Disaster Management - Effect to migrate natural disaster at national and global level

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Disaster Management - Effect to migrate natural disaster at national and global level

Last year, a little over 1,300 people lost their lives and several thousands were displaced because of incessant flooding in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The scale of the destruction was massive, with over 41 million people affected and 950,000 houses destroyed.

This year is proving to be no different. Over the last couple of months, a large section of Northeast India has been severely ravaged by flash floods with over 100,000 affected in Assam alone. The situation is equally bad in the states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur and Mizoram.

In what is now increasingly being seen as the norm rather than the exception, extreme weather events like cyclones, droughts and tropical storms are wreaking unimaginable havoc in disaster-prone regions and a large section of the population find their lives uprooted and livelihoods destroyed.

On August 29, 2017, the day that Mumbai received 331.4 mm rainfall, the highest in a decade, the migrant labor population living in squatter communities was one of the worst affected. With buildings often constructed out of salvaged materials, wall collapse and drowning was identified as the most common reason for injury and death. In the aftermath of disasters like these, contamination of drinking water further results in the incidence of water-borne diseases that lingers on for several months.

Forced to adapt, climate migrants move to big cities in the quest of a better and more stable life. However, poor and untenured housing conditions, absence of social protection schemes like medical insurance and inadequate resource supplies leave these people equally vulnerable to nature’s fury in the city. 

For example, when cyclone Phailin ravaged the coastal state of Orissa in 2013, the state witnessed an unprecedented scale of migration of fishing communities that had otherwise been based there for decades. Similarly, in the state of Uttarakhand, flooding and incessant rain has brought about mass migration of the rural communities. According to 2011 census figures, of 16,793 villages in the state 1,053 have no inhabitants and 405 villages have less than 10 residents.

Unable to resist climate induced hardships and caught in an endless negative spiral of instability, poverty and desperation, this is the sad plight of a growing number of people, now being referred to as climate migrants or climate refugees. Between 2008-2016, over 200 million people have been displaced worldwide as a result of natural disasters and in India, close to 1.5 million people are classified as internally displaced (1.3 million in 2017) every year.

Defining the Climate Migrant

Within the Indian context, climate-induced migration can be broadly divided into two categories. The first category is migrants who are forced to move from rural to urban areas as a result of an environmental disaster that might have destroyed their homes and farms.

These migrants often seek refuge in mega-cities for the large range of opportunities they present. So in the case of Mumbai, a number of migrants from the South might have moved to the city as a result of land degradation and desertification back home while migrants from the North have largely moved owing to drought.

A report published by Action Aid looks at the issue of climate migration from a gender lens. As men abandon their farms and migrate to cities for work due to drought, women are held responsible for taking on their husband’s agricultural duties, while still engaged in household chores and other petty jobs. In the absence of credit and capital, women in rural India face significant barriers that are almost impossible to overcome.

The second category of climate-induced migrants most relevant to India are migrants who move from Bangladesh in search of a better life in India. Bangladesh is one of the world’s most natural disaster prone countries — a fourth of its land is just five feet above sea level while two-thirds is less than 15 feet above sea level. In the last three decades, close to a million people have been rendered homeless as a consequence of increasing erosion in the Brahmaputra river basin.

The Sunderban Delta in Bangladesh is also seeing a constant rise in sea levels and incidents of salt-water intrusions. It is estimated that a mammoth 50-120 million migrants may end up becoming climate refugees of Bangladesh in India. 

More recent studies that have reviewed trends and empirical data suggest that Indian cities might not only be the preferred option for Bangladeshi migrants, but also often the only option.

Both forms of climate-induced migration are hotly contested political and diplomatic issues. Climate migrants often lack representation, residency rights or social entitlements and hence find themselves clubbed into the category of illegal immigrants, with little or no effort made by the authorities to discern their motivation for migration. In a country like India where competition for jobs and resources is already very high, the issue is also repeatedly exploited for political gain. 

On the diplomatic stage, international law does not recognize climate refugees under the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 protocol, making them ineligible for any protection under national or international legal frameworks. 

Moreover, while India might be home to refugees from Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, it is one of the few countries in the world that has refused to sign and ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 protocol.

Over the years, a lack of political will in dealing with climate-induced migration has essentially meant that reforms have not kept pace with the problem. Politically, there is little indication that the government has any sustainable or long-term plans to deal with climate migrants from Bangladesh.

The need of the hour as political scientist Miles DePaul suggests is “a normative shift on the issue of climate-induced migration to ensure that those victimized by anthropogenic and natural climate change are met with a compassionate, coordinated global regime rather than strict national immigration policies, like those currently employed in India.” Given the politics associated with dealing with illegal immigration, this might be easier said than achieved.

Future Pathways

Going forward, any solution aimed at addressing this challenge within India, has to solve three fundamental questions: How can policymakers integrate principles of resilience into India’s agricultural system? How do governments ensure that mega-cities are less vulnerable to the effects of mass urbanization? What is India’s long-term plan to finance rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the event of climate-induced disasters?

While states like Orissa and Uttarakhand have been making proactive attempts to adapt, environmental experts are of the view that these measures are woefully inadequate given the scale of the problem. Administrative lethargy or the lack of foresight and planning will only further exacerbate the suffering and plight of climate migrants. 

As the cyclone season goes by, policymakers in the Indian subcontinent may be reminded yet again that the effects of climate change are unequivocal and devastating. This is particularly unjust to the climate migrants, as they are least responsible for the mess we find ourselves in. 

Millions of people worldwide are being displaced by natural disasters triggered partially by climate change, and the international community is finally taking steps to mitigate the suffering

NEW DELHI, Jun 11 2018 (IPS) - This year is set to be an important milestone in the arduous journey of climate migrants. The global community is now beginning to fathom the challenges of people displaced by events such as floods, storms and sea level rise that are partly fuelled by climate change.

Natural disasters forced over 18 million people out of their homes in 135 countries just last year, according to a new global report released by Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). It highlights that weather-related hazards triggered the vast majority of the displacement, with floods and storms accounting for more than 80% of the incidents. China, the Philippines, Cuba and the US were the worst affected.

“Climate change is becoming a critical driver of displacement risk across the world, in combination with rapid and badly managed urbanisation, and increasing levels of inequality and persistent poverty,” Bina Desai, Head of Policy and Research at IDMC.

The study further cites that hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria broke several records in the Atlantic and Caribbean, and a series of storms in South and East Asia and Pacific displaced large numbers of people throughout the year.

Highest disaster displacement risk

In South Asia alone, heavy monsoon floods and tropical cyclones have displaced 2.8 million, and in relation to its population size, the region has the highest disaster displacement risk globally. Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are among the 10 countries in the world with highest levels of displacement risk related to sudden-onset events.

In addition, displacement linked to slow-onset events such as sea level rise, desertification and salinization are displacing millions more, particularly in the Sub-Saharan Africa and Pacific regions.

“South Asia has 22% of the world’s population but it houses 60% of the poor with the least capacity to confront increasing climate impacts”

Millions of people in the Sundarbans — a unique mangrove ecosystem shared by Bangladesh and India — are already facing the brunt of rising sea and high intensity storms more frequently. These low-lying islands away from the global attention has already seen thousands being displaced, many of them permanently to inland cities, to eke out a living.

 

Migration gets center stage

It was the UN climate change summit in the Mexican city of Cancún in 2010 that for the first time recognized the relationship between climate change and different forms of forced human mobility.

It called on governments to “commit to measures to enhance understanding, coordination and cooperation with regard to climate change induced displacement, migration and planned relocation.” Decisions at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) summits advanced the agenda in subsequent years. A high-level political boost came at the Paris summit in 2015.

The Paris Agreement not only acknowledged the rights of migrants but also gave a mandate to establish a Task Force on Displacement to provide recommendations to the Conference of Parties (COP), the apex body of the UNFCCC.

A year later, 193 nations at the UN General Assembly adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, recognising the need for a comprehensive approach to issues related to migration and refugees and enhanced global cooperation.

It decided to start the process in April 2017 to develop a “Global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration.” Since then, several consultations have been organised to gather inputs from various regions and stakeholders.

The on-going negotiations will be concluded this July and the General Assembly will then hold an intergovernmental conference on international migration in 2018 in Morocco to adopt the global compact.

Along the same lines, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD) jointly hosted a stakeholder meeting in May on behalf of the UNFCCC Task Force on Displacement.

More than 60 experts from governments, regional organisations, civil society and international organisations contributed in drafting recommendations to avert, minimise and address displacement in the context of climate change.

After the discussion in its forthcoming September meeting, the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage will present the recommendations for adoption at the Katowice Climate Change Conference (COP 24) in December 2018.

“As climate change is already contributing to forced migration and displacement now and will continue to do so in the future, the recommendations of the Task Force can help develop a more prospective approach to managing displacement risk, including more equitable financing and risk reduction,

Migration as adaptation

There is an on-going discussion to consider migration as an adaptation strategy and not just a desperate measure taken by people badly hit by climate impacts. The answer lies in analysing whether the recourse taken by climate victims offers them better quality of life or an unsafe situation devoid of identity and inadequate access to basic services like healthcare, shelter, sanitation and security.

“If we invest in climate action today, we reduce the risks of displacement due to climate change for future generations. It will mean reducing losses and damages that occur when migration is a tragedy and a last resort.”

We also have to think migration policy and practice with innovative eyes, so as to see how safe and orderly migration can provide solutions and opportunities for people who are affected by climate change to move in a dignified manner.”

All eyes are now on the December climate summit in Poland, with a few rounds of talks in between, when both the UN processes involving almost 200 countries conclude, collectively aiming to protect the safety, dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants.

“Migration remains the only option left for people who permanently lose home and income to climate change impacts,” said Vashist. “The issue requires serious attention from our governments and the global community alike.”

 

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) is an international document which was adopted by UN member states between 14th and 18th of March 2015 at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan and endorsed by the UN General Assembly in June 2015. It is the successor agreement to the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015), which had been the most encompassing international accord to date on disaster risk reduction.

The Sendai document emerged from three years' of talks, assisted by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, during which UN member states, NGOs, and other stakeholders made calls for an improved version of the existing Hyogo Framework, with a set of common standards, a comprehensive framework with achievable targets, and a legally-based instrument for disaster risk reduction. Member states also emphasized the need to tackle disaster risk reduction and climate change adaption when setting the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in light of an insufficient focus on risk reduction and resilience in the original Millennium Development Goals.

The Sendai Framework sets four specific priorities for action:

1.         Understanding disaster risk;

2.         Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk;

3.         Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience;

4.         Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to "Build Back Better" in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

To support the assessment of global progress in achieving the outcome and goal of the Sendai Framework, seven global targets have been agreed:

1.         Substantially reduce global disaster mortality by 2030, aiming to lower average per 100,000 global mortality between 2020-2030 compared to 2005-2015;

2.         Substantially reduce the number of affected people globally by 2030, aiming to lower the average global figure per 100,000 between 2020-2030 compared to 2005-2015;

3.         Reduce direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product by 2030;

4.         Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, among them health and educational facilities, including through developing their resilience by 2030;

5.         Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020;

6.         Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of the framework by 2030;

7.         Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to the people by 2030.

8.         The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is an intergovernmental organizationthat provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. In September 2016, it became a related organization of the United Nations. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) to help resettle people displaced by World War II. As of June 2016, the International Organization for Migration had 166 member states and eight observer states.

9.         It is the principal intergovernmental organization in the field of migration. IOM's stated mission is to promote humane and orderly migration by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

10.      IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, be they refugees, displaced persons or other uprooted people.

11.      The IOM Constitution gives explicit recognition to the link between migration and economic, social and cultural development, as well as to the right of freedom of movement of persons.

12.      IOM works in the four broad areas of migration management: migration and development, facilitating migration, regulating migration, and addressing forced migration. Cross-cutting activities include the promotion of international migration law, policy debate and guidance, protection of migrants’ rights, migration health and the gender dimension of migration.

13.      In addition, IOM has often organized elections for refugees out of their home country, as was the case in the 2004 Afghan elections and the 2005 Iraqi elections.

14.      IOM works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners.

IOM was born in 1951 out of the chaos and displacement of Western Europe following the Second World War. It was first known as the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe(PICMME). Mandated to help European governments to identify resettlement countries for the estimated 11 million people uprooted by the war, it arranged transport for nearly a million migrants during the 1950s.

The Constitution of the International Organization for Migration was concluded on 19 October 1953 in Venice as the Constitution of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration. The Constitution entered into force on 30 November 1954 and the organization was formally born.

The organization underwent a succession of name changes from PICMME to the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) in 1952, to the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (ICM) in 1988, and to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 1989; these changes reflect the organization's transition over half a century from a logistics agency to a migration agency.

While IOM's history tracks the man-made and natural disasters of the past half century—Hungary 1956, Czechoslovakia 1968, Chile 1973, the Vietnamese Boat People 1975, Kuwait 1990, Kosovo and Timor 1999, and the Asian tsunami, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Pakistan earthquake of 2004/2005 and the 2010 Haiti earthquake—its credo that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society has steadily gained international acceptance.

From its roots as an operational logistics agency, it has broadened its scope to become the leading international agency working with governments and civil society to advance the understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration, and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.

The broader scope of activities has been matched by rapid expansion from a relatively small agency into one with an annual operating budget of $1.3 billion and some 8,400 staff working in over 100 countries worldwide.

As "The Migration Agency" IOM has become the point of reference in the heated global debate on the social, economic and political implications of migration in the 21st century.

Member states

As of July 2018, the International Organization for Migration has 165 member states and 8 observer states.