The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and the NDC Partnership launched today a policy brief on how nations can integrate displaced populations into their national climate change policies and plans.
More than 100 million people have now been forced to flee their homes and around 75 per cent of displaced populations are hosted by low- or middle‑income countries and living in protracted circumstances. Despite support from UN agencies and humanitarian groups, host countries are still struggling to meet the needs of internally displaced persons and refugees.
Climate change is exacerbating this situation and could contribute to the movement of 216 million people within their own countries by 2050 unless concrete climate and inclusive development actions are taken, according to the World Bank Group.
Released ahead of a series of regional climate weeks, the UN Climate Change Conference and the Global Refugee Forum, this policy brief highlights the needs and opportunities to strengthen the strategic and operational bridges between the humanitarian, development, climate change and environment fields. It also showcases the importance of marrying policies related to mobility, human displacement, climate, the environment, energy and development.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), internally displaced persons and refugee settlements are disproportionately concentrated in regions that are exposed to higher‑than‑average warming levels and are more vulnerable to climate hazards, including extreme temperatures, droughts and floods.
At the same time, the IPCC points out that these populations are often legally and economically constrained in adapting to or migrating away from these climate hazards and their settlements end up being inhabited across generations. As a result, displaced populations and refugees often experience far lower levels of access to clean energy and higher exposure to climate risks, compared to the surrounding host communities.
Unfortunately, in almost all countries, displaced populations remain outside the scope of national climate policies, including the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). As such, UNEP and partners are calling on the international community to include displaced populations in NDCs and NAPs, while addressing the adaptation needs of vulnerable communities. Doing so would align with the Global Compact on Migration and Global Compact on Refugees which calls to “ease the pressures on host countries” and “enhance refugee self‑reliance”.
"Investments in clean energy access projects, technology upgrading, and ecosystem‑based adaptation would have significant positive spillover effects for host communities, as well as displaced populations themselves,” said John Christensen, Director of the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre. “Climate change is likely to drive further displacement. Coordinated action at all levels in national policies will be key to address this challenge.”
“Displaced populations are part of the people who are at the frontline of climate change. IOM has responded to an exponential growth in the need for operations to address the needs of people on the move in the context of climate change,” said Rania Sharshr, Director of the Department of Peace and Development Coordination, IOM. “There have been significant advancements of legal and policy responses over the last years. Nevertheless we need to further ensure the integration of displaced populations in national climate change policies.”
About the NDC Action Project
This policy brief is an output of the NDC Action Project which supports 10 countries, including Bangladesh, Colombia, Jordan and Uganda, home to significant populations of long‑term displaced. The NDC Action Project aims to incentivise action and increase ambition on climate change. Funded by Germany, the project works with partners and donors to support 10 partner countries – Argentina, Bangladesh, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ghana, Jordan, Mongolia, Morocco, Uganda and Viet Nam – to deliver on their climate mitigation and adaptation promises made under the Paris Agreement. The NDC Action Project is a joint initiative between the United Nations Environment Programme and its collaborating centre the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre.
