PRESS RELEASE

African CSOs Demand Protection and Resettlement of Forced Climate Migrants

 

A call for a comprehensive legal framework for the protection and assistance of people displaced by climate change has been made. The Coalition of African Civil Society Organisations led by the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) made this call during a side event it organised with EquityBD at the ongoing 19th session of the UN Warsaw Climate Conference.

 

Speaking on the theme  CLIMATE FORCED MIGRANTS: THE QUESTION OF RIGHTS AND COMMON BUT DIFFERENTIATED RESPONSIBILITIES, Sam Ogallah from PACJA advocated for a new global policy to protect and resettle people forced to leave their habitats because of sudden or gradual climate changes such as sea level rise, extreme weather events and drought and water scarcity. Equity BD leaders at the event also toed similar lines stressing that extreme weather events like flooding and tropical cyclone, and sea level rise are impending threats to the coastal areas in Asia hence the need for concerted actions aimed at supporting mass movements of coastal population.

Recounting the recent experiences of forced migration as a result of flooding and sea-level in Nigeria and other African countries, Sam Ogallah declared that “the obligation of accountability on the part of the polluting countries of the global north to address the needs of the countries that suffer most in the global south must not only be total but must be seen as a right since climate forced migration is a consequence of global process and not a local crisis”.

The Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), a continental coalition of Civil Society Organizations from diverse backgrounds in Africa, has emerged as the most vibrant and largest Civil Society platform on climate change and sustainable development. With a membership of more than 500 organizations and networks, the Alliance brings together Faith-based Organizations, Farmers and Pastoralists` Groups, Community-based organizations, Non-Governmental organizations, Trusts, Foundations, among other sectors with a common goal of promoting and advocating for Pro-poor, climate-friendly and equity-based responses to climate change.