Background

In September 2010, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched a major technical assistance (TA) project on policy options to support climate-induced migration in Asia and the Pacific.

Asia and the Pacific will be amongst the global regions most affected by the impacts of climate change. They are particularly vulnerable because of its high degree of exposure to environmental risks and high population density. As a result, it could experience population displacements of unprecedented scale in the coming decades. At the same time, Asia and the Pacific has undergone massive and rapid socioeconomic transformation. It is home to 4 billion people, representing 60% of the world’s population. It is also home to the most important source of international migrants worldwide, representing more than 30% of the total migrant population. Migration within countries, especially from rural to urban areas, is another major factor of social transformation. Countries and populations of Asia and the Pacific will be affected by climate change in different ways, leading to various migration scenarios. While most climate-induced migration will occur within countries, there is also likely to be an increase in cross-border migration. These migration flows are tied up with the broader trend of rapid urbanization in Asia and the Pacific.

The ADB project seeks to improve the understanding of climate-induced migration in the region and make country-tailored policy recommendations with respect to the economic and sociopolitical consequences of these migration movements. The project also seeks to analyze the feasibility of a financing facility and the mechanisms for its operation.

After the release of a draft report in February 2011, Climate Change and Migration in Asia and the Pacific, the project has now entered a phase where policy recommendations are being formulated. The final report of the project will be presented in Manila by the end of the year.

Objectives

The key objectives of this policy dialogue are the following:

• Present the project and its first findings to a selected group of policy-makers, practitioners and scholars;
• Solicit their views and advices regarding the policy recommendations that have been developed, including the feasibility of a financing facility;
• Identify policy gaps and challenges that need to be addressed in Asia and the Pacific;
• Discuss areas of collaboration with the Asian Development Bank with regard to the project.
   

Organization

The workshop will take place on Thursday, 9 June 2011, from 9:30 to 17:30 and will be hosted by the International Organisation for Migration (OIM) in Geneva.

The policy dialogue will be relatively small (30-35 high-level participants). A limited number of presentations will leave maximum time for in-depth and detailed discussions. Prior to the workshop, a background paper with key policy recommendations will be prepared by ADB and provided to the participants. This document will be circulated amongst participants by late May, and will serve as a basis for the discussion.

The working language will be English. The Chatham House Rule will apply: participants are free to use any of the information that is shared, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of any speaker or other participant may be revealed.