Natural Disasters, Forced Migration, and Conflict: The Importance of Government Policy Responses

Abstract

Understanding the connections between environmental change, migration, and conflict is urgent as natural disasters increase in frequency and intensity. Countries that experience natural disasters face greater risks for intrastate conflicts, especially for rapid-onset disasters. Migration is one response to these environmental changes. Existing literature suggests that environmental migration can cause violent conflict as migrants lose livelihoods, move to new areas, or compete over scarce resources. However, the path through which migration leads to conflict—and the policy responses that either fuel conflict or promote stability—is not well understood. Some countries develop adequate proactive (e.g., infrastructure) and reactive post-disaster (e.g., reconstruction) policies to mitigate grievances and conflict risks from forced migration. Other countries fail to respond adequately to disasters, opening the door for insurgent groups to garner support. We argue that we must analyze government policies related to relocation programs, restrictions on movement, and post-disaster reconstruction to identify trigger situations where disasters and migration are most likely to produce violence.

Association between inequalities in human resources for health and all cause and cause specific mortality in 172 countries and territories, 1990-2019: observational study

“…Many developing countries experience structural vulnerabilities and loss of HRH, such as Nigeria. 57 58 Challenges in national development priorities often divert scarce resources from the health sector. 47 48 49 50 57 58 Zimbabwe was the only country with negative HRH growth, multiple inflationary financial crises, and an unstable regime, and its deployment decisions on healthcare were elusive, even during the apparent losses to the health workforce.…”

“… 57 58 Challenges in national development priorities often divert scarce resources from the health sector. 47 48 49 50 57 58 Zimbabwe was the only country with negative HRH growth, multiple inflationary financial crises, and an unstable regime, and its deployment decisions on healthcare were elusive, even during the apparent losses to the health workforce. Although this inequality in health workforce exists, the gap has been narrowing since the turn of the century, which may be due in part to the effective implementation of both millennium development goals and sustainable development goals.…”

“… 103 104 105 106 The covid-19 pandemic imposes additional burdens, particularly on HRH and deaths. 57 The growing scarcity of HRH in low to middle income countries makes it challenging to put HRH development on hold. The High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth highlights that targeted investments in HRH contribute to economic growth.…”

“…Despite the high estimated annual percentage change in Myanmar, the HRH density remained low, at 58.40 per 10 000 population. Many developing countries experience structural vulnerabilities and loss of HRH, such as Nigeria 5758. Challenges in national development priorities often divert scarce resources from the health sector 474849505758.…”

Complex PTSD and Forced Migration of Children and Adolescents from Latin America

“…In the case of forced displacement from Latin America the two factors often mix. Natural disaster and the COVID-19 pandemic may have depleted economic resources in the location of origin, while violence by gangs and criminal syndicates may have created an additional layer of traumatic events [21] .…”