The impacts of climate change increasingly forces people away from their homes and livelihoods. Increased droughts force small-scale farmers to abandon their land and the rising sea level pushes poor families living in delta cities away from their homes. LANDac and Displacement Solutions invites you to a seminar on this phenomenon, also known as climate displacement. This seminar starts with a brief discussion of climate displacement: What is climate displacement? How does it materialize in different settings? We then turn to a discussion of climate displacement within the current development agenda: The growing global problem of climate displacement has yet to receive the political and legal attention it deserves, particularly given the mass scale that this form of displacement will take. One approach to the issue of climate displacement focuses on how best to both prevent it, and when prevention fails, what to concretely do to assist climate displaced persons. This seminar will explore the particular land dimensions of climate displacement and how and where land fits into the list of policy options designed to best protect the rights of those affected. In particular, the meeting will explore issues such as:

• The One House, One Family at a time project in Bangladesh, coordinated by Displacement Solutions and YPSA, as an example of a concrete solution which is currently offered to address the issue. Can this approach be replicated and scaled up elsewhere?
• Are there land-based solutions to climate displacement which are already underway and what are the experiences (e.g. national climate land banks)?
• How to more strongly involve governments, other donors as well as practitioners in finding concrete solutions to climate displacement on the ground?

Now available: Climate displacement seminar report

PROGRAMME

15.00 – 15.10

Welcome and introduction by LANDac, Prof. Dr. Annelies Zoomers

15.10 – 15.45

Land dimensions of Climate Displacement, Dr. Scott Leckie – Director of Displacement Solutions

15.45 – 16.15

Responses from research, policy and practice (names to be announced)

16.15 – 17.00

Discussion with the audience: experiences with climate displacement and ideas for taking this agenda forward

PLEASE REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO: g.betsema@uu.nl.

SPEAKERS

Scott Leckie

Scott Leckie is the director and founder of Displacement Solutions, an organisation dedicated to resolving cases of forced displacement throughout the world, in particular displacement caused by climate change and conflict. Over the past three decades he has established several human rights organisations and institutions and regularly advises a number of UN agencies on housing, land and property rights issues. Scott has published 19 books and over 200 articles and reports on climate displacement and related topics. He lectures frequently and teaches several human rights courses.

Different speakers from research, policy and practice on land governance and climate displacements will provide reflections on Scott’s presentation. Names to be announced soon.

Location: Academy Building, Westerdijkkamer, Domplein 29, Utrecht

Day & time: Thursday 4 October, 15.00 – 17.00 hrs (coffee from 14.45)