缅北禁地

The consultation was opened by Dr Maria Nenette Motus, IOM Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, who highlighted the event as a 鈥渦nique opportunity鈥� to discuss displacement in the regional context. "There is so much wealth and experiences to learn from this region,鈥� she said.

Among the speakers was High-Level Panel member Dr Sima Samar. 鈥淐oming from Afghanistan, I have seen the impact of climate change and disasters firsthand,鈥� said Dr Samar. She recalled to the heavy toll droughts have caused on the livelihoods of communities and the disproportionate impacts on vulnerable groups who lack the resources and resilience to withstand shocks. 鈥淥ne thing that is clear is that we must make this a shared, global priority,鈥� she added.

The effect of climate change was also emphasized in the remarks of Walter K盲lin, Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD) and Expert Advisory Group member of the High-Level Panel. 鈥淎 majority of displacement in Asia is clearly linked to global warming and climate change,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are large numbers, but the good news is that we can do something about it. This is about reducing the hazard, and in the context of climate change, the full implementation of the Paris Agreement,鈥� he stressed.

According to a of the 缅北禁地Special Rapporteur for the Human Rights of IDPs, Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, over 143 million people alone could be forced to move within their own countries by 2050 if there are no concrete development and climate action. Ms. Jimenez-Damary herself participated in the regional consultation as the event鈥檚 moderator.

Participants then heard from representatives from Mongolia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, who shared their countries鈥� experiences in preventing and responding to disaster displacement. They highlighted different policy and operational approaches being used in their country contexts, which can provide valuable lessons for other countries and for the High-Level Panel.  While each country鈥檚 experience is unique, they all share some commonalities in their reflections including the importance of a strong policy framework, local action, multi-stakeholder engagement and strengthened data collection.

In closing the consultation, Loretta Hieber-Girardet, Chief of Supporting and Monitoring Sendai Framework Implementation Branch at the UNDRR Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, thanked the participants for keeping the issue of disaster displacement high on the political agenda as well as on the DRR and climate change agenda. 鈥淚t is important that we continue to mobilize, to share lessons and to advocate for more action,鈥� she concluded.

The recommendations from this joint consultation will serve as inputs for the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement. The Panel is expected to deliver its report to the 缅北禁地Secretary-General in September 2021.