Helping Pacific Islands to Manage Impacts of Climate Change on Migration
Under the project, the ILO will undertake a range of activities to promote and improve regional labour mobility schemes. In particular, ILO will use its technical expertise to work with Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru to improve the countries’ data collection and analysis mechanisms for labour migration stocks and flows, and provide other support as required.
An EU-funded project on Enhancing Pacific Island Countries to Manage the Impacts of Climate Change on Migration, a joint collaboration between UNESCAP (UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific), ILO and the UNDP (UN Development Programme) was officially launched at the 43rd SPC Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations (CRGA) Meeting, by the UN Resident Coordinator, Osnat Lubrani, the EU Ambassador Andrew Jacobs and the Head of ESCAP Pacific, Iosefa Maiava on behalf of the three UN agencies.
The project builds on the need to improve understanding of the nexus between climate change and migration which is critical for timely and effective policy formulation by governments, particularly to address the specific needs of the most vulnerable groups before the need for relocation becomes imminent. In particular, the project recognizes that migration is not only a last resort coping mechanism to climate change, but can also be a valuable strategy to help households to diversify household income and thus improve resilience to the impacts of climate change. Regional labour mobility schemes, such as seasonal worker programs to Australia and New Zealand, can be a way to reduce strain on resources in the Pacific Islands, enabling communities to remain on their land, alleviate unemployment and improve opportunities for on-the-job training. Yet for these migration benefits to be realized, there need to be research-based, coordinated strategies that facilitate labour mobility.
Under the project, the ILO will undertake a range of activities to promote and improve regional labour mobility schemes. In particular, ILO will use its technical expertise to work with Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru to improve the countries’ data collection and analysis mechanisms for labour migration stocks and flows, and provide other support as required.
For more information contact Sophia Kagan, Labour Migration Technical Officer- ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries.
The project builds on the need to improve understanding of the nexus between climate change and migration which is critical for timely and effective policy formulation by governments, particularly to address the specific needs of the most vulnerable groups before the need for relocation becomes imminent. In particular, the project recognizes that migration is not only a last resort coping mechanism to climate change, but can also be a valuable strategy to help households to diversify household income and thus improve resilience to the impacts of climate change. Regional labour mobility schemes, such as seasonal worker programs to Australia and New Zealand, can be a way to reduce strain on resources in the Pacific Islands, enabling communities to remain on their land, alleviate unemployment and improve opportunities for on-the-job training. Yet for these migration benefits to be realized, there need to be research-based, coordinated strategies that facilitate labour mobility.
Under the project, the ILO will undertake a range of activities to promote and improve regional labour mobility schemes. In particular, ILO will use its technical expertise to work with Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru to improve the countries’ data collection and analysis mechanisms for labour migration stocks and flows, and provide other support as required.
For more information contact Sophia Kagan, Labour Migration Technical Officer- ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries.