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Subject: The Migration Newsdesk - 23 December 2015
The Migration Newsdesk - 23 December 2015
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| 23 December 2015 | |
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| COP21 Paris Agreement: A Stepping Stone for Climate Migrants By Dina
Ionesco The COP21 Paris Agreement adopted by world governments on 12th December
2015 represents a unprecedented breakthrough for action on migration and
climate with the formal inclusion of “migrants” in the Preamble of the
Agreement. It reads: “Acknowledging that climate change is a common concern of
humankind, parties should, when taking action to address climate change,
respect, promote and consider their respective obligations on human rights, the
right to health, the rights of indigenous peoples, local communities, migrants,
children, persons with disabilities and people in vulnerable situations and the
right to development, as well as gender equality, empowerment of women and
intergenerational equity”. Some 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal,
legally binding global climate deal - the first major multilateral deal of the
21st century. It sets out a global action plan to limit global warming to well
below 2°C. Read on |
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Syrian refugees crossing the Serbian-Croatian border. © Francesco
Malavolta/IOM 2015 The Ominous Story of Syria's Climate Refugees Farmers who
have escaped the battle-torn nation explain how drought and government abuse
have driven social violence, writes John Wendle for the Scientific American.
Kemal Ali ran a successful well-digging business for farmers in northern Syria
for 30 years. He had everything he needed for the job: a heavy driver to pound
pipe into the ground, a battered but reliable truck to carry his machinery, a
willing crew of young men to do the grunt work. More than that, he had a sharp
sense of where to dig as well as trusted contacts in local government on whom
he could count to look the other way if he bent the rules. Then things changed.
In the winter of 2006–2007, the water table began sinking like never before.
Ali had a problem. “Before the drought I would have to dig 60 or 70 meters to
find water,” he recalls. “Then I had to dig 100 to 200 meters. Then, when the
drought hit very strongly, I had to dig 500 meters. The deepest I ever had to
dig was 700 meters. The water kept dropping and dropping.” From that winter
through 2010, Syria suffered its most devastating drought on record. Ali’s
business disappeared. He tried to find work but could not. Social uprisings in
the country began to escalate. He was almost killed by crossfire. Now Ali sits
in a wheelchair at a camp for wounded and ill refugees on the Greek island of
Lesbos. Climatologists say Syria is a grim preview of what could be in store
for the larger Middle East, the Mediterranean and other parts of the world. The
drought, they maintain, was exacerbated by climate change. The Fertile
Crescent—the birthplace of agriculture some 12,000 years ago—is drying out.
Syria’s drought has destroyed crops, killed livestock and displaced as many as
1.5 million Syrian farmers. In the process, it touched off the social turmoil
that burst into civil war, according to a study published in March in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. Read on |
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Diana: "I have always thought that the grass was greener there but I was
wrong. The grass in Ukraine is just as green and I am glad I live here."
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Visit http://iamamigrant.org/
| How to contribute to the I am a migrant campaign. Watch here. |
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For the latest Mediterranean Update data on arrivals and fatalities please
visit: http://migration.iom.int/europe #MigrationEurope |
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A global database tracking data on deceased and missing migrants worldwide.
Visit MissingMigrants.iom.int #MissingMigrants |
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International Migrants Day Candlelight Vigils Worldwide Remembering the
migrants who lost their lives this year, as well as the daily sacrifices and
contributions of migrants around the world. Watch video | More videos | More
photos |
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| Quote of the day
| "This is the test of our European ideal. When children are dying on our
doorstep we need to take bolder action. There can be no bigger priority." –
Kirsty McNeill, Save the Children. More here. |
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| Migration in the News
- The majority of world media carried the joint announcement by IOM and
UNHCR that migrant and refugee arrivals in Europe in 2015 reached one million.
Most quoted IOM Director General William Lacy Swing. They included: AP,
Reuters, AFP, Xinhua, Sputnik, Press Association, UPI, New York Times,
Washington Post, Guardian, CNN, BBC, ITV, Sky News, Fox News, PBS, VOA, France
24, and Deutsche Welle.
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| Trending on the Internet
- First Post reported that refugees will be at the heart of the next Berlin
film festival in February 2016, with hundreds of free tickets for asylum
seekers and new movies spotlighting Europe's historic influx.
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| Media Contacts
For comment / interviews on today's news, please go to the contact(s) listed
at the end of each press briefing note.
For other information please contact the IOM Media & Communications team here
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