UNHCR Protection Manual - Related sources

This paper presents one example of how ‘the human face of climate change’ has been brought to an international policy arena – the UNFCCC climate negotiations – in a relatively short period of time by a coordinated effort of research and operational organizations. It describes a process that culminated in the Cancun Adaptation Framework, agreed to recently at COP16 (Dec. 2010). It further assesses the current and future complementary roles for research and operational expertise in identifying policy alternatives to address migration and displacement in the context of climate change. The final section of this paper draws conclusions and reflects on policy implications for research and practice.

This paper will assess the relevance of the principle that statelessness should be prevented in addressing the situation of low-lying island States. The paper begins by examining the elements of statehood under public international law. The paper goes on to specifically examine the situation of low-lying island States, and the risk of statelessness that might result from their submersion. The paper concludes by exploring possible actions to prevent statelessness.

This article first tries to understand why the environmental aspect of the study of migration and refugees has, up until now, been neglected. The author then proposes a definition of population movements induced by environmental factors, before concentrating on climate aspects by providing a synthesis of results put forward by researchers. Finally, it examines forecasts for future developments.