"Climate change, migration and human rights"
Recommendation of the NGO members of the Democracy, Social Cohesion and
global issues of the Conference of INGOs[1] of the Council of Europe
in view of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP25)
to be held in Santiago de Chile from 2 to 13 December 2019
Recalling that climate change can lead to the violation of essential rights such as the right to life, food, water and shelter and that the absence of measures is itself recognised as a violation of human rights; especially for the most vulnerable people,
Recalling the alarming findings of scientific reports on the threats to natural resources in Europe and the world, the risk of extinction of plant and animal species, the impoverishment of fertile lands caught between the salinisation due the rise of the oceans and internal desertification due to global warming,
Noting that the IDMC (International Displacement Monitoring Center), IOM (International Office for Migration), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCACD), estimate that by 2025
Considering that these threats, sometimes combined with political or social crises, will inevitably lead to population movement
Recalling the Council of Europe's founding texts on human rights and the work done by the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Berne 1979), including the Council of Europe Commemoration of the 40th anniversary in 2019
Recalling the partnerships built by the INGO Conference Committees with the committees of elected representatives and the relevant Council of Europe directorates, as well as the UN and European Union bodies on the protection of biodiversity, the fight against climate change, the search for social and territorial cohesion based on human rights,
The NGO members of the Committee on Democracy, Social Cohesion and Global Issues of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe call for a new perception of migration movements,
They recommend
facilitating circular and legal migration with treatment of the entire migration cycle, from prevention to the resettlement of populations, including planning for endangered areas, preparing children for risks, providing humanitarian assistance to all, including nomadic populations,
the introduction of return assistance in cases of circular migration, together with work with the diaspora to restore the land of origin
a global and positive consideration of migration, whether temporary, circular or permanent, so that it is seen as a strategic opportunity to reduce the pressure on the environment and stimulate investment in the countries of origin and no longer in terms of loss and damage for the host country
They invite the public and economic authorities
[1] Organisation of 307 international NGOs (INGOs) with participatory status with the Council of Europe.
Recommendation of the NGO members of the Democracy, Social Cohesion and
global issues of the Conference of INGOs[1] of the Council of Europe
in view of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP25)
to be held in Santiago de Chile from 2 to 13 December 2019
Recalling that climate change can lead to the violation of essential rights such as the right to life, food, water and shelter and that the absence of measures is itself recognised as a violation of human rights; especially for the most vulnerable people,
Recalling the alarming findings of scientific reports on the threats to natural resources in Europe and the world, the risk of extinction of plant and animal species, the impoverishment of fertile lands caught between the salinisation due the rise of the oceans and internal desertification due to global warming,
Noting that the IDMC (International Displacement Monitoring Center), IOM (International Office for Migration), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCACD), estimate that by 2025
- 2.4 billion people will be in repeated drought zone
- 50 million people will be in areas subject to desertification
- 75 to 120 million people will experience water scarcity
- 50 of the world's largest coastal cities will experience rising sea levels and coastal erosion
Considering that these threats, sometimes combined with political or social crises, will inevitably lead to population movement
Recalling the Council of Europe's founding texts on human rights and the work done by the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Berne 1979), including the Council of Europe Commemoration of the 40th anniversary in 2019
Recalling the partnerships built by the INGO Conference Committees with the committees of elected representatives and the relevant Council of Europe directorates, as well as the UN and European Union bodies on the protection of biodiversity, the fight against climate change, the search for social and territorial cohesion based on human rights,
The NGO members of the Committee on Democracy, Social Cohesion and Global Issues of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe call for a new perception of migration movements,
- on the one hand, internal, national or regional migrations - the most frequent - which are the responsibility of States and which are governed by the United Nations Guiding Principles of Kampala (1998), both in terms of prevention and evacuation or return,
- on the other hand, migrations beyond the frontiers which are not covered by the Geneva Convention (1951) and which cannot, in the absence of evidence of persecution, claim the term "climate refugee".
They recommend
facilitating circular and legal migration with treatment of the entire migration cycle, from prevention to the resettlement of populations, including planning for endangered areas, preparing children for risks, providing humanitarian assistance to all, including nomadic populations,
the introduction of return assistance in cases of circular migration, together with work with the diaspora to restore the land of origin
a global and positive consideration of migration, whether temporary, circular or permanent, so that it is seen as a strategic opportunity to reduce the pressure on the environment and stimulate investment in the countries of origin and no longer in terms of loss and damage for the host country
They invite the public and economic authorities
- to seek the keys to development aid that respects human rights, solidarity and differentiation, in particular by supporting INGOs operating in this context;
- to develop and adequately fund policies and concrete measures for the conservation and enhancement of terrestrial and marine biodiversity, restoration of the functioning of degraded ecosystems, mitigation of anthropogenic impacts on climate change factors and adaptation to climate change;
- to take into account a social and territorial cohesion based on the notion of public good;
- to anticipate environmental threats, particularly on the habitats, water and food resources caused by extreme weather events and the slow degradation of soils and subsoils;
- to prevent political and social conflicts related to the resulting sharing of resources;
- to regularly assess the natural and industrial risks aggravated by climate change;
- to integrate the national, regional or shared heritage value of ecosystem services into policies, programmes of co-operation and actions to be taken;
- to support INGOs acting in a legal framework and support their actions
[1] Organisation of 307 international NGOs (INGOs) with participatory status with the Council of Europe.