Disclaimer: I've removed A LOT of cringe stuff from the background guide. Also, if the formatting is bad, my apologies. Something's not working for this particular post.
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United Nations – The Sixth General Assembly
(Legal Committee – GA6/C6)
Chair: [redacted]
Co-chair – 1: [redacted]
Co-chair – 2: Timothy Matthew Chummar
Agenda 1: Legal Protection For Climate Migrants
Letter From The Dias –
Greetings, delegates!
We are delighted to welcome you to the United Nations Sixth General Assembly at
MTSMUN 2023. This conference will provide an excellent platform for delegates to discuss
and address pressing global issues. We understand that some of you may be participating in
an MUN conference for the first time, and we wish you all the best. We know that being a
first-time delegate can be daunting, from preparing position papers and researching your
ministers foreign policy and allies, to practicing your opening speech. However, we want to
assure you that we are here to support and guide you every step of the way.
Regardless of your level of experience, we have no doubt that you will give in your best
effort during the conference. We want to remind you that the main aim of any MUN
conference is to have fun and make the most of your experience over the 3 days at
MTSMUN. As the tricameral Dias of GA6, we have prepared a Background Guide to provide
you with a basic overview of the topics that will be discussed during the conference. We hope
this guide will be a good starting point for your research, however we do expect delegates to
conduct more in-depth research on their own that align with the data pertaining to the person
you represent.
If you have any queries or doubts, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always
available and ready to assist you to the best of our abilities. We look forward to an enriching,
fruitful and enlightening experience from all you delegates, and we wish you the best of luck!
Warmest regards,
The Dias (GA6)
Introduction:
An ancient maxim once quipped that defining a problem in its totality is one-fourth of the
solution to the problem. So, with that in mind, let’s delve straight into the issue. The pressing
issue from this agenda can be broadly subdivided into two streams, the first being exacting
when it comes to the definition of climate (or better known as, environmental) migrants and
the second problems pertains to providing such climatic migrants legal protection which
grants them a safe haven to restart their existences all over again, without the ever-resounding
din of exclamatory sarcastic barbs and back-hand humorous questionings of their “supposed”
places of origin.
First off, let’s define the first part of the agenda, the definition of climate migrants.
The International Organization of Migration (IOM) defines climate migration as “the
movement of a person or groups of persons who, predominantly for reasons of sudden or
progressive change in the environment due to climate change, are obliged to leave their
habitual place of residence, or choose to do so, either temporarily or permanently, within a
state or across an international border.” Basically (unpacking this statement), people who
because of sudden (examples: natural disasters like flash floods, earthquakes etc.) or gradual
(examples: the increase of temperatures to torrential levels) changes in the environment
decided to resettle temporarily or permanently to another location which entails less
detrimental effects on human lives in the process.
So, this should be okay, right? If not for the country’s interests, is it not the moral
responsibility of every country to accept in hordes these impoverished people on
humanitarian grounds, thus fulfilling their various allegiances to the United Nations charters
and honouring their positions in the international community? Well, it turns out that it’s not
that simple for these countries or refugees to land in their resettled areas… for now. Because,
according to the United Nations University, there are NO sources/treaties/documents that can
exactly pigeon-hole/classify climate migrants as refugees, so they land up in a catch-22 type
of scenario. In short, climate migrants are not recognized as official refugees and hence, have
to illegally migrate to other nations (and be deported later).
They have two choices to make, which imprints the irony of the situation on their faces:
1) They have to stay in their nations and bear the brunt of climatic disasters, which could
cause cascading effects on these people and their families with devastating
repercussions for all people involved, from families suffering losses either due to the
extensive damage caused by such disasters which also has severe economic implications for the government by using precious resources which should be intended to develop the country
immediately after such disasters but which are instead diverted to rescue operation in
areas which have already been deserted due to the immediate cessation of activities in
that area leading to all its inhabitants fleeing.
2) Or (the more economically friendly and less painful approach), these same people
could resettle in other countries and thus, save their lives and their government’s
resources, and yet find opportunities to settle and work in these foreign nations, thus
providing exponential growth to their host country and provide their native country
with economic clout and resources to develop their restructuring and providing more
forex reserves for their country.
So, shouldn’t this be a win-win scenario for all parties and stakeholders involved? Exactly…
but with one catch. These migrants are not recognized as official refugees and hence, will
have to resort to illegal means to reach their destinations, or would have to take the more
longer legal procedures which could result in these very same people perishing from the very
disasters they so hoped to flee or in the very least, could suffer mutilation and damage to
themselves and their properties, thus making these people liabilities to an already struggling
government which is trying to recuperate with these disasters at hand. Also, it denies all these
people (what the dais would like to term as) the “right to opportunity”, namely the right to
give all human beings a decent shot at life and to ensure that they had not only the resources
but also the opportunity to shine in their particular spheres of expertise, all of which is being denied to
climate migrants who are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The dais in particular would be looking forward to viewing, debating, and implementing
solutions to this pertinent crisis at hand and are privileged to extend our helping hands in
order for the delegates. Do keep in mind when researching and drafting your documents on
these issues that we are particularly interested not in the highlighting of these issues (which
will be fully done at the end of this background guide) but are looking forward to innovative
solutions to these problems. So, with this ‘background’ in mind, let us set out into the various
aspects of this agenda, which would be very pertinent in this stage of your research and
would be discussed in society through your speeches, debates, positions papers and draft
resolutions.
Key Terms:
Some key-terms that you will be encountering whilst doing your research on various
countries and policies. We recommend that you strongly based your arguments and
propositions based on these terminologies as these words are imperative to solving the
agenda at hand. They are:
1) Climate-related displacement
This term refers to the displacement of regular citizens/residents of a geographical
location who are suddenly and/or irrevocably forced out of their places of residences due
to climatic factors (either passive of active) and as a result, cause the mass exodus of
various populations to various other countries. Some examples would include the internal
displacement of citizens from the United States after Hurricane Katrina battered the
coastal areas or external displacement of residents such as in the case of Bangladesh.
2) Climate-related disasters
This term refers to disasters that are caused by natural disasters and/or climatic disasters
which cause the immediate cessation of human activities in certain-affected areas, leads to
a lot of economic and biological destruction in society and almost always, ensues
emergencies placed by the government in order to protect the interests (and sometimes,
lives) of the civilian government at hand. Also, these circumstances usually lead to
economic and political stability, which is very costly to human life when applied to the
delay of human-rescue operation by opposing factions in the government. Some examples
would include the recent Libyan floods and the Moroccan earthquakes.
3) Adverse impacts of climate disasters
This term refers to the number of adverse effects that climate disasters can have on
humanity such as:
a) The immediate threat of loss of lives, property, and sanity.
b) The impact of post-traumatic shocks, which could develop into chronic disorders
for a lifetime.
c) The loss of cultural heritage, which (when spent on recovery) could run into the
billions of dollars.
d) The loss of potential and already existing projects, infrastructures and systems
which reduce the capacities of the geographical entities.
e) The immense collateral damage caused by these disasters which results in huge
amounts of government expenditures in rescue and re-building operations which
in turn, leads to more economic meltdowns and causes cyclic effects on weaker
economies (such as in third-world countries), reducing economical efficiencies
across the board.
f) The trickle-down effect in which singular disaster causes a chain-reaction leading
to other, more potentially lethal disasters. One notable example is the Fukushima
nuclear reactor meltdown in Japan, which was caused after a tsunami and an
earthquake ravaged the city.
4) Triggers and drivers for displacement
This term broadly sub-divides into 2 major streams relatable to this agenda:
a) Triggers: These triggers are sudden climatic disasters which drive people out
immediately from their places of residences. Examples would include the various
hurricanes that have battered the coastal plains of the United States, sending people
permanently or temporarily from the residences.
b) Drivers: These drivers are gradual climatic changes in a particular geographical
location which drives the residents of that place gradually over time as climatic
circumstances force people of these regions, like the gradual increase of temperatures
over time which could a lot of health hazards. Some examples would include the
gradual shift of many people from island nations like the Maldives due to rising sea
levels.
6) Climate refugees
Again, self-explanatory, but if you want a formal definition, here’s one from the
International Organization For Migration (IOM - UN) which states that:
“Environmental migrants are persons or groups of persons who, predominantly for
reasons of sudden or progressive change in the environment that adversely affects their
lives or living conditions, are obliged to leave their habitual homes, or choose to do so,
either temporarily or permanently, and who move either within their country or abroad.”
Simply, people who flee from an area due to climatic changes in the environment causing
climatic disasters.
Main Parties Involved:
1) Affected countries
Affected countries and geographical entities are the backbone of this issue because it is
from these very same countries that these climate migrants leave and would have to be
issued a climatic migrant status by the expediting countries. Many countries like
Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Mexico are starting to see this kind of emigration increasingly
over the past few years due to climate change, for which we only have ourselves to
blame. But leaving that aside, we can also see a scary trend particularly in 3 major
regions, with the Sub-Saharan region expected to have a whopping 86 million people exit
the area as a result of climatic migration, whilst South Asia and Latin America have a
combined result of 57 million, causing around a billion and a half people to exist their
native homelands due to climatic changes and factors.
2) Destination countries
Another obvious issue that we have to face in this situation are the attitudes of destination
countries. You see, as we previously stated, there are no sources which state that climate
migrants are refugees, and hosting refugees is a HUGE economic burden (ask Ukraine’s
neighbours), so it makes perfect economic sense for countries to ban climate migrants
under the shadow of a lack of regulations surrounding this agreement, which is the main
purpose of this committee. Target countries like the US, Canada, Nordic countries, the
EU, and various other developed nations directly ban or allow (albeit, grudgingly) few
migrants due to this fundamental issue, hence becoming the thorn in our side when it
comes to this issue.
3) GA6
The 6th General Assembly plays a pivotal role in advancing legal protection for climate
migrants by facilitating international cooperation and consensus-building. It provides a
platform for member states to collectively address the challenges faced by climate
migrants, develop legal frameworks, and allocate resources to ensure their rights and
protections. The 6th General Assembly can (and should) foster meaningful dialogue and action, ultimately contributing to the development of comprehensive policies that safeguard the rights and
well being of those displaced by climate change.
4) NGO’s
The NGO’s serve as watchdogs, holding governments and international bodies
accountable for fulfilling their obligations to climate migrants under existing legal
frameworks. NGOs also facilitate dialogue and cooperation among stakeholders, fostering
collaborative efforts to address the complex challenges posed by climate-induced
migration. Through their advocacy and on-the-ground initiatives, NGOs contribute
significantly to advancing the legal protections and rights of climate migrants.
5) Lawmakers + Policymakers
Lawmakers and policymakers hold a critical role in advancing legal protections for
climate migrants by creating and implementing comprehensive legislation and policies.
They can develop frameworks for recognizing climate refugee status, establish pathways
for resettlement and adaptation, and ensure access to essential services and rights.
Furthermore, lawmakers can allocate resources, both domestically and through
international cooperation, to address the specific challenges faced by climate migrants.
Their decisions and actions are essential in providing a legal safety net and safeguarding
the rights and well-being of those displaced by climate change.
Points Of Consideration:
Here are a few questions to keep in mind as you research. The dais would be primarily
focusing on these questions to push debate forward and are hunting for viable speeches,
presentations and solutions which are to be answered over the course of the conference.
1) Which subset of people can we consider as climate migrants?
(Obviously, we can’t court all immigrant fast-tracked asylum visas as many of them
are NOT climate migrants. They might pose as climate migrants but might actually be
illegal migrants seeking to enter the country through fraudulent means or come due to
a small climatic change like a quick flash flood with non-devastating consequences
and yet, seize the opportunity to enter into their dream country under the disguise of
asylum-seekers. So, one solution for this scenario would be to start a governmental
agency in all host-nations to identify [real-time] if that geographical region is truly
experiencing a climatic disaster and if a large number of people have fled the place, or
if the person in question is just a one-off, fraudulent case trying to misuse his/her
international privileges.)
2) What measures can we implement in order to accept climate migrants on a large scale,
whilst maintaining a fine balance between mass immigration and averting a logistical
nightmare of magnanimous proportions?
3) How can we incorporate global cooperation into this arena, so that there can be a
holistic balance and coordinated response to this crisis?
4) The centre-most question for the agenda at hand, what are some laws and legal
measures that we (the GA6) can undertake in order to consolidate this issue for the
whole world?
5) Should we have independent bodies in order to investigate this issue in the form of
specialised bodies within the GA6 and/or individual governmental agencies to decide
upon the question?
Bibliography:
1) https://seors.unfccc.int/applications/seors/attachments/get_attachment?code=NL2KZ9
POSH0E2SR1HSP6B58BH1KCUJE3
2) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/03/as-people-flee-environmental-disasters-
how-can-international-law-help-them/
3) https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/06/1138147
4) https://ejfoundation.org/news-media/climate-refugees-urgently-need-international-
legal-protection-new-report
5) https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/who-is-a-climate-migrant
6) https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2018/03/19/meet-the-human-faces-of-
climate-migration
7) https://ejfoundation.org/news-media/climate-refugees-urgently-need-international-
legal-protection-new-report
8) https://ctk.climatecentre.org/downloads/modules/training_downloads/2g%20FactShee
t%2002%20-%20Displacement%20and%20Climate%20-%20Terminology.pdf
9) https://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/media/1806/file/Concepts,%20Contexts%20and
%20Categorizations%20of%20Climate%20Mobility.pdf
10) https://reliefweb.int/report/world/who-counts-climate-migrant
11) https://ehs.unu.edu/news/news/5-facts-on-climate-migrants.html
12) https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/06/lets-talk-about-climate-
migrants-not-climate-refugees/
13) https://www.nrdc.org/stories/climate-migration-equity
14) https://www.zurich.com/en/media/magazine/2022/there-could-be-1-2-billion-climate-
refugees-by-2050-here-s-what-you-need-to-know
15) https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/climate-change-fueling-migration-do-climate-migrants-
have-legal-protections
16) https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/aug/18/century-climate-crisis-migration-
why-we-need-plan-great-upheaval
17) https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/build-better-futures/environment-disasters-and-
climate-change/
18) https://environmentalmigration.iom.int/environmental-migration
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