Seminar on Climate Forced Migrants : A Political and Development Challenge BAPA/CSRL/EquityBD/NCC,B/SUPRO/Voice Presented by: Mizanur Rahman Bijoy National Press Club, 01 Novebmer,2011

Migration Migration is a flexible and dynamic phenomenon in human history, but in recent time it appears as a reality that needs to be managed.

Climate Change Induced Migration Christian Aid estimated -200 million and the Stern Review (2006)-250 million

Forced Migration: A harsh reality for Bangladesh Poverty rate Education Health high population density population growth

Legal status of Climate Refugees (1) The United Nations’ 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol do not allow Climate Migrants as a Refugee. -Delegates in the Maldives meeting (2006) proposed an amendment to the 1951 Geneva Convention -A liberal interpretation of the Geneva Convention has been proposed by Ammer (2009) But neither states nor the UNHCR ready to accept a liberal interpretation

Legal status of Climate Refugees (2) Some progressive national laws and regional agreements- -In Australia, MIGRATION (CLIMATE REFUGEES) AMENDMENT BILL 2007 creates a new visa category. - “States Parties shall take measures to protect and assist persons who have been internally displaced due to natural or human made disasters, including climate change” (Article 5 Para. 4, Kampala Convention) - Nansen Conference on Climate Change and Displacement (June, 2011) calls to the international community to proclaim the displaced people as refugee..

Environment-Climate Change- Migration nexus - More than 42 million people were displaced in 2010 by natural disasters in which 38 million by climate related disasters and out of 42 million, 569 thousands were only from Bangladesh (NRC,2009).

Environment-Climate Change- Migration nexus (1) A larger number of people are expected to migrate due to a gradual deterioration /Slow- onset environmental processes (e.g. desertification, reduction of soil fertility and coastal erosion). A mass invasion of migrants, can also affect the environment in places of destination, particularly in unmanaged urbanization or refugee camps and temporary shelters.

Climate change induced migration and Security concern (2)

Climate change induced migration and Security concern (3) A report of Greenpeace noticed that in the absence of desirable level emission cut under an international agreement, global temperature will increase 4 0 to 5 0 C and 3 to 5 meter sea level rise within the end of this century, lead to transform nearly 130 million people of the Indo- subcontinent in to climate refugee, of them about 75 million will be Bangladeshi nationals.

Potential climate change induced migration in the Indian neighbourhood due to sudden climatic events or a slow trickle due to gradual climate change processes and these events are likely to impact migration inflow from Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.

Country Context (1) In between 1970 to 2009 about 39 million people in Bangladesh were displaced by major natural events like flood and cyclone (Akter, 2009).

Country Context (2) BCCSAP (2009) loss of livelihood opportunities diminishing productivity in agricultural sector, Increased river bank erosion and saline water intrusion on coastal areas Six to eight million people could be displaced by 2050

Country Context (3) Climate driven issue Loss of livelihoods number of people/y Potential out-migration People/yr Frequency Erosion (in both coastal and reverie chars)50, ,00060,000Annual Salinity1,200,00010,000-15,000Annual Storm surge &300, ,000100, ,000Once in three to five years Water logging350,00030,000Annual Table 01: Potential Out-migration Rates in Bangladesh under Serve Climate Change Scenario (Ahmed & Neelormi, 2008).

Country Context (5) Reputedly embankment failures in 2007, 2008 and mare violently in 25 th May of 2009 (cyclone Aila) forced the poor families to migrate. A total of 123,000 people bound to migrate in the nearby town (Khulna and Jessore) or move to Dhaka and Chittagong or to Kolkata of India (Mehedi et al., 2010).

Political and Development Challenge (1) Walsham (2010) warn that, ‘… the impacts of climate change and its migratory consequences – forced or voluntary, temporary or permanent, urban or rural – raise a number of significant human security concerns in Bangladesh’. According to McAdam and Saul (2010), the effects of climate change will interact with existing underlying causes of political, economic and social instability in Bangladesh, exacerbating the risks of displacement and insecurity. Climate impacts will further limit economic opportunities, including by impacting on river resources and straining government capacity to assist displaced people.

Political and Development Challenge (2) Current financial mechanisms for climate change adaptation are limited, and are not sufficient to address the growing need to cope with the uncertainties of displacement (ADB,2009). The country neither has the adequate resource to accommodate the ‘climate refugees’, nor has the capacity to employ them in productive economic activities.

Political and Development Challenge (3) There are some major problems connected with force migration, of which resettlement takes the top place. Shortage of adequate finance and land resources and of course administrative capacity. A huge amount of investment and enormous effort is needed (for infrastructures, power generation and water- sanitation facilities). Adapting with new social environment and social unrest are at a risk of resettlement. Bangladesh is yet to develop any policy regarding mass displacement, internal migration or resettlement.

Policy Options for Climate Migrants (1) The BCCSAP (2009) undertake only three long term actions under one program (T4P6) to address the issue of climate migration. But one of the major limitations of BCCSAP, 2009 is to ignore the increasing trend of regional migration.

Policy Options for Climate Migrants (2) Migration issues are not effectively mainstreamed with environmental, disaster management, or climate change policy. Truly effective action will require the active involvement of all stakeholders – local as well as national government, communities themselves, civil society organizations and NGOs.

Recommendations: Development agencies Environmental migration, climate change induced migration and the term climate refugee need to be recognized in the international law and should be guided by the fundamental principles of human rights and international cooperation. The polluter countries that are responsible to accelerate climate change should create legal instruments for facilitating planned migration from the most vulnerable countries. For this purpose a special fund should be in place under UNFCCC mechanism. Coping strategies to face rapid climate change should be strengthened in a variety of ways (i.e training and awareness, better education, diversification of livelihood options, community led natural resource management, and effective disaster risk management) that can reduce a country's vulnerability and increase its ability to build a climate resilient society. The leadership and engagement of local governments and communities, civil society, and the private sector, are needed to address effectively the challenges posed by climate change, including those linked to human mobility.

Recommendations /Policy makers 1.Government of Bangladesh should formulate National Climate Change policy as soon as possible, where the rights of climate migrants will be clearly attributed and legally protected. 2. The issue of climate migration should be included in regional agenda i.g. Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas, Bhutan 2011 and The SAARC Action Plan on Climate Change ( ). 3.In response to the nation states obligation to protect the climate displaced population, progressive land and agricultural reform become obvious to tackle the flow of climate refugee within the national boundary.

Recommendations /Policy makers 4. It should be a priority issue in all climate adaptation plan including BCCSAP. 5. Govt. should consider all development projects especially constructing new physical infrastructure in such a way that wouldn’t create any displacement and occupying cultivable land. 6. Emphasize in long term urban planning in such a way that would accommodate all climate migrants i.e. 30 million by next 50 yrs. 7. Raise coordinated voice on demanding new UN protocol for climate migrants in view of human rights and other UN charter that obliged the high emitting developed countries to take the responsibility for relocating and resettlement. 8. Govt. and non-govt. agencies should consider the climate forced migrant as a priority agenda in their development and advocacy strategy.