Read at : Google Alert - desertification
http://www.climate-l.org/2008/10/unu-hosts-envir.html
UNU Hosts Environmental Refugee Conference
9 October 2008: The UN University (UNU) is hosting the International Conference on Environment, Forced Migration and Social Vulnerability, which is taking place in Bonn, Germany, from 9-11 October 2008. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and International Organization for Migration (IOM) are among the Conference’s organizing partners. Participants have been asked to capture the current state of research and debate on the issue, and to conclude with recommendations for moving forward.
Speaking at the Conference, the UNCCD Secretariat suggested that an international definition of “environmental refugees” should be agreed upon, because UN treaties recognize only political refugees as eligible for aid from the UN refugee agency. Coinciding with the meeting, the UNCCD developed a webpage on desertification and migration. The page notes that Operational Objective 2 of the ten-year strategy for the UNCCD, which was adopted in 2008, covers the issue of environment and migration. The conference will also serve as a platform to introduce the Climate Change, Environment and Migration Alliance (CCEMA), which was initiated in April 2008 by UNU, IOM, UNEP and the Munich Re Foundation.
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[International Conference on "Environment, Forced Migration and Social Vulnerability", Bonn, Germany, 9-11 October 2008] [UNCCD Statement] [UNCCD Desertification and Migration webpage] [UNU-EHS Press Release]
