Type

Report

Author

Martin, S. F.

Title

Review of legal and political framework which affects migration, including institutional architecture and capacity, and how it is affected by future environmental change

Year

2011

Publisher

Government Office for Science UK

Abstract

This paper focuses on international legal norms and organisational roles and relations applicable to migration induced by environmental change. The paper examines movements stemming directly and indirectly from environmental factors related to climate change, including, for example, movements resulting from intensified drought and desertification affecting livelihoods, rising sea levels, intensified acute natural disasters and competition for resources that result in intensified conflict. It covers both internal and international movements.

Part 1 provides a framework for assessing the legal, organisational and political arrangements for addressing migration. Part 2 then focuses on the legal, organisational and political arrangements themselves. The first section addresses the normative and legal frameworks governing migration within and across borders, including general human rights instruments as well as migration-specific instruments. Section 2 identifies the international organisations with responsibilities for the management of migration.

Part 2 discusses the intersection between these legal and organisational challenges and environmentally induced migration. The first section examines the impact of legal and organisational frameworks on migration patterns whereas the second section examines the opposite relationship – the impact of migration patterns on legal and organisational frameworks. Part 2 concludes with observations about the ways in which legal and organisational factors intersect with other drivers of environmental migration. Part 3 then offers concluding remarks as to the adequacy of the current legal and organisational regime for addressing issues arising from environmental migration and provides recommendations for the future.

Citation

Martin, S. F. (2011). Review of legal and political framework which affects migration, including institutional architecture and capacity, and how it is affected by future environmental change. London : Government Office for Science UK.