;
• Ms. Kayly Ober, Refugees International.

Related information on Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD).