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Repository of Practices

Training for Policy Makers and Practitioners on Migration, Environment, Climate Change and Adaptation

Primary GCM Objectives

Secondary GCM Objectives

    18

GCM Guiding Principles*

*All practices are to uphold the ten guiding principles of the GCM. This practice particularly exemplifies these listed principles.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Dates

2013 - Present

Type of practice

Training material

Geographic scope

Geographic Scope:

Global

Summary

Environmental factors have long had an impact on global migration flows, as people have historically left places with harsh or deteriorating conditions. However, the scale of such flows, both internal and cross-border, is expected to rise as a result of accelerated climate change, with unprecedented impacts on lives and livelihoods. Such migration can have positive and negative effects on both the local coping capacity and the environment in areas from which these migrants originate, as well as in their temporary or permanent destinations. The impacts of these changes and the associated mobility dynamics vary from one region to another. IOM capacity building activities aim to: (1) build the capacity of policymakers and practitioners in order to factor migration into environmental and development policies, as well as climate change adaptation strategies, and to take environmental change into account in comprehensive migration management policies at the national level; (2) facilitate policy exchange in migration, environment and climate change among policymakers and practitioners. These capacity building activities are in line with Paragraph 14(f) of the Cancun Adaptation Framework, which first brought the notion of human mobility to international climate negotiations, the Paris Agreement and COP21 Decision, and the Marrakesh Accords on Capacity Building in developing countries (Decision 2/CP.7). The IOM capacity building activities contribute to the formulation of policies on human mobility in the context of environment and climate change. To support these activities, IOM has developed a comprehensive interactive training tool - Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Training Manual (Facilitator’s Guide). Between 2020-2021, IOM programming on climate change and risk reduction trained over 85,000 community members, 7,000 government officials and 3,000 civil society representatives.

Organizations

Main Implementing Organization(s)

International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Detailed Information

IOM's Migration, Environment, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Division

Partner/Donor Organizations

National governments

Benefit and Impact

Based on the Migration, Environment and Climate Change Training Manual – Facilitator’s Guide, RO Vienna MECC developed a capacity development training package that has been used for both in-person and online trainings for national stakeholders. The MECC trainings served as an awareness raising and introduction workshop to the MECC nexus with the aim of introducing government stakeholders to relevant concepts, definitions, policies, programmes, success stories and tools. A better understanding of the MECC issues among government stakeholders will support project activities as well as build the capacity of government representatives to ensure effective and high-quality implementation on MECC issues. The trainings also help to foster close coordination between the IOM project teams and relevant stakeholders and help to identify 'MECC Champions' in different national ministries. 

Key Lessons

Lessons learned would be that MECC training sessions should be conducted for smaller groups to allow for more inclusive participation of all participants. If possible, shorter days or training agendas with breaks would allow more flexibility of government participants that may not be able to be away from their duties for full days. 

Recommendations(if the practice is to be replicated)

In case of replication, it would be recommended to target the correct technical-level participants who work on aspects of the MECC nexus. This would be beneficial to build long-term capacity and to begin/continue MECC initiatives in country.

Innovation

Increasingly, governments will have to address the human mobility consequences of environmental change. Many countries have already raised these concerns in key international policy forums, and some governments have started developing policies and measures at the national level. To support these efforts, IOM has initiated a series of capacity building activities that provide assistance to and builds capacity building of governments, at the national and regional level, in developing and implementing innovative approaches to migration, environment and climate change. Since 2013, the programme has already benefited about 450 policymakers from over 50 countries.

To give a recent example: as part of the IOM-UNDP Seed Funding, RO Vienna MECC conducted an online training from 8-10 December 2022 for 20 representatives of local and national authorities in partnership with the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan. Two in-person MECC and Diaspora trainings were conducted in Kyrgyzstan on 4-6 July 2022 for 31 participants and from 15-16 September 2022 for 18 participants from national ministries and relevant organizations. In Tajikistan, a MECC capacity development training was conducted from 20-21 October 2022 for 15 participants from partner national ministries and agencies. A MECC training was also conducted in Moldova on 15 and 17 March 2023 for 12 technical experts from relevant sectoral government entities. Recently, a MECC capacity development training was conducted in Uzbekistan from 17-18 July 2023 for 12 participants from relevant government ministries and agencies. 

Additional Images

Date submitted:

29 September 2023

Disclaimer: The content of this practice reflects the views of the implementers and does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations, the United Nations Network on Migration, and its members.

 

 

*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).