Posted on 26 January 2024
From 23-25 January, the 14th Global Forum on Migration and Development took place in Geneva. The summit bought together government expertise globally to discuss challenges and opportunities pertinent to international migration and development, and to support effective action and outcomes for displaced communities.
Henry Puna, Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, spoke at the forum on how climate change has, is, and will continue to, cause forced relocation in the region, with the Pacific “already living the realities of climate change and its impacts.” He specifically discussed the Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility which “”emphasises the fundamental priority of Pacific people to stay in their homes while ensuring mechanisms and pathways to protect the rights and dignity of those who choose to move.”
“We should not be forced to leave our homes”, Puna reiterates. “But as responsible leaders, we are mindful that should the need arise, mechanisms and pathways to protecting the human rights of our people on the move are in place and the rights and dignity of our people are protected.”