UN General Assembly
2017

Uncontrolled mass migration into Europe as a result of conflicts and natural disasters, for example, has taught us the very important lesson that we should have had in place effective international institutions and systems to control, manage and protect the rights of migrants. In exactly the same manner, we must now formulate effective international systems to protect the human rights of people displaced by the impacts of climate change and avoid further uncontrolled mass migration and mass violation of human rights. This preparation must include developing the appropriate international legal tools to cope with the complex and multifaceted challenges posed by climate change. In particular, the current refugee regimes that were developed to cope with traditional threats do not adequately protect people forced to leave their homes by the impacts of climate change. We therefore reiterate our proposal for a United Nations resolution on the establishment of a legal process to protect the human rights and, ultimately, save the lives of people displaced by the impacts of climate change.