Addressing The Protection Gap ? Human Mobility And The Climate Crisis In International Frameworks
Brot für die Welt
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Abstract: This report explores the lack of robust legal protection for climate-displaced populations and assesses how international climate and migration frameworks fall short in safeguarding human mobility. It reviews instruments such as the UNFCCC, Paris Agreement, Global Compacts on Refugees and Migration, and the Sendai Framework. The brief identifies key implementation gaps, including poor integration of mobility in national adaptation plans, lack of gender- and rights-based approaches, and siloed governance across climate, migration, and humanitarian domains. Case examples from East Africa demonstrate how climate disasters are displacing vulnerable communities who remain outside formal protection regimes. The author recommends reforms including operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund, strengthening regional instruments like the Kampala Convention, and expanding migration pathways under climate law. The document advocates for locally embedded, inclusive, and intersectoral approaches to climate-induced mobility and aims to inform civil society, policymakers, and donors.