Geneva – The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the French Chair of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) announced the winners of the Migrants4Climate (M4C) Award today, during The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), Friends of The Forum meeting in Geneva.  

The M4C Award aims to counterbalance negative narratives on migration by giving visibility to initiatives led by or - inclusive of and targeting - migrants and diaspora and that feature a strong engagement in climate action and environmental sustainability. 

The first laureate Initiative of the M4C Award 2023 Benin’s « Projet Route De La Jacinthe D'Eau », is led by the Non-Governmental Organization Youth and Green Jobs for a Green Economy (Jeunesse et Emplois Verts pour une Economie Verte -JEVEV).  It shows how environmental challenges can be transformed into opportunities when local stakeholders join forces with migrant returnees and diaspora to implement an innovative project inspired by endogenous ecological practices improving both water quality and land management.   

The second laureate, Ghana’s Reusable Bags social enterprise, showcases the leading role that a young migrant and entrepreneur can play when their vision and skills are turned into action; in this case to contribute to the construction of a plastic-free environment by producing fashionable reusable bags made in the world’s largest second-hand textile market in Accra.  

The third laureate, Philippine’s Liter of light, depicts how supporting community-led initiatives is crucial to strengthen the resilience of people most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The initiative enables local communities to build simple solar lights using plastic bottles, PVC pipes and bamboo to brings light to populations displaced by disasters due to natural hazards   

The three winners have been selected based on four criteria: inclusion, innovation, impact and inspiration.  

The high-level Migrants4Climate Jury is composed of: Ambassador Emmanuel Antwi, representing Ghana’s CVF Presidency lead of the M4C Award Initiative, Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont, representing France GFMD Chair, Ms Ugochi Daniels, IOM Deputy Director General for Operations, Ms Runa Khan, Founder and Executive Director of Friendship NGO Bangladesh and Ms Elizabeth Mullings-Smith, Managing Director of Maya Blue Limited and Global Jamaica Diaspora Council Lead for Development Issues Sector.

The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the French Chair of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) would like to thank the over 100 initiatives that were nominated, the Nominators and Nominees alike.   

The official M4C Award Prize Ceremony will take place during the 14th GFMD Summit under the French Chairmanship, 23-25 January 2024, Geneva, Switzerland. 

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For more information, please contact: 

Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF)   
Dina Ionesco, Senior Migration Advisor for CVF  Migrationadvisor@thecvf.org 
Media queries: media@thecvf.org 

International Organization for Migration (IOM)  
In Geneva: Chloé Lavau, Communications Officer for Climate Change and Migration, clavau@iom.int 

Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) 
Secretariat: GFMD@iom.int 

This news was originally posted on www.iom.int.