ISTANBUL: The newly-elected Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has called for immediate action to address the challenges posed by climate change and human migration, stating that the world has entered the “era of climate migration.”
Amy Pope made this urgent plea in a statement emphasizing the need for solutions to tackle the intersection of climate change and human mobility on a continental scale. Her call coincides with the upcoming Africa Climate Summit scheduled to take place in Nairobi from September 4th to 6th.
The Summit is set to become the largest gathering of African heads of state, ministers, UN agencies, humanitarian and development partners, representatives from the private sector, and youth in the continent’s history, as stated in the announcement.
The statement highlighted African countries’ vulnerability to climate change’s impacts, including devastating effects like droughts, floods, extreme weather conditions, and rising sea levels. It also cited a report from the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, which recorded over 7.5 million internal displacements due to African disasters in 2022.
Without a comprehensive climate action plan, a 2021 World Bank report estimates that up to 105 million people in Africa alone could become internal migrants by 2023.
The Africa Climate Summit precedes the Conference of Parties (COP28), scheduled for December in the United Arab Emirates, where the aim is to unite African nations in reaching agreements regarding the impact of climate change on human migration.
Amy Pope, elected as the Director-General of IOM in May, is set to assume office on October 1st, leading the organization for a five-year term. She previously served as a senior advisor on migration to US President Joe Biden in 2021. —AA/APP
