The Follow-Up and Review Mechanisms of the Global Compacts: What Room Is There for Human Mobility in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change?

Abstract

Human mobility in the context of disasters and climate change (HMDCC) is a complex problem, which is planetary in scope and intergenerational in its impact. From the mid-seventeenth century’s little ice age to the rising sea levels due to climate change, people have been driven to move by environmental factors for a long time. Yet, an international treaty regime that addresses the protection needs of persons mobile due to environmental factors has never been created. Against this backdrop, the Global Compacts were negotiated to reflect a “sophisticated” understanding of HMDCC, and their adoption enables cooperation on a wide range of policies and laws to this effect. Examining the implementation of the Global Compacts with respect to the commitments relating to HMDCC, this article finds that States and non-State actors have cooperated to address data gaps and to incorporate mobility considerations into national frameworks on climate change and disaster management. However, States must implement all dimensions of their commitments relating to HMDCC, especially with regards to the facilitation of migration as an adaptation strategy to disasters and climate change, in order to build a comprehensive approach.

Introduction: Environmental (im)mobilities: Improving the evidence base for effective policy making

“…Still, improving the evidence base remains important to policy makers as well as academics from different fields, including those focusing on policies for disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate adaptation, environmental degradation, development, urban planning, health, as well as human (im)mobilities. Governments are beginning to think through how to manage the implications of these interconnections, but the translation of scientific insights into coherent policy and action is still insufficient (Bilak & Kälin, 2022; Braun, 2023; McAdam, 2012; Tänzler & Bernstein, 2022; Wright et al, 2021; Yildiz, 2022). Evidence‐based strategies are scarce (Stojanov et al, 2021).…”

Addressing forced displacement in climate change adaptation

“…While the GCM and GCR may improve cooperation on cross-border climate-related displacement (Martin et al, 2018a;Kälin, 2018), translating their non-binding global norms into practices on the ground has hinged on scarce political will and funding, resulting in uneven implementation and limited efforts to facilitate safe mobility in particular (Yildiz, 2022;Mokhnacheva, 2022;Braun, 2023). Climate-related provide an entry point for protecting disaster-displaced persons and some member states indeed have applied this expanded definition in environmental cases, see Kraler et al 2020;Braun 2023. displacement has figured in the follow-up mechanisms of the Compacts, but since these are built on voluntary reviews and pledges rather than binding, sanctionable commitments, the likelihood that states will take the kind of transformational action required for the issue is low.…”