Climate Change Resilience
3 December, 2015, Paris, France, COP21 - According to the Nansen Initiative, since 2008, an average of one person per second has been displaced by sudden-onset disasters, most of them weather and climate related. Global regional wide consultations were conducted over two years have concluded that that forced migration as a result of climate change and disasters is not an option.
Here at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP21) in Paris, France, the Nansen Initiative hosted a special event featuring a high level panel including the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Hon. Henry Puna who presented on the impacts of human mobility in the Pacific region.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna, (Image taken from Climate Change Cook Islands Facebook Page)
The Pacific islands regional consultation was held in May, 2013 in the Cook Islands, bringing together 10 countries as well as representatives from regional and international organisations, civil society and academia. The Pacific regional civil society meeting of the Nansen Initiative was held in Fiji, in 2014.
"The movement of people in the Pacific region is not a new phenomenon. We heard of the experiences of people from Banaba in Kiribati and from Tuvalu being relocated to islands in Fiji; people in Vanuatu moved to other parts of the country," said Prime Minister Puna.
"These experiences have highlighted the fact that relocation is traumatic to say the least. There is a saying that blood and mud are mixed together to provide identity – this highlights the deep connection that our Pacific people have with their land."
Prime Minister Puna also emphasised that cross border movement raises issues of citizenship, rights, protection and so forth.
The Cancun Outcome Agreement in 2010, a result of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Climate Convention recognised climate change-induced migration, displacement and relocation as an adaptation challenge and agreed to enhance their understanding and cooperation in this respect.
Based on the outcome of the Nansen Conference on Climate Change and Displacement in Oslo in 2011 Norway and Switzerland pledged to address the need for a more coherent approach to the protection of people displaced across borders in the context of disasters and the effects of climate change. This provides the basis of the Nansen Initiative.
Since its formation, the Nansen Initiative has coordinated regional consultations at all levels in the Pacific, Central America, the Horn of Africa, South-East Asia and South Asia. The outcomes of these, aim to build consensus among states on the elements of a protection agenda which may include standards of treatment. The outcomes of the Nansen Initiative which comes to an end this year may be taken up at domestic, regional and global levels and lead to new laws, soft law instruments or binding agreements.
"Our Pacific consultation underlined that forced migration is not an option. Movement and relocation must happen with dignity and people involved in the process, both the movers and the host communities must have the capacity to deal with the changes that come with the process," said Prime Minister Puna.
"Building this capacity whether through consultation, education, awareness, training and skills enhancement is essential.
"The Cook Islands as the first hosts of the Nansen Initiative regional consultations, is pleased that the Agenda for the Protection of Cross Border Displaced Persons in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change of the Nansen Initiative, provides a toolbox that stakeholders can utilise to address mobility."
The special event highlighting the consultation work in the Cook Islands was hosted in the margins of COP21 titled "Prepare and Adapt: Climate Change and Human Mobility - in COP21 and Beyond" and held on 2 December, 2015.
The panel featured Prime Minister Puna of the Cook Islands as well as; Mr. Jesus "Gary" R.S. Domingo, Assistant Secretary, Office of United Nations & International Organizations, Department of Foreign Affairs, Government of Philippines; Hon. Chebet Maikut, Head, Climate Change Department, Ministry of Water and Environment/UNFCCC National Focal Point, Government of Uganda; Mr. Frank Fass-Metz, Deputy Director General, Commissioner for Climate at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Government of Germany; and Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative. - #4PacIslands
Here at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP21) in Paris, France, the Nansen Initiative hosted a special event featuring a high level panel including the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Hon. Henry Puna who presented on the impacts of human mobility in the Pacific region.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna, (Image taken from Climate Change Cook Islands Facebook Page)"The movement of people in the Pacific region is not a new phenomenon. We heard of the experiences of people from Banaba in Kiribati and from Tuvalu being relocated to islands in Fiji; people in Vanuatu moved to other parts of the country," said Prime Minister Puna.
"These experiences have highlighted the fact that relocation is traumatic to say the least. There is a saying that blood and mud are mixed together to provide identity – this highlights the deep connection that our Pacific people have with their land."
Prime Minister Puna also emphasised that cross border movement raises issues of citizenship, rights, protection and so forth.
The Cancun Outcome Agreement in 2010, a result of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Climate Convention recognised climate change-induced migration, displacement and relocation as an adaptation challenge and agreed to enhance their understanding and cooperation in this respect.
Based on the outcome of the Nansen Conference on Climate Change and Displacement in Oslo in 2011 Norway and Switzerland pledged to address the need for a more coherent approach to the protection of people displaced across borders in the context of disasters and the effects of climate change. This provides the basis of the Nansen Initiative.
Since its formation, the Nansen Initiative has coordinated regional consultations at all levels in the Pacific, Central America, the Horn of Africa, South-East Asia and South Asia. The outcomes of these, aim to build consensus among states on the elements of a protection agenda which may include standards of treatment. The outcomes of the Nansen Initiative which comes to an end this year may be taken up at domestic, regional and global levels and lead to new laws, soft law instruments or binding agreements.
"Our Pacific consultation underlined that forced migration is not an option. Movement and relocation must happen with dignity and people involved in the process, both the movers and the host communities must have the capacity to deal with the changes that come with the process," said Prime Minister Puna.
"Building this capacity whether through consultation, education, awareness, training and skills enhancement is essential.
"The Cook Islands as the first hosts of the Nansen Initiative regional consultations, is pleased that the Agenda for the Protection of Cross Border Displaced Persons in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change of the Nansen Initiative, provides a toolbox that stakeholders can utilise to address mobility."
The special event highlighting the consultation work in the Cook Islands was hosted in the margins of COP21 titled "Prepare and Adapt: Climate Change and Human Mobility - in COP21 and Beyond" and held on 2 December, 2015.
The panel featured Prime Minister Puna of the Cook Islands as well as; Mr. Jesus "Gary" R.S. Domingo, Assistant Secretary, Office of United Nations & International Organizations, Department of Foreign Affairs, Government of Philippines; Hon. Chebet Maikut, Head, Climate Change Department, Ministry of Water and Environment/UNFCCC National Focal Point, Government of Uganda; Mr. Frank Fass-Metz, Deputy Director General, Commissioner for Climate at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Government of Germany; and Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative. - #4PacIslands