November 13, 2011

Norway´s Statement at the Common Space session of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, 13 November 2011

Co-chairs, ladies and gentlemen,

As a way of commemorating Fritjof Nansen, the first High Commissioner for Refugees under the League of Nations, and as a means of setting an important international agenda, the Norwegian government earlier this year convened the Nansen Conference on Climate Change and Displacement in the 21th Century.

The conference agenda included topics relating to vulnerability, resilience, adaptation, the protection of displaced people as well as prevention and management of displacement. Allow me now to briefly share with you three highlights from the conference.

First and foremost – a strong underlining of the need to base our response on knowledge and clear thinking about the issues at hand.

“In order to act responsibly we must ensure that our responses to climate-related displacement are guided by the fundamental principles of humanity, human dignity, human rights and international cooperation.“

There is little doubt that factors such as deterioration of agricultural land, desertification, reduced access to water and sea-level rise will make parts of the earth less habitable. While such slow-onset change is expected to be the most important driver of human displacement related to climate change, sudden-onset climate related natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods are having a significant immediate impact.

The Conference also highlighted that there is no simple causal relationship between climate change and displacement, and that consequences will vary in space and time. Climate change influences vulnerability and displacement through complex interactions with other driving forces, including social, economic and political factors, conflict, demographic change – and with other environmental stresses that cause the deterioration of ecosystems and life-support systems in vulnerable areas.

The second point I would like to highlight is the need for responsible action in an interconnected world. This was a key theme throughout the Conference. It implies that climate change and the resulting displacement concern us all and that we have a shared to the humanitarian impacts of the phenomena.

In order to act responsibly we must ensure that our responses to climate-related displacement are guided by the fundamental principles of humanity, human dignity, human rights and international cooperation.

It was pointed out that states affected by climate-related processes have a primary duty to protect their populations and give priority to the particular needs of the most vulnerable and those most affected by climate change, including the displaced and those at risk of displacement.

When national capacity is limited, regional frameworks and international cooperation should buttress action at the national level. In this regard the Conference endorsed the crucial importance of preparedness and preventive efforts.

With smart investments in local capacities and adaptation strategies, we could avoid many of the much larger costs involved in responding to a disaster, including displacement management and reconstruction.

Finally, my third and last point is that the full potential of existing international law should be exploited and that normative gaps should be addressed. There was broad consensus that the 1951 Convention should not be reopened. It was also stressed that the label “refugee” in the context of climate change is potentially confusing and could run the risk of diluting the concept of refugees as defined in the Convention. It was therefore recommended to use the term “environmentally displaced persons” which also includes those who are victims of non-climate related natural disaster.

The good news, as highlighted by the Conference, is that existing international law seems to provide a viable framework for protecting all internally displaced persons, including climate-related internal displacement. This framework is set out in the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. The groundbreaking African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa is another key instrument – and source of inspiration.

The Conference did, however, point to a normative gap with respect to external displacement resulting from disasters, which needs to be addressed. It was suggested that States in conjunction with UNHCR and other relevant stakeholders develop a guiding framework for the protection of people displaced externally due to sudden onset natural disasters, including where climate change plays a role. Many speakers underlined that the guiding principles on internal displacement could serve as an inspiration in this regard.

Going forward, Norway stands ready to continue a dialogue on these issues. For the ministerial-level meeting in Geneva December 7-8 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, Norway is prepared to offer the following pledge:

“A more coherent and consistent approach at the international level is needed to meet the protection needs of people displaced externally owing to sudden-onset disasters, including where climate change plays a role. We therefore pledge to cooperate with interested states and other relevant actors with the aim of obtaining a better understanding of such cross border movements at relevant regional and sub-regional levels, identifying best practices and developing consensus on how best to assist and protect the affected people.”

I would also like to draw your attention to the UN guiding principles on internal displacement. The Forum may wish to consider the inclusion of a reference to these in the declaration from Dhaka.

See the latest updates from the Climate Vulnerable Forum 2011 in Dhaka