Human Mobility and Climate Change in the IGAD Region

Reports

Human Mobility and Climate Change in the IGAD Region

5 May 2023

Internally displaced people walk to their shelters at dusk in Haya Suftu camp in Ethiopia.

Hundreds of thousands affected by drought and conflict have been displaced in search of food, shelter and water for their families and livestock. The country is in severe drought following four consecutive failed rainy seasons.

This report on human mobility and climate change in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region was commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and funded by the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which supports states to implement the 2018 Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). The case study was intended to provide insights into cross-border migration linked to climate change and disasters in the shared border regions of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

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Three general questions guided the study:

What is the nature of climate change impacts and disasters in the IGAD region?
How do climate change impacts and disasters relate to human mobility in the IGAD region?
What protection frameworks and coordination mechanisms exist to respond to human mobility–related challenges in the context of climate change impacts and disasters in the IGAD region?

The research was conducted between November 2021 and May 2022, and included a document review, discussions with respondents representing a range of stakeholders, a workshop with community-based organizations (including faith-based groups, human rights defenders and peacebuilding groups), and a case study of human mobility in the shared border regions of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.