While the climate is changing beyond natural ability, the international community is struggling to reach an agreement on how to deal with it. The backdrop for the Nansen Conference on Climate Change and Displacement is the increasing need to develop policies and capacities to manage climate change-induced displacement. It will also include the prevention of forced displacement, appropriate protection for those who are already displace, and enhanced preparedness and response capacities. How should states, societies, the international humanitarian system and affected communities meet the emerging challenges posed by the number of people being displaced by natural disasters?
The conference will explore how civil society, politicians, development and humanitarian actors are being challenged by climate change and resulting displacement. It sets out to develop recommendations on the following areas; prevention and climate change adaptation, early warning and preparedness, legal protection of environmentally displaced persons, and adapting humanitarian disaster response to climate-induced displacement.
The two-day conference will be filled with session led by experts in the fields of climate change and migration thus creating the opportunity for a much needed closer dialogue between climate change scientists, development and humanitarian actors and policy makers. The outcome of the Nansen Conference is expected to feed into relevant regional and international policy processes.