Migration, Environment and Climate Change (MECC) Updates
Migration is part of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction!
See the IOM Progress Report on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience.
Read the Platform on Disaster Displacement Policy Brief and the Key Messages.
Join us for the events!
Impact of Disaster-Driven Migration on the Lives of Mongolian Herders
By Zuzana Jankechova, IOM Mongolia
Mongolia’s unique geographical location and dependence of the nation’s rural population on animal husbandry make Mongolia particularly vulnerable to environmental changes and severe weather events. The increasing trend of rural to urban migration in Mongolia has been linked to factors resulting from climate change, such as declining livelihood opportunities in rural areas that have been amplified by increasing incidences of severe droughts and harsh winter (dzuds).
Between 2007 and 2017, over 39,000 incidents involving casualties resulted in the deaths of 2,159 people and 13.1 million animals, and damages amounting to MNT 950 billion. The natural hazards that affected Mongolia most frequently in this decade included forest fires (2,216), strong winds (245), floods (250) and dzuds (8). The rising incidence of severe droughts and dzuds (harsh winters) in the country often forces herders to either travel longer distances to find pastures or, in the event of losing their livestock, to move to urban centres.
If these trends continue, the increasing incidences of disasters will drive higher rates of rural to urban migration into Ulaanbaatar where government officials are already facing significant challenges to accommodate new arrivals.
In December 2017, in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of Mongolia, IOM launched a 20-month project supported by the IOM Development Fund (IDF) to build the capacity of the Government to track climate change and disaster-related migration. The project, developed and implemented with the support of the Australian Volunteers Program, utilized IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) to monitor population movements caused by slow and rapid onset disasters and climate change.
PODCAST - Giving Migrants a Voice The latest updates on environmental migration from Mariam Traore Chazalnoël, IOM Thematic Specialist on Migration, Environment and Climate Change
Caribbean Regional Training Workshop on Innovation and Implementation of National Adaptation Plans
24-26 April 2019, Montego Bay, Jamaica
by Pablo Escribano, IOM San José
Government representatives of 14 Caribbean countries gathered in Montego Bay to strengthen capacities for the implementation of National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes and the promotion of innovative responses in climate change adaptation. Organized by UN Environment under the NAP-GSP Programme, the workshop focused on different aspects of climate change adaptation processes in the Caribbean, including climate change data on risks and vulnerabilities, climate change financing, monitoring and evaluation and knowledge management.
In the context of linking NAPs and the development agenda, IOM discussed the integration of environmental migration in NAPs and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting connections between fields and opportunities for enhanced policy coherence.
