By 2050, without concrete climate and development action, more than 216 million people could be internally displaced due to the slow-onset effects of climate change. In 2022, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), 31.8 million were internally displaced globally by weather-related hazards, with floods, storms, droughts and wildfires’ being the top four causes. 

Migration is a phenomenon that has shaped the social, economic, and political landscape of the Mediterranean region for centuries. The region's geographic position between three continents, its rich cultural diversity, and its historical and economic links with Europe and the Middle East have made it a critical crossroad for people on the move. However, migration in the Mediterranean is also a complex and multifaceted matter that raises challenges as well as opportunities for the countries and populations of the region.

The Mediterranean region is one of the most dynamic migration corridors in the world. Most of migrants come from neighboring countries in Africa and the Middle East, driven by factors such as poverty, conflict, and lack of economic opportunities and inadequate services in their home countries. At the same time, the Mediterranean region also attracts migrants from other parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, and the Americas, seeking better living conditions, education and employment opportunities, family reunification and cultural exchange.

Climate change is one of the main challenges to be faced by the region in terms of environmental and human security. The impacts of climate change on the region's populations are multiple and intricate, affecting natural resources, livelihoods, food security, water security including access to drinking water, health and personal safety. Among the most important consequences are an intensification of extreme weather events, including prolonged droughts and floods, and encroaching slow-onset events, exemplified by sea level rise, which have direct and indirect effects on the populations, their way of life and the sociecty as a whole. According to a study conducted by the Mediterranean Expert Network on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC), the Mediterranean is one of the most climate-sensitive regions in the world, with a projected increase in the region's average temperature of about 2.2°C by 2040.

Moderator: ABDEL MONEIM MOSTAFA Hassan – Conseiller du Directeur Général de l'OIM (MENA et Golfe)

Speakers:

• Jean pierre Elong Mbassi - Secretary General United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)
• S.E.Mme Namira Negm - Ambassador African Migration Observatory
• Mme. Besma Soudani - Director of Cabinet, Political Affairs and Information Arab Maghreb Union (AMU)
• Mme. Fatima Driouech - Researcher Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC)
• Mr. Mounir Laymouri Maire - President of the Association of Mayors Tangier City Council
• Grammenos Mastrojeni - Deputy Secretary General Union for the Mediterranean