27 June 2014 - Professor Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chairmanship of the Nansen Initiative, and Nansen Initiative Secretariat Head Atle Solberg, visited Manila from June 23 to 24 to conduct consultations with relevant government agencies and civil society organizations prior to the Southeast Asian Regional Governmental Consultation which will take place in Manila from October 15 to 17 of this year.
The Nansen Initiative is a state-led, bottom-up consultative process intended to build consensus on the development of a protection agenda addressing the needs of people displaced across international borders in the context of drought, flooding and other natural hazards, including those linked to the effects of climate change.
In order to build consensus on a potential protection agenda and provide the Nansen Initiative process with practical experiences, Professor Kaelin and Mr. Solberg met on June 23 with representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of the United Nations and other International Organizations (DFA-UNIO), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). The Nansen Initiative delegation briefed the body on the inter-governmental Regional Consultations and Civil Society Meetings which took place in the Pacific, Central America and the Horn of Africa. These consultation meetings brought together relevant stakeholders from source and destination countries of migration and displacement in the aforementioned regions.
On June 24, DFA-UNIO conducted a public lecture on the challenges and opportunities of cross-border displacement in the context of disasters. The presentation was delivered by Professor Kaelin and was attended by the employees of the DFA and other government agencies, members of the diplomatic corps and students from various universities in Manila.
Professor Kaelin gave a brief background on the situation and challenges of nature-induced cross-border displacement. He then introduced the Nansen Initiative as a venue where states could discuss and cooperate in addressing the needs of people displaced across borders by natural disasters and the adverse effects of climate change. Aside from the needs of persons displaced across borders, Professor Kaelin also explained that the Nansen Initiative will address related issues such as disaster risk reduction, internal displacement or the management of migration as an adaptation measure. Near the end of his presentation, Professor Kaelin shared the key conclusions of recently concluded regional consultations held in the Pacific, the Central America and the Horn of Africa as well as the lessons learned from these engagements.
The Steering Group of the Nansen Initiative is chaired by Norway and Switzerland with members Australia, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Germany, Kenya, Mexico and the Philippines. A Consultative Committee consisting of international organizations, researchers, think tanks, and non-governmental organizations provides expert input to the Initiative. END