Experts seek to turn climate change tide on migration

Clementine Mukeka, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that climate change continues to induce migration and human mobility in Africa and is expected to increase due to diverse effects. She was speaking during the opening of a three-day Pan African Forum on Migration (PAFOM) that kicked off October 18. Countries around the world are feeling the impact of climate change, which is said to be affecting their communities. In Africa, migration induced by slow onset events such as droughts, desertification, deforestation, water scarcity, rising sea levels and coastal erosion has increased in occurrence and severity over the last decades due to the adverse effects of climate change. Experts say that refugees and internally displaced people in Africa often reside in climate hotspots, where they are particularly exposed to and affected by slow- and sudden-onset hazards, thus increasing their risk of secondary displacement and preventing their opportunity for return. “There is an urgent need to take risk reduction measures to help communities become more resilient to climate shocks. Strengthening community resilience requires looking at climate hazards and local topographic conditions simultaneously. “Building climate resilience is best done by designing and implementing solutions in an integrated manner, using hard infrastructure measures and nature-based solutions as well as governance solutions and community-based practices,” Mukeka said. She rallied for pro-poor benefits for those affected by climate change saying that, “climate and disaster risk reduction investments additionally offer pro-poor development benefits and people affected flee the areas for the sake of looking for a secure environment.” “Let us be mindful by sharing the experience and best practices in our respective countries and regional economic communities that address the impact of climate change on migration and forced displacement,” she added. PAFOM is an African Union continental interstates dialogue framework on migration that brings together member states and other relevant stakeholders within the migration space to discuss and deliberate on various topical issues regarding migration and human mobility in Africa. The seventh edition is happening in Kigali under the theme, “Addressing the impact of climate change on human mobility in Africa: building adaptation strategies and resilient communities” and bringing together senior officials and experts in migration space. According to International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Regional Director for Africa, Alasan Senghore, the world is currently at a crossroads, and that the promotion of safety and dignity of people on the move is a major strategy in addressing climate change migration. “Around the world, 3.6 billion people live in areas that are vulnerable to climate change. In Africa, climate and weather-related disasters have led to millions of people being displaced from their communities. The impact of climate change is undermining adaptation measures that have been taken by states. In the mid and long term, displacements will increase particularly from regions with high exposure to low adaptive capacities including some parts of Africa. We must act now,” he said. According to the United Nations, there will be between 25 million to 1 billion environmentally induced migrants by 2050, moving either within their countries or across borders, on a permanent or temporary basis. Recent reports by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, weather-related hazards already account for more than 87 per cent of all disaster displacement globally, and disasters have caused more new internal displacements than conflict over the past ten years. In its 2022 report, conflict, violence, and disasters triggered 38 million (14.4 million by conflict and violence; 23.7 million by disasters) internal displacements worldwide - the second-highest annual figure in a decade and an increase of almost 50 per cent on the year before. Nearly 4 million of the displaced persons were on the African continent. According to the Senior Regional Advisor for Sub Saharan Africa, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Aissata Kane, climate change and environmental factors have long had an impact on global migration flows as peace has historically left places with harsh and deteriorating conditions. “The scale of such flows, both internal and cross-border, has raised accelerated change in climate and unprecedented impact on lives and livelihoods. The role that climate change has in displacement cannot be underestimated. Climate change, environmental degradation and disasters are profoundly reshaping contemporary human mobility worldwide,” she said. Kane added that global projections show that Africa could see as many as 85.7 million climate change migrants (about 4.2 per cent of the continent’s population) by 2050. “We need to increase action to avert, minimise and address displacements linked to climate change.” The impact of weather-related disasters on acute food insecurity has intensified since 2020, when it was considered the primary driver for 15.7 million people across 15 countries. Weather shocks – in the form of drought, rainfall deficits, flooding and cyclones – have been particularly detrimental in key crises in East, Central and Southern Africa. Zambia’s Director General of Immigration, Japhet Lishomwa, said that migration and human mobility is becoming a concern in many parts of the world particularly Africa. “Migration can impact the environment and climate change by putting pressure on natural resources. However, migration is also affected by environment and climate change. Further, migration is a response to assorted drivers which can be social, economic or political. It’s a complex situation and requires a strong solution,” he said. In a similar context, the Director General Rwanda Immigration and Emigration, Lynder Nkuranga, also said slow-onset events such as droughts, desertification, deforestation, water scarcity, rising sea levels, and coastal erosion have increased in occurrence leading to increased migrations. “Yes, climate change impacts on all forms of migration be it internal or cross-border migration, short or long distance, temporary or permanent. People don’t just leave their homes and embark on dangerous journeys. As a continent, addressing the impact of climate change on migration and mobility is a priority and it is important that we build strategies and resilient communities to cope with diverse effects of climate change. Let’s use this forum (Pan African Forum on Migration) for solutions,” she said.

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Experts seek to turn climate change tide on migration