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the Environment

Migration

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UNFPA / IOM Expert Workshop

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120 Member States (up from 67 in 1998)

and 19 Observer States

More than 280 world locations (119 in 1998)

1400 active projects (686 in 1998)

70 regional and global IOs and NGOs with observer status

IOM Today

5,300 staff (1,100 in 1998)

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•IOM works at the request of Governments to provide technical assistance and capacity building on a range of migration issues

•Increasing requests related to environmental displacement

a.Operational assistance to Governments1. Introduction to IOM

b.Policy dialogue and research

“Provide a forum to States as well as international and other organizations for the exchange of views and experiences, and the promotion of co-operation and co-ordination of efforts on international migration issues, including studies on such issues in order to develop practical solutions”(Article 1.1(e))

Efforts to strengthen governmental capacity to monitor and manage migration flows through effective policy making, capacity building, policy dialogue, information sharing and cooperation

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Workshops convened with support of donor governments, often in partnership with relevant organizations and institutions (e.g. UNFPA in this case)

Previous partnerships:

2. International Dialogue on Migration (IDM)

Migration & Trade

Migration & Health

Migration & Development

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3. Complexities of migration

Migration: complex, cross-cutting issue

Migratory patterns: more and more complicated: permanent, temporary, multi-directional, circular flows, involving a growing range of countries

Often a livelihood strategy – related to issues of socio-economic development and opportunity

Multiple causes and consequences

Migration: at the same time personal, national and trans-national issue

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Different academic disciplines deal with migration

Linkages and major reciprocal implications of the two fields have been largely neglected, i.e. migration trends to get subsumed under “side-effects” of environmental changeand vice-versa

Migration touches on different spheres of society: social, economic, cultural

• labour market policies

Different policy areas affect and are affected by migration:

• security policies• health policies

• education policies• social welfare policies

• citizenship regulations• employment policies

3. Complexities of migration

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4. Migration & the Environment

Responses to Extreme Environmental Events:

Longer-term Factors: Less Attention

DeforestationDesertificationClimate Change River ErosionGreenhouse

Effect

Current focus

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Two-way relationship between migration and the environment

5. Aims of Present Workshop

• Environmental processes can cause migration, migration in turn impacts the environment

• Four sessions are not sealed & separate, but interconnected

InfluenceOne

Another

Migration Environment

• Is there a way to address these complex cause-and-effect relationships through coherent policy approaches?

• Sometimes intermediary factors - development, resilience of livelihoods and conflict - intervene between the two

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Environmental change:

5. Aims of Present Workshop

How to mobilize support and resources for policies?

Tension

Politics & policy:

Need to be developed now

May not come into effect or be used until later

Short-term Long-term

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Hesitation to take action on gradual and sometimes “invisible”changes

What are the relevant mechanisms that could be deployed at national, regional and international levels to achieve this?

What components to devise an overall strategic approach to migration and the environment and how can preparedness for emergency events be mainstreamed into this strategy?

Key questions:

Policy-makers/ international community/donors: Obligation to respond to displacement caused by extreme events Long-term budgetary commitments

5. Aims of Present Workshop

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6. Questions & Concepts

Sudden events

Reactive policy

Acute situation Including environment in all policy areas, including migration policy

Forward-looking policy

Climate change, sea level rise, dry land degradation

Hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes

Gradual processes

Policy responses

Processes vs. events

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Scale, trends and patterns of migratory flows that might be expected as a result of environmental change

Internal vs. international migration

Flows primarily internal or international: significant bearings

Attention to national, regional & global levels in agenda questions

Apparently artificial: environmental processes do not respect national borders

Policy design and coherence regarding responses to such migratory trends

Governments have to cooperate bilaterally or regionally

6. Questions & Concepts

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Migration policy makers will need to systematically take into account environmental factors, and vice versa

Same with migration: topic with numerous ramifications, touching on many areas of policy

Environment increasingly a necessary component and consideration in policy, especially development policy

7. Common Challenge

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7. Common ChallengePolicy coherence

Public health is one example of a policy domain in which migration and environmental factors interact (e.g. Avian Flu, SARS)

Policy coherence is particularly relevant due to complex, transnational and multifaceted nature of both migration and the environment, with both possessing ties with many different policy fields

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Opening QuestionsHow can we create better awareness betweenthese two policy fields?

How can we create better coherence in policyand practice?

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UNFPA / IOM Expert Workshop

the Environment

Migration

&