The climate crisis and human displacement are increasingly linked. Not only did climate-related disasters cause more than half of all new displacements reported in 2022, but nearly 60 percent of refugees and internally displaced people now live in countries that are among the most vulnerable to climate change. Our understanding of these connections is growing, but the ways in which our rapidly changing climate is forcing people to move and making life harder for those already displaced, are complex and evolving. This situation has led to a proliferation of myths and disinformation. Here are related to the climate crisis and displacement, followed by what the knows.
A funding crunch has sharply curtailed 鈥檚 response to two top hunger crises: Somalia and Haiti. WFP spoke with Hibo Ahmed, who has survived on WFP cash assistance programmes at a dusty camp for internally displaced people, and Herman Petitfrere who, after fleeing gang violence in the neighborhood where he lived, in Haiti鈥檚 capital, Port-au-Prince, now lives in a makeshift shelter built from wood and iron sheeting, located in a camp, where hundreds of other people have also taken refuge. Both are surviving day-to-day in homelands roiled by violence and climate change 鈥 which together help to drive some of the world鈥檚 highest hunger rates.
met with Malak, a Palestinian refugee in Jenin, who shared her memories of her cousin Sadeel. Sadeel was killed following an Israeli Security Forces operation in Jenin camp. Malak wants to become a doctor, be happy and live safely.
While armed conflicts, rising food insecurity, and the climate emergency have pushed displaced people around the world to the brink, refugees are finding ways to contribute to their host communities, as educators, entrepreneurs, advocates, climate activists and health-care workers, among others. During the upcoming , an opportunity to mobilize action for positive change in the lives of refugees will be appreciated as the 17 goals collectively known as the cannot be fully realized without their inclusion. Being a refugee is not a handicap and they are living proof that their power of perseverance is towards a better future no matter the obstacles that stand in their way.
Over 50 people who fled conflict in Sudan have found shelter in Fatna Hamid鈥檚 home. Many Chadians like Fatna are opening their doors to Sudanese refugees arriving in Chad. Over 320,000 refugees have crossed into the country鈥檚 east since conflict began in April. form .
El Para铆so 鈥 or 鈥淧aradise鈥 in English 鈥 a once-tranquil Honduran department close to Nicaragua has seen the arrival of an unprecedented number of migrants en route to North America. Between 2010 and 2021, just under 2,000 migrants made the crossing. But in 2022, that number ballooned to 141,290 鈥 more than 70 times as many migrants as in the previous 11 years combined. More than 229,100 migrants have already crossed into El Para铆so in the first half of this year. reports on the work of the Honduras government, UNICEF and other organizations assisting refugees.
The 40-year-old father of four sits under a canopy in his freshly built compound in Eastern Chad, where the population has spiked in recent months due to the arrival of people displaced by violence in Sudan. That night, Daoud fled with his wife and children with nothing but few personal belongings. Like thousands other Chadians living in Western Sudan, he had become a casualty of the deadly violence that engulfed the country since mid-April 2023. 鈥淐hadian returnees are returning to communities that are already fragile,鈥 says 鈥檚 Anne Schaefer.
presents the new video by singer-songwriter K鈥檔aan, who fled Mogadishu as a child. 鈥淚 wanted the song to feel 鈥榣ike a home for those of us made homeless by conflict鈥欌.
anticipates a significant rise in global refugee resettlement needs for next year. According to the , over 2.4 million refugees will be in need of resettlement, marking a 20 per cent increase compared to 2023. With a deepening refugee crisis and the emergence of new displacement situations, urgent action is required to address the challenges faced by millions of refugees and displaced individuals. UNHCR continues to advocate to allocate more places for emergency and medical cases and ensuring timely processing.
Rahama looked through the window, amid a raging armed conflict in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, and all she saw was smoke and guns firing in from every direction. She feared for her family and her unborn third child. Going back home to Ethiopia offered better survival chances for the entire family. She had a successful delivery soon after arriving in Metema facilitated by and its partners. IOM鈥檚 have provided life-saving services including health screening, protection services and provision of water and sanitation facilities to families escaping the conflict in Sudan.
Baby Riazur, living in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, receives his routine vaccines from -supported community health volunteers. More than 952,000 Rohingya, half of whom are children, are living in refugee camps in Cox鈥檚 Bazar after escaping violence that broke out in Myanmar in 2017. Rohingya families often miss routine vaccines - it is critical that children like Riazur receive them.
Refugees and migrants face significant threats to health, and significant barriers to accessing the health services they need. The adoption of the Rabat Declaration will strengthen and reaffirm the global commitment to improve the health of refugees and migrants. One in eight people globally is either a migrant or is forcibly displaced by factors including conflict, persecution, environmental degradation, or the lack of human security and opportunity. emphasizes this goal cannot be realized without political commitment and a whole-of-government approach.
What would you bring if violence or persecution forced you to flee your country? The has worked with photographer Brian Sokol on a refugee portraiture project called The Most Important Thing. Through images and interviews, it reveals some of the anguished decisions refugee families face when they are forced to flee their homes. The most important object Dowla was able to bring with her is the wooden pole balanced over her shoulder. She used it to carry her six children during the 10-day journey to Doro refugee camp in South Sudan.
Syrians are laying down roots in their places of refuge and have valuable skills and knowledge that they can use in their host communities. grants are helping refugees fulfil their potential.