CLIMATE CHANGE, DISASTERS,
AND HUMAN MOBILITY IN
SOUTH ASIA
OUTCOME REPORT
Nansen Initiative South Asia Regional Civil Society Meeting
Kathmandu, Nepal
2-3 February 2015
DISASTERS
CLIMATE CHANGE AND
DISPLACEMENT
NRC
NORWEGIAN
REFUGEE COUNCIL
EVIDENCE
FOR ACTION
Asia Pacific
Refugee Rights
Network
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
(ICIMOD) and the Nansen Initiative jointly organized the meeting with generous financial support from the
MacArthur Foundation.
The project is funded
by the European Union
with the support of
Norway and Switzerland
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD BY THE NANSEN INITIATIVE SECRETARIAT AND THE ORGANIZERS..........................................................6
MESSAGE FROM THE ENVOY OF THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE NANSEN INITIATIVE.....................................................7
1. RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE NANSEN INITIATIVE SOUTH ASIA CIVIL SOCIETY MEETING...................................8
1.1 Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Building...........................................................................................................9
1.2 Migration as Adaptation...............................................................................................................................................9
1.3 Planned Relocation....................................................................................................................................................10
1.4 Protection for persons affected by displacement........................................................................................................10
2. THE MEETING........................................................................................................................................................11
2.1 Introductory Remarks.................................................................................................................................................12
2.2 Overview of Human Mobility in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change in South Asia........................................13
2.3 Case Studies and Country Experiences......................................................................................................................15
2.4 Thematic Issues.........................................................................................................................................................16
2.4.1 Prevention, Preparedness and Durable Solutions............................................................................................................ 16
2.4.2 Protection in the Context of Human Mobility and Disasters in South Asia....................................................................... 18
2.5 Closing Remarks........................................................................................................................................................20
2.6 Next Steps for Civil Society........................................................................................................................................21
3. ANNEX...................................................................................................................................................................22
Agenda............................................................................................................................................................................22
Participants.....................................................................................................................................................................24
5
FOREWORD BY THE NANSEN
INITIATIVE SECRETARIAT
AND THE ORGANIZERS
The Nansen Initiative Civil Society Meeting “Climate
Change, Disasters, and Human Mobility in South Asia”
brought together around 70 participants to discuss human mobility1 in the context of disasters and a changing
climate in the South Asia Region.2 Participants came
from Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka, and Afghanistan, and represented civil society,
national and international NGOs, international organizations as well as research institutions. The Asia
Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
(ICIMOD) and the Nansen Initiative jointly organized
the meeting with generous financial support from the
MacArthur Foundation.
The Nansen Initiative is a state-led, bottom-up consultative process intended to build consensus on the
development of a Protection Agenda addressing the
needs of people displaced across international borders
in the context of drought, flooding and other natural
hazards, including those linked to the effects of climate
change. To build consensus on a potential Protection
Agenda and feed the Nansen Initiative process with
practical experiences, inter-governmental Regional
Consultations and Civil Society Meetings took place
in the Pacific, Central America, the Horn of Africa
and South-East Asia over the course of 2013 to 2014.
While a South Asia Regional Consultation will take
place in April 2015. The results of the Nansen Initiative
Regional Consultations and Civil Society Meetings will
be consolidated and discussed at a global inter-governmental consultation in October 2015. Recommendations from this meeting with civil society actors
in South Asia are an important contribution to these
global discussions.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain
Development (ICIMOD), founded by the eight Hindu
Kush-Himalayan (HKH) countries of Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal
and Pakistan and incorporated in Nepal under an Act
of Parliament in the year 1983 as a regional research
and development agency, has been working towards
sustainable mountain development in the HKH region.
ICIMODs mission is to help promote the development
6
of an environmentally and economically sound mountain ecosystem, contribute to sustainable management
of water resources and flood risk reduction and to
improve the living standards of mountain populations
in the HKH region.
The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) is
an open and growing network consisting of more than
200 members committed to advancing the rights of
refugees, stateless persons and forced migrants in the
Asia Pacific Region, through a process of information
sharing, mutual capacity building, and joint advocacy.
APRRN members are diverse, including service providers, human rights advocacy groups, research institutions, law firms providing pro-bono legal aid, refugee
community-based organisations and refugees themselves. Almost all APRRN members are civil society
groups working in their specific local contexts, lobbying
their governments for changes in policies and legislation
to protect the rights of refugees, stateless persons and
forced migrants.
The overall objectives of South Asia Civil Society Meeting were to:
1 Develop a better understanding of the human mobility dynamics linked to natural hazards in South Asia;
2 Identify good practices, at regional and community
levels, in establishing mechanisms for climate change
adaptation, disaster preparedness, building resilience
and responding to and managing displacement risks;
3 Identify key protection concerns for people displaced
or moving within their countries or across borders
in disaster contexts, and assess the relevance and
appropriateness of existing policies, strategies and
normative frameworks.
On the final day, the participants drafted a summary
of conclusions and key recommendations as input for
the Nansen Initiative South Asia inter-governmental
Regional Consultation planned for 3 – 5 April 2015 in
Khulna, Bangladesh.
1
In this document, human mobility includes displacement, migration and planned relocation or resettlement. The term “displacement”
refers to situations where people are forced to leave their homes or places of habitual residence. The term “migration” is used to refer
to movements that are predominantly voluntary. “Planned relocation,” in some countries called “resettlement,” refers to an organized
movement, normally of a community, which can be voluntary or involuntary.
2
The South Asia Region consists of the Member States to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.
OUTCOME REPORT
MESSAGE FROM THE ENVOY
OF THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF
THE NANSEN INITIATIVE
Throughout the two-day Civil Society Meeting, I was
impressed by the active participation, relevant insights,
compelling case studies, and quality of recommendations put forward by participants. The presentations and
discussion confirmed that natural hazards are already
prompting people to move and that we may anticipate
larger numbers in the future. On a more optimistic note,
participants identified recommendations in four key
areas that will help to manage and prepare better for
such movements in the future. First, participants call
on governments in the region to work closely with civil
society and affected communities to develop national
and regional policies to address the protection needs of
displaced people and migrants in the context of disasters and climate change. Second, participants expressed
the need to increase efforts on building the resilience
of communities living in disaster-prone areas to allow
them to stay in their homes by strengthening community-based disaster risk reduction activities, like flood
early warning systems and evacuation plans. Third,
participants noted the need to prepare for planned relocation in situations where environmental degradation
puts people’s lives and livelihoods at risk, ensuring close
consultation with all affected communities. Finally, participants called for a research agenda to better
understand the nexus between environmental factors
and human mobility and to generate better data on the
characteristics and needs of people on the move in the
region.
Climate Change, Disasters, and Human Mobility in South Asia
7
1. RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE
NANSEN INITIATIVE SOUTH ASIA
CIVIL SOCIETY MEETING
The participants of the workshop agreed that displacement in the context of disasters is an important or
very important issue in the South Asia region. They believe that cross-border displacement will become
more important in the future considering climate change projections and the growth of populations in at
risk areas. They further emphasized the complexity of understanding human mobility dynamics in this
region, due to the multi-causal factors that drive movement, the “mixed” nature of migration flows, and
the existence of secondary and even tertiary movements.
Overall, participants identified protection gaps related
to displacement, relocations, mixed migration flows and
also migrants caught in crisis in the South Asia region.
To address these gaps, discussions emphasized the importance of a regional multi-sector approach that builds
on existing potential frameworks, such as SAARC as
well as national policies. Participants also highlighted
the need to incorporate the linkages between displacement, migration, disaster risk reduction and climate
change adaptation into ongoing international processes, such as the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS),
the Post 2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
(HFA2), the UNFCCC Climate Change process culminating in Paris 2015 (COP 21), and the development of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To inform these discussions, participants repeatedly
noted the need for further data collection, research
8
OUTCOME REPORT
and case studies on the dynamics of human mobility
and disasters in South Asia, as well as the parallel need
to strengthen channels for dissemination and sharing
of this information. Participants also emphasized the
importance of including perspectives of communities
affected by displacement in a consultative, participatory
manner, in all stages of disaster response, recovery and
rehabilitation.
During the workshop, participants focused on four specific topics in working groups: 1) disaster risk reduction
and strengthening resilience in areas affected by natural
hazards, 2) migration as an adaptation mechanism to
climate change, 3) planned relocation, and 4) protection
challenges. The working group members shared experiences, identified gaps and challenges, and made recommendations to address the gaps. The key recommendations from each working group include the following:
1.1 DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
AND RESILIENCE BUILDING
• Improve and develop trans-boundary early warning
systems and other mechanisms for regional information sharing as a means to prevent and prepare for
displacement.
• Incorporate human mobility issues within national
and regional disaster risk management and climate
change adaptation strategies and plans.
• Mainstream disaster risk reduction lessons learned in
training for government officials and civil servants, as
well as in coursework for those studying business and
management at universities.
• Develop education based disaster risk reduction activities, including creation of national curriculum, as a
means to prevent displacement.
• Develop a mechanism to identify the geographic areas
at highest risk, and then develop policies and guidelines to improve livelihood opportunities in these
most vulnerable areas.
• Strengthen capacity building and coordination across
government agencies carrying out disaster risk reduction activities.
• Foster collaboration across sectors of society, including partnerships with the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions.
1.2 MIGRATION AS ADAPTATION
• Ratify and Implement existing International law
protecting rights of migrants, but also utilize other
parallel international legal frameworks to strengthen
protection (i.e. CEDAW).
• Ensure migration pathways are safe and well managed, building on existing legal framework and
change of practice (e.g. reform of existing recruitment
processes).
• Provide skill-development through training centers to
ensure that migrants can receive higher salaries, particularly in areas highly exposed to natural hazards.
• Increase access to information and provide education
to communities about what options exist for them to
either spend or invest remittances.
• Encourage support for communities or family members who are unable to migrate through remittances,
transfer of social capital and assistance from Diaspora.
• Consider framing migration as adaptation to natural
hazards and climate change as a part of a broader understanding of migration as adaptation to all change.
Consult available information from migration and
development scholarship, and look at how existing
models can be applied to strengthen adaptation to
disasters.
• Strengthen research and data collection to better
understand how remittances and migration can help
communities build adaptive capacity.
• On a national level, explore how government programs, schemes, and incentives for remittances can
act as capital for climate change adaptation (i.e. match
or parallel fund schemes).
Climate Change, Disasters, and Human Mobility in South Asia
9
1.3 PLANNED RELOCATION
• Encourage consultation both with relocating communities and host communities in area of relocation,
through people-centered participatory relocation
process.
• Promote empowerment and ownership of relocation
to prevent dependency.
1.4 PROTECTION FOR PERSONS
AFFECTED BY DISPLACEMENT
• Develop and Implement national IDP Policies, recognizing the particular importance of internal displacement in disaster contexts.
• Relocation and resettlement plans should be adjusted
to different types beneficiaries based on pre-existing
vulnerabilities.
• Promote education to ensure local awareness on
protection needs that arise in the context of disasters
and human mobility, complemented by advocacy and
capacity building of community-based organizations
on existing policies.
• Conduct longitudinal research to follow up and see
how integration process functions for new communities after relocation has been implemented.
• Improve disaster response coordination mechanisms,
to ensure all stakeholders focus on the protection
needs of the displaced and affected populations.
• Draft policies on resettlement entitlements, and a
framework for determining duration of services in
temporary and durable solutions.
• Encourage National Human Rights Institutions to expand work focused on protection of displaced persons
in disaster contexts.
• Harmonize national and international standards of
protection for planned relocation and resettlement,
either as a preventive measure or as a durable solution.
• Strengthen research efforts that focus on slow-onset
hazards and protracted situations, and note the specific protection concerns that arise in these contexts.
• Encourage SAARC to establish a regular information
sharing mechanism to share best practices across
different relocation projects.
• Implement the SAARC trafficking convention and
broaden the scope of the convention according to
international standards.
• APRRN calls for all to consider honoring and endorsing the “Vision of Protection” for this region.
10
OUTCOME REPORT
2. THE MEETING
South Asian is geography diverse, ranging from the world’s highest elevations in Hindu-Kush Himalayas
to the low-lying coastal plains and islands of the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. Due
to these unique geo-climatic conditions, South Asia is exposed to a wide array of natural hazards that
can trigger human mobility (displacement, migration and planned relocation), including sudden-onset
tropical cyclones, flash floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, avalanches and glacial lake outburst
floods, as well as slow-onset desertification, droughts, salt water intrusion, and erosion.
Given many countries’ high exposure and current
adaptive capacity, South Asia also increasingly faces the
adverse effects of climate change, including rising sea
levels and changing monsoon seasons, which threaten
human settlements, infrastructure, resource availability and livelihoods. Such movements occur within a
complex set of drivers, such as population growth, increased urbanization, severe poverty, a growing demand
for foreign labour, border management and security
concerns and conflict. At the same time, displacement
in the context of disasters can increase the risk of social
tension and conflict in receiving areas, contributing to
xenophobia, persecution, etc.
The overall number of people displaced across international borders in South Asia is not known. However, in
light of projected population growth, continued environmental degradation and the predicted increase in the
frequency and intensity of disasters linked to climate
change, it is anticipated that population movements in
South Asia, both internally and across international borders, are likely to increase.
With this background in mind, the Nansen Initiative
South Asia Civil Society meeting took place in Kathmandu from 2-3 February 2015. Over the course of two
days, the meeting included four panels of presentations
as well as a working group session to develop key recommendations. After welcome and introductory remarks,
presentations set the stage with an overview of human
mobility in the context of disasters and climate change
in this region. Then a number of participants presented
case studies and country experiences that illustrated the
diversity of geographies and natural hazards across the
South Asia region, and protection challenges unique to
each disaster. The remainder of first day presentations
focused on the first set of thematic issues – prevention,
preparedness and durable solutions.
The second day began with discussion of thematic
issues surrounding protection for those affected by
disaster related displacement in South Asia. Following
this session, participants broke into the four working
groups based on thematic issue of expertise – resilience
building, migration as adaptation, planned relocation,
and protection. The workshop then reconvened to share
key recommendations from each group, before concluding with discussion of next steps for civil society and the
Nansen Initiative and closing remarks. A summary of
these presentations follows.
Climate Change, Disasters, and Human Mobility in South Asia
11
2.1 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
H.E. Ambassador Urs Herren
Embassy of Switzerland and Chairmanship of the Nansen
Initiative
Ambassador Herren welcomed the participants and expressed his pleasure to speak on behalf of chairmanship
about disasters and displacement, a topic of increasing
importance in the South Asia region. He noted the
changing factors driving displacement, citing that numbers of people displaced by disasters today exceeds those
by conflict, and will likely increase further as a result of
the adverse effect of climate change. He noted the particular protection gaps for cross border movements and
consequent need for tools and guidance to assist States
to better protect rights in such contexts. After outlining
a history of the Nansen Initiative, Herren concluded
by stating that this civil society meeting outcomes will
feed into compiling a “Protection Agenda”, the first
of a series of steps necessary to better protect persons
displaced by disasters in this region.
12
OUTCOME REPORT
Mr. Jamie McGoldrick
UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal
McGoldrick stated the need to address the growing
challenge of displacement in disaster contexts, noting
the unique vulnerability of communities and countries
in the South Asia region. He clarified that addressing
related protection challenges is a state responsibility
that requires support from the international community. He further highlighted relevant parallel processes
including the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul
2016 and the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties in Paris 2015.
McGoldrick concluded by emphasizing the importance
of civil society in ensuring global commitment and
collaborative approach to address this complex issue in
the years ahead.
Dr. Anoop Sukumaran
Prof. Walter Kaelin
Executive Director, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network
(APRRN)
Envoy of the Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative
Sukumaran highlighted that millions of people are at
risk of climate related displacement and migration. He
mentioned that these phenomena are not new, though
climate change and increased border security add urgency for addressing these issues. He continued to emphasize the lack effective legal mechanisms and consequent importance of civil society in developing a vision
for protection. He finally suggested that international
level discussions must consider the humanity of those in
need of protection, and the real implications protection
measures can have on these people’s lives. Sukumaran
thanked the Nansen Initiative, ICIMOD, MacArthur
Foundation and all those in attendance.
Ms. Dipa Nag Chowdhury
Deputy Director, International Programs, MacArthur
Foundation, India
Chowdhury began with a summary of the MacArthur
Foundation’s initiatives on Global Migration and Human Mobility more generally and proceeded to outline
the evolution of thoughts on human mobility and environment. The MacArthur foundation has moved from
strict focus on climate change, to broader consideration
of earthquakes and geophysical disasters, as well as the
rights of migrants in crisis. Today, MacArthur supports
the Crisis Migration Project at Georgetown, the Nansen
Initiative and policy guidance for climate change
planned relocation by Brookings, Georgetown and
UNHCR. While MacArthur grant making in this area
ends in 2017, the foundation intends to remain engaged
on topics of climate change and human mobility in the
years ahead.
Prof. Kaelin summarized trends of disaster related
displacement, internal and across borders, on a global
scale. He then drew attention to a number of examples
in South Asia, including the 2004 Tsunami, 2005 Pakistan Earthquake, 2009 Cyclone Aila, and 2010 Pakistan
Indus valley Floods. He highlighted the legal distinction
between displacement as a forced movement, migration
as a predominantly voluntary movement, relocation as
a planned permanent movement, and also combinations thereof (i.e. voluntary economic migration after
protracted displacement). Despite increasing attention
to this issue, there remain legal, conceptual, institutional, financial, and knowledge gaps. He then summarized
background, structure and goals of the Nansen Initiative, as well as provided an overview of outcomes and
lessons learnt from previous regional consultations and
civil society meetings. He concluded by clarifying that
there is no single solution to address disaster related
displacement, but rather the need for a comprehensive
“Toolbox” approach that incorporates components
including: Mitigation, Adaptation and Disaster Risk
Reduction, Migration as adaptation, Planned Relocation, IDP protection and if all this fails and cross-border
displacement becomes a reality, humanitarian protection for temporary cross border admission. This notion
of a “toolbox” frames the structure of this civil society
meeting, as well as recommendations moving forwards.
2.2 OVERVIEW OF HUMAN MOBILITY
IN THE CONTEXT OF DISASTERS AND
CLIMATE CHANGE IN SOUTH ASIA
Dr. Eklabya Sharma
Director of Programme Operations, International Centre
for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
Sharma reiterated the importance of trans-boundary issues for ICIMOD, as reflected by their mandate looking
at upstream and downstream communities. In South
Asia, mountains are an ecologically sensitive region, and
experience many natural hazards and are also hotspots
for climate change impacts; thus sustainable management of the mountains is essential to prevent serious
consequences for not only the mountain communities
but also the billions downstream, including displacement following disasters. Sharma then highlighted
knowledge gaps and need for regional information and
response efforts. He further stated the role of ICIMOD
as a regional inter-governmental knowledge center to
generate information and then ensure evidence-based
decisions can be made by civil society and government
stakeholders, particularly for trans-boundary issues of
human mobility and disasters. Sharma concluded by
looking forward to collaboration with those present at
this civil society meeting.
Human Mobility in Context of Disasters and Climate
Change: Presentation of Concepts and Terms
Prof. Dominic Kniveton, Department of Geography
University of Sussex
Prof. Kniveton provided an overview of definitions of
key terms and concepts (e.g. risk, resilience, adaptation etc.) both from perspectives of natural and social
science. He began by acknowledging the compounding
layers of uncertainty in understanding climate change
and defined ‘Risk’ as the intersection between three
concepts: social ‘vulnerability’, natural ‘hazards’ and
‘exposure’ of a given community. He conveyed climate
scientist’s consensus that the South Asia region will
experience more extremes: coastal inundation, urban
flooding with potential damage to infrastructure and
livelihoods, heat waves and drought related food and
water shortages. He then provided a framework to
understand the multi-causality of human mobility in
these contexts, including economic, demographic, politClimate Change, Disasters, and Human Mobility in South Asia
13
ical, social, and environmental drivers. Prof. Kniveton
further clarified that migration is often conceptualized
differently, as there is a continuum of perspectives from
1) ‘Optimists’ who frame migrants as agents of change
with capital, knowledge and skill transfer, to 2) ‘Pessimists’ who frame migrants as victims who move to areas
of greater vulnerability, to 3) ‘Pluralists’ who frame
migration as geographic diversification of income, with
mixed outcomes. Prof. Kniveton finally highlighted the
plight of ‘trapped populations’, citing a study of riverbank erosion in Bangladesh where those who are most
vulnerable lack the resources to move proactively.
Current and Anticipated Displacement in
the Context of Disasters in South Asia
Ms. Kelly Erin Flynn, Partnership Manager
Norwegian Refugee Council
Flynn presented the estimates of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Council (IDMC) annual ‘Global
Estimates Report’, introducing numbers to illustrate
the gravity of disaster related displacement globally
and in South Asia. In years 2008-2013, 140 million were
newly displaced by sudden onset disasters globally, with
46.7 million from South Asia. This region is particularly vulnerable, as this figure represents 28% of global
total displacement in disaster contexts. Flynn further
highlighted the need for better data to fill blind spots,
particularly in protracted situations and following slow
onset disasters.
14
OUTCOME REPORT
Human Mobility in Context of Disasters and
Climate Change: Legal Frameworks
Ms. Hannah Entwisle Chapuisat
Research and Partnerships Officer, Nansen Initiative
Secretariat
Entwisle Chapuisat built on Professor Kaelin’s earlier
presentation with an overview of what legal frameworks
and gaps exist today for protection of persons on the
move in disaster contexts. In regards to forced movements, the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
and domestic IDP policies guide protection within
national borders, while cross-border displacement
represents a major gap under existing international law.
The Palermo Protocols and SAARC Convention represent efforts to protect persons in case of trafficking.
Finally, national constitutions and human rights frameworks protect the rights of internal migrants, while the
Convention on Rights of Migrant Workers provides
protection for cross-border migrants. However, these
conventions are not universally ratified and significant
legal protection gaps regarding admission remain in the
South Asia region.
The Climate Change and Migration Nexus:
National and regional responses
Post-flood Rehabilitation in Uttarakhand
Mr. Sourav Roy, Program Leader
Ms. Sabira Coelho
Programme Associate (Migration, Environment and Climate change), International Organization for Migration
Coelho provided an overview of the regional thematic
context in South Asia, a region marked by dramatic
population growth and densely populated urban areas
exposed to a range of natural hazards. This region also
sends over 2.5 million migrant workers abroad every
year and in return receives significant remittances in
absolute terms and proportionally as a share of the GDP,
for example in India and Nepal, respectively. Coelho
highlighted the gap between statements made by South
Asian governments on an international stage about
climate related human mobility and concrete national
action. She touched upon limitations to national action,
including the research gap and lack of advocacy on how
well-managed migration can reduce vulnerability and
strengthen resilience. She concluded with discussion of
the International Organization of Migration’s work on
this topic from both top down and bottom up approaches, including recent research studies and operational
responses through trainings, standards, and guidelines.
2.3 CASE STUDIES AND
COUNTRY EXPERIENCES
Earthquake Preparedness in Nepal
Mr. Amod Dixit
National Society for Earthquake Technology, Nepal
Dixit presented earthquake scenarios in the Kathmandu Valley, which estimate that damage may result in
a ‘homeless’ population of 1.5 million. His presentation highlighted potential trans-boundary impacts of
earthquakes and reinforced the need for international
cooperation in response efforts. He emphasized existing knowledge gaps and the need for further research
on earthquake related displacement, as well as on
secondary movements, including across the border
into northern India. He asserted that emergency preparedness measures to prevent displacement should
incorporate technical solutions for reducing physical
vulnerabilities as well as for enhancing social resilience.
A representative from IOM Nepal added that based on
these earthquake scenarios, the Government of Nepal
has established ‘open spaces’ in the Kathmandu Valley
for humanitarian response to assist the displaced in case
of a disaster.
Tata Uttarakhand Program, India
Roy presented Tata’s experience with disaster response
efforts following June 2013 floods in Uttarakhand,
Northern India. He highlighted that displacement was
not a result of a single sudden-onset flood, landslide or
breach of glacier moraine, but rather incessant rains
over a two-week period and aggregation of many individual disasters. Humanitarian assistance was provided
in the 5-month period after the disaster followed by
rehabilitation initiatives, relying on many non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations. Notably, in the minds of the communities themselves, reasons for migration were not directly linked to
disaster, but rather to low farm productivity and lack of
employment beyond agriculture. Roy concluded with
thought provoking questions about the role of community based mechanisms, as communities currently
appear not to see much value in preparing for monsoons
and floods.
Flooding in Afghanistan
Mr. Mohammad Sharif Ibrahimi
Emergency Response Project Coordinator, Norwegian
Refugee Council, Afghanistan
Ibrahimi summarized the circumstances of current
displacement in Afghanistan, citing recent 2014 examples of thousands displaced internally due to flood,
landslides and river erosion, as well as across borders
in context of conflict. He highlighted key protection
concerns in aftermath of floods, landslides, and river
erosion – including lack of privacy in shelters, delay in
shelter response, lack of land documentation, insufficient resources and donors not recognizing chronic river
erosion as an emergency. He further mentioned unique
challenges in context where disaster strikes areas of
insecurity, including logistical barriers to reach beneficiaries, as well as discrimination concerning scope of response efforts. Ibrahimi concluded with recommendations about integrating disaster risk reduction elements
into development projects, and proper implementation
of Afghanistan’s IDP policy, for instance to ensure landless persons are compensated after disasters.
Climate Change, Disasters, and Human Mobility in South Asia
15
Natural Hazards and Disaster – Case
Study from Northern Pakistan
2.4 THEMATIC ISSUES
Dr. Babar Khan
2.4.1 Prevention, Preparedness
and Durable Solutions
Senior Conversation Manager/Head, WWF Pakistan
Dr. Khan provided a compelling case study of displacement following a sudden onset hazard in Gilgit
Baltistan, a primarily agrarian and pastoralist region in
Northern Pakistan. In January 2010, a massive landslide
struck a small hamlet of 650+ people and created the
25 kilometer long Attabad Lake. This lake subsumed
all other villages in the valley, displacing 16,764 people
who sought refuge with camps and host families. The
lake further damaged the only land connection between
Pakistan and China, with significant impact on the local
economy. Khan highlighted the recent transformations
in the region, including shifts from agrarian to coastal
economy, from terrestrial to aquatic transportation and
the disappearance of trade with China. He described
how despite support provided by agencies and civil
society, the Attabad lake disaster has not been resolved,
as those who have lost their homes have not yet been
resettled and continue to issue complaints. He cited
governance and administrative challenges, financial
resource limitations and knowledge gaps as possible explanations for the delay. Khan concluded by stating that
life in the mountains depends intimately on climatic
conditions and need to have a proactive, pragmatic, and
participatory strategy to better manage disaster risks for
communities in these areas.
Low-lying Islands (Sea level rise)
Ms. Himani Upadhyay
TERI, India
Upadhyay presented her research on community perceptions of climate change and migration in low lying
coastal areas facing sea level rise. Her methodology
relied on household surveys in Lakshadweep, India and
the Maldives. Her findings highlighted disconnects
between perceptions of the international scientific
community and the communities themselves. Firstly, people do not seem to be concerned about climate
change and sea level rise as these are not considered
immediate risks. Second, people do not seem to want
to migrate as they feel a strong sense of attachment to
place and island identity. Upadhyay further described
that those who do have to migrate from Lakshadweep
go to Kerala, and from elsewhere in Maldives move to
Male, however this is not necessarily a strategy linked
to climate change adaptation. She described community resentment of media communicating idea of “Climate Refugees”, and posed the question that if people
from these low-lying islands are unwilling to move in
face of climate change, than what should policy and
research focus on?
16
OUTCOME REPORT
Disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation and other development activities that build the
resilience of disaster-affected communities can play an
important role in preventing and mitigating primary displacement, strengthening host communities to
absorb the displaced and finding durable solutions.
Within the region, all states have designated national
authorities responsible for disaster risk reduction and
disaster management, with national legislation also
for climate change adaptation and development. On
a regional level, the SAARC Disaster Management
Centre (SDMC) is responsible for disaster management,
while SAARC Action Plan on Climate Change governs
regional climate adaptation efforts. However, human
mobility concerns are only integrated in these regional
and national initiatives to a limited extent.
Participants discussed how the more resilient communities are, the less likely they are to experience
displacement, or the less severe displacement will be.
However, resilience building is multifaceted, multidimensional and highly contextual. Thus community
participation and bottom up approaches to prevention, preparedness and durable solutions are critical.
Participants also emphasized how preparedness
efforts should not function in isolation, but involve
collaboration across disaster risk reduction, climate
change adaptation, and development programs, to
better address the concerns of displaced persons in
disaster contexts.
Resilience Against Disaster and Displacement in
South Asia: Reflections from the Indian Sundarbans
Dr. Mi Zhou, Director
Praxis Labs, Hong Kong
Dr. Zhou stated that measures of community resilience
can be strengthened through integration of disaster
risk reduction, climate change adaptation and poverty
reduction efforts. She argued that the more resilient a
community, the less the risk and impact of displacement. She presented case studies from the Sundarbans
– the largest delta in the world in India and Bangladesh. She highlighted Lohachara as an example of
a submerged island, which led to the displacement
of70,000 people, who to Sagar. Ghoramara is another
island facing existential threats due to sea level rise.
Dr Zhou noted that IDPs received different assistance
packages and land grants depending on when they
moved. Some people facing submergence chose to stay
with their land until it is no longer viable rather than
relocating earlier, suggesting that communities make
trade-offs between multiple risks. Interestingly, all
resettled households had at least one migrant worker
who sent home remittances. Dr. Zhou further discussed various resilience-building initiatives in Sagar
Island, including cultivation of saline resistant rice and
betel nut leaves. She emphasized the importance of
women in resilience building initiatives. She made several recommendations on how to strengthen community resilience, and emphasised that stakeholders must
work across silos and integrate disaster risk reduction,
climate change adaptation, and poverty reduction
programming.
Experience from Disaster Risk Reduction
and Resilience Building Measures
in the Context of Disasters
Ms. Neera Shrestha Pradhan
DRR specialist, ICIMOD
Pradhan drew on her work in Assam India to showcase
how community-based early warning systems can be
highly effective in reducing displacement following
floods. She noted the trans-boundary nature of floods
in the Hindu Kush Himalaya and consequent importance of trans-boundary early warning coordination
and response. She noted that not all floods are negative,
in fact at times are necessary for agricultural production, but the important thing is preparedness. Pradhan
then summarized key lessons from the pilot projects,
including the need to be “people-centered”, timely and
accessible for those at risk and have innovative use of
low cost technology. She noted that installation of an
Early Warning Systems (EWS) are not enough, and must
be accompanied by efforts to build response capacity
and establish link to disaster management authorities. Pradhan concluded with discussion of the “upstream-downstream” linkages and the ability of these
systems to strengthen social relationships as well as save
assets through preparedness in face of flooding.
provisions during flood period. This research, the
“piggy bank experiment”, will now examine whether
trainings on financial literacy (e.g. monthly household
budget, savings plan, and increasing savings) and flood
preparedness imparted to women from remittance
receiving households will build capacity of the recipient
households to adapt to floods. Banerjee concluded with
discussion of the follow up phase and emphasized the
relevance of this topic to ICIMOD.
Floods, Migration, and Gender Issues in Pakistan
Dr. Giovanna Gioli
Hamburg University, Germany
Gioli’s presentation emphasized the inter-linkages of
disaster, human mobility and gender issues in Pakistan. Through analysis of the 2010 Indus Valley Floods,
Gioli illustrated how different patterns of mobility can
influence each other, citing examples of how economic
migration can significantly alter patterns and durations of displacement. She further presented the role of
shifting social relationships and gender dynamics in the
aftermath of disaster, as well as in predominantly male
circular migration to the Gulf. In post-flood relocation
efforts, women prefer to stay with relatives as opposed
to camps for safety concerns. Furthermore, Gioli highlighted the intersection of gender dynamics and ethnicity with the case of Gujars – a marginalized group in the
Swat Valley for which recent male migration to the Gulf
lead to a de-feminization of agriculture and reduced
mobility for traditionally nomadic women. This shift
has had consequences for flood resilience and reiterates
the gendered nature of so called ‘trapped populations’.
Experience from Planned Relocation after
the Tsunami – the Case of the Maldives
Ms. Fathimath Rishana
Experience from Migration as Adaptation
CBDRR Project Coordinator, Maldivian Red Crescent
Mr. Soumyadeep Banerjee
Rishana provided a case study of planned relocation
in the Maldives after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. As a country of low-lying islands, this disaster had
a drastic impact and displaced approximately 15,000
persons, many of whom had never heard of a ‘tsunami’
or experienced a disaster before. Following the tsunami, six smaller islands relocated to five host islands.
Rishana noted the example of the Dhuvaafaru project
where a population of 3,700 was relocated to a previously
uninhabited island and received new facilities built from
scratch. She highlighted the importance of local participation in the planning process, to ensure that recovery
is not only top-down and the community feels ownership. Rishana also noted protection concerns that arose
during the recovery process, including that cramped
temporary shelters resulted in an increase in domestic
violence, abuse and other social issues. She further noted
Migration and Population Specialist, ICIMOD
Banerjee presented current ICIMOD research that
examines the extent to which migration and remittances
help to build adaptive capacity at a household level. He
acknowledged the complexity of the global discourse
surrounding migration as an adaptation mechanism
and presented the role of ICIMOD supporting research
in five sites across Hindu Kush Himalaya on this topic.
This particular presentation focused on communities
in Upper Assam, where primarily male migrants send
significant remittances to flood affected areas. Banerjee described how remittances have a positive impact
on expenditure on food and non-food items, access to
bank accounts and most notably, were used to procure
Climate Change, Disasters, and Human Mobility in South Asia
17
the presence of Maldives IDP framework and standard
operating procedures, though they have not yet been
effectively adopted. Rishana concluded by expressing
the challenge of implementing community preparedness
efforts given lack of disasters experience, and stated the
strategy of integrating DRR within development planning at the national and local level. Rishana also raised
the important issue of migrants caught in crisis – over
one-third of the Maldives’ population are labor migrants
who face discrimination in recent water crisis, and could
not receive water without proper identification.
2.4.2 Protection in the Context of Human
Mobility and Disasters in South Asia
People displaced in the context of disasters have particular protection needs linked to the involuntary nature of
their movement. For example, in the case of an evacuation or spontaneous flight following a sudden-onset
disaster, people may have left without essential legal
documents, money, personal items, or may be separated
from their families. Consequently, they may need emergency shelter, health services, education, psychosocial
counseling, etc. Housing and property left behind by
displaced individuals, communities or indigenous peoples may be in need of being protected. Displacement
may also result in discrimination and limited access to
information and consultative processes regarding disaster relief and recovery.
Displacement across international borders poses an
additional, distinct set of protection needs and challenges. International and regional legal instruments do
not adequately address all aspects of disaster-induced
cross-border displacement. Issues related to admission
into another country, the conditions under which they
would be permitted to stay (e.g. access to basic public
services) and the conditions and modalities of return
have not been fully developed in existing international
or regional law, policies, or administrative procedures.
In South Asia, there are no regional laws that provide
protection to individuals forced to flee across international borders in disaster contexts, although existing
mechanisms or policies could potentially address some
protection concerns.
Participants to the Civil Society meeting identified key
protection challenges unique to the South Asia context,
including for women migrant workers and migrants
caught in crisis. Participants further discussed the
potential role of regional human mobility forum to
address protection concerns in this region. Participants
shared experiences of other protection and operational
challenges, and examples of good practices about how to
respond to these gaps.
18
OUTCOME REPORT
National and Regional Protection Mechanisms:
Opportunities and challenges in South Asia
Mr. Craig Sanders
Representative, United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugee (UNHCR)
Sanders began by stating the importance of civil society
collaboration in protection of persons affected by disasters and displacement, as states and United Nations
agencies cannot do this alone. He mentioned that in
South Asia, a number of countries including Nepal
have IDP policies, however regional mechanisms for
protection do not exist. Sanders drew on his experiences deployed after Hurricane Katrina to illustrate that
many protection concerns are similar in disaster and
conflict contexts – including heightened vulnerability
of particular marginalized groups, issues of SGBV and
psychosocial problems, and need for documentation.
Sanders concluded by raising other potential processes
that might be relevant to topic of disasters and human
mobility, including the Bali Process, the Almaty Process, and the Colombo Process.
Migration Pathways and Migration
Management in South Asia
Mr. Maurizio Busatti
Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Nepal
Busatti’s expansive presentation illustrated the complex
and multifaceted nature of this topic, particularly in the
South Asian context. He discussed how South Asian
states serve as source, transit and destination countries
for migrants and that movements are most often intra-regional. He also referred to the multi-causality and
“mixed” nature of migration flows in the region, and the
consequent challenge to monitor and respond appropriately to the movement of refugees, asylum seekers,
victims of trafficking, and voluntary migrants. He noted
related challenges of data collection and described the
need for greater regional cooperation on information,
research and best practices exchange. He highlighted
that SAARC Summit in 2014 was the first to consider
the wellbeing of migrants and the forum mentioned by
Sanders as well as the Abu Dhabi Process and Asia European Dialogue. He concluded by again reiterating the
cross-sectorial nature of migration management in this
region and called on governments to integrate understanding of migration and remittances into development
strategies.
Protection ‘Potentials’ in the South Asia Region
Presentation of the SaMi project in Nepal
Prof. Walter Kaelin
Dr. Barbara Weyermann
Envoy of the Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative
SDC, Nepal
Prof. Kaelin suggested that although South Asia has no
existing instruments for protection of persons displaced by disasters, there are many potential ‘hooks’
that can be used to support protection. He discussed
how the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
were unanimously recognized by states as an important
instrument for IDP protection, though implementation
remains an important question. He further described
how other existing Human Rights instruments – including CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of
the Child– as well as Human Rights Council and other
international human rights mechanisms can all be utilized to protect persons displaced by disasters, but one
needs a strategy to do so effectively. National Human
Rights organizations could also play an important role
here; for example, the National Human Rights Commission in India has worked towards protection in cases
of development-induced displacement. Prof. Kaelin
also highlighted the SAARC Trafficking Convention as
another important tool for protection in this region, as
trafficking often occurs following a disaster. Finally, he
concluded by posing question of how these and other
‘hooks’ could be used to strengthen protection across
mechanisms and processes in this region.
Weyermann presented the work of the “Safer Migration”
project as a concrete example of protection for migrants on the ground. After acknowledging the “optimist”, “pessimist” and “pluralist” perspectives of labor
migration in the Nepali context, she highlighted how
migrants are often low or un-skilled, make uniformed
decisions, and have limited awareness about the risks of
foreign employment. The SaMi Project seeks to ensure
that migrants have access to information, paralegal
support, psychosocial support, and financial literacy
to prepare better for migration. Through support to
the Government of Nepal’s 2010 Foreign Employment
Policy, this project has also provided vocational skills
trainings – construction (e.g. scaffolding, plumber assistant, shuttering carpentry etc.) for men and cleaning/
garment manufacture for women – since semi-skilled
workers have higher salaries and potential for upward
mobility. Weyermann also cited challenges to protection
of migrants in these contexts, including resistance of
potential migrants to these messages, stigmatization
of female migrants who are less likely to disclose their
decisions and most notably, a lack of political will to
change the status quo. Despite these challenges, Weyermann’s presentation affirmed that a well-managed migration system is integral to ensure better protection of
all migrants, regardless of the role disasters play in their
decision making process to migrate.
Climate Change, Disasters, and Human Mobility in South Asia
19
Protecting the Displaced: Vision
for Regional Protection
2.5 CLOSING REMARKS
Mr. Anoop Sukumaran
Dr. Gopal Krishna Siwakoti,
Executive Director, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network
and Ms Julia Mayerhofer, Program Manager, APRRN
President, INHURED International and Chair APRRN
Sukumaran noted the lack of national and regional protection mechanisms in South Asia and across Asia-Pacific more broadly and the consequent need for regional
cooperation. Sukumaran emphasized the importance
of civil society as a proactive force setting agenda and
mobilize resources and support towards protection
goals. In this capacity, APRRN has been consulting with
stakeholders to develop a “Vision” (high-level statement
on what is achievable in the next two decades) and provide civil society with framework to advance protection
in the region. Notably, the “Vision” utilizes a broad
definition of “people in need of protection” which may
include those displaced by disasters and climate change
internally and across borders. Next steps in this process
include national roundtables to identify issues of concern, drafting plan of action and research consultation
strategy, collaboration to fill research gaps in the region
and an exercise mapping of good practices. Mayerhofer
concluded with emphasis on the cross-cutting nature
of protection for displaced persons and called on all
present to break down silos, see synergies and build up
better response through cooperative efforts.
Gender and the Protection of Women
Migrant Worker’s Rights
Ms. Bijoya Rai Shrestha
Pourakhi, Nepal
Shrestha explained the importance of protection for
Women Migrant Workers, speaking from her own
personal experience. She emphasized the need to
change the patriarchal mindset of Nepali society and to
support female empowerment in the workforce. At the
same time, she cited numerous challenges for women
migrant workers including mental problems, imprisonment, suicide, unintentional pregnancy and need to
give child for adoption and the challenges to reintegrate
with community and family upon return. Her organization, Pourakhi, works to ensure women are trained in
pre-departure centers and receive assistance and access
to loans upon return to Nepal. Shrestha continued to
make a number of recommendations to governments,
including development of standards to regulate recruitment agencies in both countries of origin and destination and strengthening the role of Embassies in Gulf
States to protect the rights of women migrant workers.
Shrestha concluded by referencing the need for regional
cooperation on this topic and ratification of the ILO
Convention 189 on domestic workers and 1990 UN
Convention on protection of rights of Migrant Workers
and families.
20
OUTCOME REPORT
Siwakoti commended this meeting for the geographic,
gender, and thematic diversity of constituencies present
and perspectives shared. He reiterated frustrations and
challenges to data collection, particularly when flows
include circular migration, secondary movements, and
open borders such as between Nepal and India. Regardless of data challenges, people are on the move anyway,
and there is an urgent need for a protection protocol and
uniform treatment based on a policy of zero tolerance
for discrimination. He acknowledged challenges to these
goals, including concerns about national security, state
sovereignty, xenophobia and erosion of host countries
compassion through aid fatigue. In spite of these challenges, civil society needs a multi stakeholder approach
to address multi-causal nature of mobility. In conclusion, Siwakoti emphasized that the recommendations
from civil society actors must be fed appropriately into
governmental and intergovernmental forums. He expressed his thanks to all who have come, from near and
far, to share their experiences on this important topic.
Prof. Walter Kaelin
Envoy of the Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative
On Behalf of H. E. Ambassador Kjell Tormod Pettersen
Embassy of Norway and Chairmanship of the Nansen
Initiative
On behalf of Ambassador Pettersen and the chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative, Prof. Kaelin expressed
thanks to ICIMOD, APRRN, and the MacArthur Foundation. He noted the overlap of this meeting with the
ICIMOD mission of knowledge creation and sharing.
He called for international cooperation and collaboration, particularly for trans-boundary issues of climate
change, disasters, and human mobility. However, not all
is bleak – this meeting has demonstrated that disaster
risk reduction and climate change efforts can make a
difference in communities’ level of adaptive capacity.
He further highlighted that the protection environment
for people displaced internally and across borders in
this region is precarious, and women and children will
require particular protection. He concluded by noting
the importance of linking the recommendations from
this meeting to the inter-governmental consultation in
Bangladesh and to global intergovernmental consultation in Geneva later this year. These efforts and those
in other regions contribute to a more people centered
approach for protection of people displaced by disasters
and climate change.
Dr. Golam Rasul, Thematic Leader
Livelihoods Theme, International Centre for Integrated
Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
Rasul noted that in the face of climate change, disaster
events are increasing in frequency and intensity and
that human displacement is a significant consequence.
However, despite growth of numbers, the issue is not
adequately addressed in national, regional or global
policies. He expressed the important role that civil society should play in conducting research to understand
phenomenon, as well as ensuring their recommendations are heard in other parallel forums. He concluded
with special thanks to the UN Resident Coordinator
and IOM Nepal for their contributions at this meeting,
as well as Switzerland and Norway for their continuous
support to ICIMOD.
2.6 NEXT STEPS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY
Throughout the sessions, the workshop participants
reflected upon the next steps for their individual organizations to address the issue of human mobility in the
context of disasters in South Asia. Discussions focused
on the work within the organizations themselves, the
identification of potential avenues for bringing the
topic to existing processes at the national and regional
levels and activities to contribute to preparations for the
Nansen Initiative South Asia Inter-governmental Consultation in April 2015 in Bangladesh and the Global
Consultation in October 2015.
Climate Change, Disasters, and Human Mobility in South Asia
21
3. ANNEX
AGENDA
Day 1 / February 2 2015
08:30 – 08:45 Registration
08:45 – 09:15 Welcome and Opening Remarks
H. E. Ambassador Urs Herren, Embassy of Switzerland and Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative
Mr. Jamie McGoldrick, UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal
Mr. Anoop Sukumaran, Executive Director, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN)
Ms. Dipa Nag Chowdhury, Deputy Director, International Programs, MacArthur Foundation, India
Dr. Eklabya Sharma, Director of Programme Operations, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
(ICIMOD)
09:15 – 10:00
The Nansen Initiative – Background to the Nansen Initiative and Experiences from Other Regions
Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative
10:00 – 10:15
Introduction of Participants and Expectations for Meeting
Mrs. Kelly Erin Flynn, Partnership Officer, Norwegian Refugee Council (Facilitator)
10:15 – 10:45
Coffee Break/ Group photo
10:45 – 12:30
Overview of Human Mobility in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change in South Asia
– Human Mobility in Context of Disasters and Climate Change: Presentation of Concepts and Terms
Prof. Dominic Kniveton, Department of Geography, University of Sussex
– Current and Anticipated Displacement in the Context of Disasters in South Asia
Ms. Kelly Erin Flynn, Partnership Manager, Norwegian Refugee Council
– Human Mobility in Context of Disasters and Climate Change: Legal Frameworks
Ms. Hannah Entwisle Chapuisat, Research and Partnerships Officer, Nansen Initiative Secretariat
– The Climate Change and Migration Nexus: National and regional responses
Ms. Sabira Coelho, Programme Associate (Migration, Environment and Climate change), International
Organization for Migration
12:30 – 14:00
Lunch
14:00 – 15:45
Presentations of Case Studies and Country Experiences
– Post-flood Rehabilitation in Uttarakhand
Mr. Sourav Roy, Program Leader, Tata Uttarakhand Program, India
– Flooding in Afghanistan
Mr. Mohammad Sharif Ibrahimi, Norwegian Refugee Council, Afghanistan
– Natural Hazards and Disaster – Case Study from Northern Pakistan
Dr. Babar Khan, Senior Conversation Manager/Head, WWF Pakistan
– Low-lying Islands – Maldives (Sea level rise)
Ms. Himani Upadhyay, TERI, India
– Earthquake Preparedness in Nepal
Mr. Amod Dixit, NSET, Nepal
15:45 – 16:00
22
Coffee Break / Press briefing with Prof. Kaelin, Dr. Sharma and Mr. Sukumaran from 15:00 – 15:45
OUTCOME REPORT
16:00 – 17:45
Thematic Issues – Prevention, Preparedness and Durable Solutions
– Resilience Against Disaster and Displacement in South Asia: Reflections from the Indian Sundarbans
Dr. Mi Zhou, Director, Praxis Labs (Hong Kong)
– E xperience from Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Building Measures in the Context of Disasters
Ms. Neera Shrestha Pradhan, DRR specialist, ICIMOD
– E xperience from Migration as Adaptation
Mr. Soumyadeep Banerjee, Migration and Population Specialist, ICIMOD
– Floods, Migration, and Gender Issues in Pakistan
Dr. Giovanna Gioli, Hamburg University, Germany
– E xperience from Planned Relocation after the Tsunami – the Case of the Maldives
Ms. Fathimath Rishana, CBDRR Project Coordinator, Maldivian Red Crescent
17:45 – 18:00
Complete and submit individual questionnaires
Sign-up for Day 2 working groups
19:00 onwards Reception dinner at Utsav restaurant, Durbar Marg
Day 2 / February 3 2015
08:15 – 08:30 Summary of Discussions from Day 1 and Report Back on Results Questionnaire
08:30 – 10:30 Thematic Issues – Protection in the Context of Human Mobility and Disasters in South Asia
– National and Regional Protection Mechanisms: Opportunities and challenges in South Asia
Mr. Craig Sanders, Representative, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR)
– Migration Pathways and Migration Management, in South Asia
Mr. Maurizio Busatti, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Nepal
– Presentation of the SaMi project in Nepal
Dr. Barbara Weyermann, SDC, Nepal
– Protecting the Displaced: Vision for Regional Protection
Mr. Anoop Sukumaran, Executive Director, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and Ms Julia
Mayerhofer, Program Manager, APRRN
– Gender and the Protection of Women Migrant Worker’s Rights
Ms. Bijoya Rai Shrestha, Pourakhi, Nepal
10:30 – 11:00
Coffee Break
11:00 – 13:00
Working Groups on Thematic Issues
Participants will be asked to analyze gaps, identify existing practices and put forward recommendations.
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch
14:00 – 15:30
Working Groups Report to Plenary – Presentation and discussion of recommendations
15:30 – 16:00
Next Steps for Civil Society and the Nansen Initiative
16:00
Closing Remarks
Dr. Gopal Krishna Siwakoti, President, INHURED International and Chair APRRN
Prof. Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative
On behalf of H. E. Ambassador Kjell Tormod Pettersen, Embassy of Norway and Chairmanship of the Nansen
Initiative
Dr. Golam Rasul, Thematic Leader, Livelihoods theme, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
(ICIMOD)
Climate Change, Disasters, and Human Mobility in South Asia
23
PARTICIPANTS
PARTICIPANTS FROM NEPAL
Participant
Address
Email
Nepal
Dr. Meena Poudel
Policy and Programme Advisor, International
Organization for Migration (IOM), Kathmandu,
Nepal.
[email protected]
Ms. Pravina Gurung
National Program Officer, International
Organization for Migration (IOM), Nepal
[email protected]
Mr. Jeevan Baniya
Researcher, Centre for the Study of
Labour and Mobility, Social Science Baha,
Kathmandu, Nepal.
[email protected]
Dr.Ganesh Gurung
Executive Director, Nepal Institute of
Development Studies, Kathmandu, Nepal.
[email protected]
Dr.Bishnu Raj Upreti
Regional Coordinator, NCCR, Kathmandu
[email protected]
Dr. Barbara Lama
Weyermann
Migration Advisor, Swiss Development
Cooperation (SDC) Ekantakuna, Jawalakhel,
P.O. Box 113, Kathmandu, Nepal.
[email protected]
Ms. Maria Contrao
EEAS-KATHMANDU
Mr. Manjeet Dhakal
Climate Analytics, Kathmandu
[email protected]
Mr. David Smith
Regional Representative; DanChurchAid South [email protected]
Asia
Mr. Christian Wolf
In-charge, Regional Migration Programme in
South Asia, DanChurchAid South Asia
[email protected]
Ambassador, H. E. Mr. Kjell
Tormod Pettersen
Royal Norwegian Embassy, Kathmandu,
Nepal.
[email protected]
Ambassador, H.E. Urs
Herren
Embassy of Switzerland in Nepal, Ekantakuna, [email protected]
Kathmandu
Mr. Craig Sanders
Representative, UNHCR
[email protected]
Ms. Cecile Fradot
Senior Protection Officer at UNHCR Nepal.
[email protected]
Mr. Maurizio Busatti
Chief of Mission, IOM
[email protected]
Mr. Jamie McGoldrick
UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident
Representative
[email protected]
Mr. Amod Dixit
Member of the ADRRN Board and ED, NSET,
Nepal
[email protected]
Ms. Bijaya Rai
Executive Director, Pourakhi, Kathmandu
[email protected]
Mr. Bhairaja Pandey
Institute of Crisis Management Studies ,
Kathmandu
[email protected];
Ms. Sabitra Dhakal
Gender Equality and Social Inclusion
Coordinator, Hariyo Ban program/Care Nepal
Mr. Jan Erikson
Counselor (Energy), Royal Norwegian
Embassy, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Mr. Jan Borgen
Royal Norwegian Embassy, Kathmandu,
Nepal.
Mr. Bikram Manandhar
Practical Action, Kathmandu
Dr. David Molden
Director General, ICIMOD
[email protected]
Dr. Eklabya Sharma
Director Programme Operations, ICIMOD,
Kathmandu, Nepal.
[email protected]
Dr. Golam Rasul
Theme Leader Livelihoods, ICIMOD
[email protected]
Mr. Nand Kishor Agrawal
Programme Coordinator, hICAP, ICIMOD,
[email protected]
Mr. Erling Valdemar
Holmgren
Programme Coordinator, himalica, ICIMOD,
GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal.
[email protected]
ICIMOD
24
OUTCOME REPORT
[email protected]
PARTICIPANTS FROM NEPAL
Participant
Address
Email
ICIMOD
Ms. Neera Shrestha
Pradhan
Water and Adaptation Specialist, ICIMOD,
[email protected]
Dr. Suman Bisht
ICIMOD, GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal.
[email protected]
Mr. Sanjay Sharma
Migration_SSA, ICIMOD,
[email protected]
Ms. Anja Rasmussen
Senior Manager, KM and Communication,
ICIMOD
[email protected]
Ms. Nira Gurung
Senior Communication Officer, ICIMOD
[email protected]
Mr. Udyan Mishra
Knowledge Management and Networking
Officer
[email protected]
Mr. Gopalkrishna Siwakoti
APRRN
PARTICIPANTS FROM OUTSIDE NEPAL
Participant
Address
Email
Afghanistan
Mr. Mohammad Sharif
Ibrahimi
NRC, Kabul
[email protected]
Bangladesh
Mr. Syed Aminul Hoque
Secretariat Coordinator, EquityBD; Dhaka,
[email protected]
Mr. Md Shamsuddoha
Chief Executive, Center for Participatory
Research and Development, Dhaka.
[email protected]
China
Prof. Zhang Jie
Associate Research Fellow, Institute of
Sociology, Yunan Academy of Social Sciences;
Yunana;
[email protected]
India
Prof. Ram B Bhagat
Professor and Head; International Institute of
Population Science, Mumbai,
[email protected]
Dr. Dhattatreya Hosagrahar
Chief Executive, Institute of integrated
Resource Management (llRM), B.S Tezpur,
Assam.
[email protected]
Mr. Rajesh Badakh
CEO, SAKHI SAMUDAYA KOSH,Maharashtra,
India
[email protected]
Ms. Himani Upadhyay
Associate Fellow, TERI, Delhi
[email protected]
Mr. Sourav Roy
Program Leader, Tata Uttarkhand Programme
[email protected]
Mr. Gulfan Dogar
Manager, Sungi Development Foundation,
Abbottabad
[email protected]
Mr. Muhammad Zubair
Anwar
Principal Scientific Officer; Social Sciences
Research Institute, NARG, Islamabad
[email protected]
Dr. Tariq Hassan
Director Social Sciences Research Institute,
PARC, Islamabad
[email protected]
Dr. Babar Khan
Senior Conservation Manager / Head, WWF –
Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan),
[email protected]
Mr. Imran Laghari
Human Rights Alliance, Pakistan
[email protected]
Dr. Nishara Fernando
Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology,
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
[email protected]
Mr. Jeevan Thiagarajah
Executive Director, Consortium of
Humanitarian Agencies Colombo Sri Lanka.
[email protected]
Nalini Ratanrajah
Free Lance Consultant/Women Human Rights
Defender
[email protected],
Mr. Sathivale Balakrishnan
Senior Consultant, Centre for Development
Alternatives
[email protected]
Maldives
Ms Fathimath Rishana
Maldivian Red Crescent
[email protected]
Germany
Dr. Giovanna Gioli
Research Fellow, Research Group Climate
Change and Security, Department of
Geography, Klima Campus, Hamburg,
Germany.
[email protected]
United
Kingdom
Prof. Dominic Kniveton
Professor of Climate Science and Society.
Department of Geography and Sussex Centre
for Migration Research. University of Sussex.
[email protected]
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
[email protected]
Climate Change, Disasters, and Human Mobility in South Asia
25
PARTICIPANTS FROM OUTSIDE NEPAL
26
Participant
Address
Email
APRRN
Mr. Anoop Sukumaran
Executive Director, APRRN
[email protected]
Ms. Julia Mayerhofer
Programme manager; Asia Pacific Refugee
Rights Network
[email protected]
Myanmar
Ms. Kelly Flynn
Norwegian Refugee Council
[email protected]
MacArthur
Ms. Dipa Nag Chowdhury
Deputy Director-International Programs,
MacArthur Foundation
India Habitat Centre, Core 5 A, First Floor,
Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110019, India
[email protected]
IOM Bangkok Ms. Sabira Coelho
Programme Associate (Migration, Environment [email protected]
and Climate Change)
International Organization for Migration
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific,
Bangkok
NANSEN
Professor Walter Kaelin
Envoy of the Chairmanship
[email protected]
Mr. Atle Solberg
Head of the Nansen Initiative Secretariat
[email protected]
Ms. Hannah Entwisle
Chapuisat
Research and Partnership Officer
[email protected]
Ms. Chirine El-Labbane
Communications Officer
[email protected]
Mr. Abdul Saboor Atrafi
Events and Information Officer
[email protected]
Ms. Kara Devonna Siahaan
Advisor to South East Pacific
[email protected]
Ms Erica Bower
[email protected]
NRC
Ms Lena Bren
Programme Coordinator, Disasters and
Climate Change; Norwegian Refugee Council
[email protected]
Praxis Labs
Dr. Mi Zhou
Director, Praxis Lab
[email protected]
OUTCOME REPORT
This is a multi-partner project funded by the European Commission (EC) whose
overall aim is to address a legal gap regarding cross-border displacement in the
context of disasters. The project brings together the expertise of three distinct
partners (UNHCR, NRC/IDMC and the Nansen Initiative) seeking to:
1 > increase the understanding of States and relevant actors in the international
community about displacement related to disasters and climate change;
2 > e quip them to plan for and manage internal relocations of populations in a
protection sensitive manner; and
3 > p rovide States and other relevant actors tools and guidance to protect
persons who cross international borders owing to disasters, including those
linked to climate change.
Nansen Initiative Secretariat
International Environment House 2
7-9, Chemin de Balexert, 1219 Chatelaine, Geneva, Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 917 8205
[email protected]
www.nanseninitiative.org