Migration transforms the conditions for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

Migration and justice in the era of sustainable development goals: a conceptual framework

“…The affirmation of sustainable development registered on the international political agenda in 2015 through the SDGs, with 11 out of 17 goals explicitly relevant to migration (UN 2019). Attached to these 11 goals are many indicators addressing conditions of migration (Adger et al 2019). Additionally, international documents such as the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (UN 2018) and the Issues Brief on Migration and sustainable development (UNCSD 2012) analyse problems associated with migration-for either host or receiving countries, or for migrating individuals themselves.…”

“…Policymakers are increasingly addressing migration and development issues in the context of sustainability debates. Yet scholars criticize a hegemonic narrative that policies retain, with an implicit assumption of sedentary lives and only particular forms of orderly migration being relevant for sustainable development (Adger et al 2019). That narrative still side-lines persisting inequalities in processes of neoliberal globalization (Delgado Wise et al 2013).…”

Commentary: Inequality, precarity and sustainable ecosystems as elements of urban resilience

“…Without access to social infrastructure the dominant mode of cities is far from resilience or social sustainability for new migrant populations. In the context of rapid urbanisation, therefore, where the wellbeing and resilience of new populations is constrained by structural factors that perpetuate precarity, the integration of migrant groups into urban planning and governance is key to building safe and sustainable cities as articulated in the Sustainable Development Goals related to urban areas (Adger et al, 2019).…”

Perception of climate migrants

“…Case studies suggest that people who are relocated or displaced for environmental reasons are sometimes met in the destination locale with hostile attitudes or even violence 1,2 , but such evidence is fragmented. Given the growing realization that the success of climate change adaptation -and sustainable development more broadly -is tied closely to mobility and migrant integration [3][4][5][6] , a clearer picture of what people in destination communities think about climate migrants is needed. Writing in Nature Climate Change, Gabriele Spilker and colleagues find that urban residents in Kenya and Vietnam accept that climate hazards are a legitimate reason for people to relocate to their cities, and this reason is neither more nor less meritorious than others 7 .…”

“…Similarly, more documentation of adaptation efforts, including in remote rural areas, is called for, with a focus on what works, what doesn't, and why. 4,5 The study by McNamara and colleagues addresses both these gaps and boasts a very rich empirical basis: the authors collected data across 20 communities in 4 different countries (Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji and Vanuatu) through 44 focus groups and 62 semi-structured interviews, with a total Credit: Ricky Kresslein / Moment / Getty…”