ADDRESSING THE LAND DEGRADATION – MIGRATION NEXUS: THE ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION The opinions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in the meeting of operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. _______________________________________________ This publication was made possible through the support provided by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Directorate-General for the Environment of the European Commission and the Government of the Republic of Turkey, through the Ankara Initiative. Publisher: International Organization for Migration 17 route des Morillons P.O. Box 17 1211 Geneva 19 Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 717 9111 Fax: +41 22 798 6150 Email: [email protected] Website: www.iom.int This publication has been issued without formal editing by IOM. Cover photo: Small caravan of donkeys carrying water in the sand storm, following a major drought in 2017 in Mauritania. © IOM 2018/Sibylle DESJARDINS _______________________________________________ © 2019 International Organization for Migration (IOM) Suggested citation: International Organization for Migration and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (2019): Addressing the Land Degradation – Migration Nexus: The Role of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. IOM, Geneva. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. ADDRESSING THE LAND DEGRADATION – MIGRATION NEXUS: THE ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was prepared by Sara Vigil, Research Fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), under the supervision of the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. International Organization for Migration (IOM): The overall production and editing of this report was managed by Mariam Traore Chazalnoël, Specialist on Migration, Environment and Climate Change, with the support of Ileana Sînziana Pușcaș, Programme Support Officer for Migration, Environment and Climate Change; and under the overall supervision of Dina Ionesco, Head of Division, Migration, Environment and Climate Change. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD): This report was produced with the technical support provided by Barbara Bendandi, Programme Officer on Migration, and Norah Ng'eny, Associate Programme Officer, Regional Coordination Unit for Africa; and under the overall supervision of Louise Baker, Chief of External Relations and Policy. This report was produced with the financial support of the Directorate-General for the Environment of the European Commission and the Government of the Republic of Turkey, through the Ankara Initiative. This report has benefited from case studies identified through the technical assistance provided by the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean and other stakeholders. Layout and design was provided by Carmelo Torres. iii Drought hit Savanne Dèsolèe Haiti, which was considered to be the largest desert area of the country. © 2017/Alessandro GRASSANI TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 PART I MIGRATION AND DESERTIFICATION, LAND DEGRADATION AND DROUGHT: A COMPLEX NEXUS ........................................................................................................................ 5 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 6 1. MIGRATION IN THE CONTEXT OF DESERTIFICATION, LAND DEGRADATION AND DROUGHT .................................................................................. 7 2. TRAJECTORIES AND DESTINATIONS ............................................................................ 9 Internal migration – rural to rural and urban areas .......................................................... 9 International migration – pastoralists and migrant workers ........................................... 9 Trapped populations ............................................................................................................. 10 3. AMPLIFYING AND BUFFERING MECHANISMS ......................................................... 11 4. HOW MANY MIGRANTS? ................................................................................................ 12 Estimates.................................................................................................................................. 12 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 13 PART II GOOD PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED ...................................................................15 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 16 1. LAND PROTECTION AND RESTORATION ............................................................... 17 Supporting small-scale farmers and agroecological practices ....................................... 17 Benin: Facilitating agroecological transitions ..................................................................... 18 Rwanda: Supporting integrated agricultural practices .................................................... 18 Lebanon: Supporting traditional coping strategies and agricultural terracing ............ 19 Lebanon: Encouraging a multi-level stakeholders approach to sustainable land management .................................................................................................................. 19 Developing community-based forest management ........................................................ 20 2. DECENT EMPLOYMENT ................................................................................................... 21 Morocco and Tunisia: Reviving oases and enhancing livelihoods .................................. 21 Brazil: Protecting biodiversity and livelihoods in the Atlantic Forest ........................... 22 Indonesia: Restoring degraded lands to ensure sustainable livelihoods ...................... 22 3. ADDRESSING PRE-EXISTING INEQUALITIES ............................................................. 23 Protecting and recognizing land rights, including for indigenous peoples and local communities .......................................................................................................... 23 The Philippines: Supporting community initiatives in the Northern Mindanao ........ 23 Madagascar: Protecting and rehabilitating land to increase food security .................. 24 Enhancing women’s empowerment and social equality through land restoration... 25 4. MIGRATION-RELATED INTERVENTIONS ................................................................... 26 Ethiopia: Enhancing adaptive migration through land restoration ............................... 26 Niger: Supporting migrant reintegration through land restoration ............................ 26 Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal: Supporting diaspora’s investments in sustainable land management in migration-prone areas ........................................... 27 Benin: Protecting pastoralist mobility ................................................................................ 27 v Uganda: Facilitating access to land for refugees and other migrants ........................... 28 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 28 ADDRESSING THE LAND DEGRADATION – MIGRATION NEXUS: THE ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION PART III POLICY OVERVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................29 OVERVIEW OF SELECTED RELEVANT POLICY PROCESSES .............................................. 30 The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration ................................... 30 International Conference on Migration and Desertification, Almeria ......................... 30 The UNFCCC Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts and the Task Force on Displacement ............ 31 Intergovernmental migration policy within the International Organization for Migration ................................................................................................................................