Background 

The UNFCCC Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage enhances knowledge, action, and support to address loss and damage, It also strengthens synergies and coherence of such efforts across a broad range of stakeholders, including by convening thematic expert groups. The Executive Committee, which guides the implementation of the Mechanism, launched the Task Force on Displacement in 2016 bringing together leading agencies and expert organizations that work on human mobility, humanitarian assistance, human rights, development, and climate change. 

Based on the recommendations of the Task Force on Displacement, COP 24 adopted a set of recommendations on integrated approaches to averting, minimizing, and addressing displacement related to the adverse impacts of climate change. Currently, the Task Force on Displacement is currently supporting the Executive Committee with the development of a Technical Guide on Integrating Linkages between Human Mobility and Climate Change into National Climate Change Planning Processes.

The Cancun Adaptation Framework of 2010 established a process to enable the LDC Parties to formulate and implement the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) as a means of identifying and address medium- and long-term adaptation needs and also recognized the need for “measures to enhance understanding, coordination and cooperation with regard to climate change induced displacement, migration, and planned relocation (para. 14f).2 There are still important gaps in terms of the extent to which human mobility has been integrated in existing NAP formulation processes and documents. At the same time, useful learning can be shared from a growing number of Parties that are already making progress in this area.  

Human mobility is a multidimensional issue of significant importance to the achievement of climate change adaptation and resilience objectives, especially for communities and individuals already living in highly vulnerable situations. First, enhancing the adaptation of vulnerable communities helps to avert, minimize, and address displacement as a form or consequence of loss and damage, enabling the right to stay. Second, some forms of human mobility such as pastoralism, labour migration, and planned relocation could be adaptive responses if enabling conditions are present and the human rights of individuals and communities concerned are respected and protected. Third, internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrants in particularly climate-vulnerable situations, together with their host and home communities, should be included, and their human mobility-specific concerns considered, in adaptation planning and implementation. These issues may be relevant both for adaptation within a country as well as in cooperation with other countries where human mobility crosses borders

The Technical Guide provides a step-by-step guide for relevant stakeholders to mainstream human mobility into the adaptation planning and communication tools The proposed event at NAP Expo 2024 will introduce relevant stakeholders, with a special focus on the Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States to this Technical Guide.  The event will also foster peer learning. 

Objectives of the event 

The objectives of this event are to bring together representatives from governments, international organizations, stakeholders, academia, and youth to:  

• To facilitate peer learning about good practices, challenges, and gaps from shared experiences on mainstreaming human mobility into the National Adaptation Plans.   

• To introduce the Technical Guide on Human Mobility as a supplement to the UNFCCC Technical Guidelines for National Adaptation Plan Process.  

• To better understand the priority gaps and needs among stakeholders related to mainstreaming human mobility into the National Adaptation Plans.  

• To improve coherence in the narrative on human mobility in the context of climate change in the National Adaptation Plans.