Today's Edition
WAEL BADRAN (ABU DHABI)
In the countdown to the highly anticipated COP28 global climate conference, the UAE stands at the forefront of leadership and preparation as the host nation of the pivotal event.
From instituting domestic climate change mitigation initiatives to sending consistent assistance to the countries most disproportionately experiencing the ramifications of climate change, the UAE is taking on climate change related issues, such as climate-caused displacement, with innovation and determination.
In an exclusive interview with Aletihad, Special Advisor to the High Commissioner for Climate Action at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Andrew Harper, highlighted the UAE’s commitment to supporting initiatives that address the plight of displaced populations, particulary refugees. Harper commended the UAE’s contributions, particularly in facilitating humanitarian aid to regions affected by climate-induced crises.
With the approach of the pivotal COP28 conference, the UAE’s determination is taking central stage with the goal of fostering global collaboration and ensuring decisive action. Harper called for scaling up financial, technological, and capacity support to avert, minimize and address displacement related to the adverse effects of climate change, as COP28 presents a crucial opportunity to mobilise resources, drive innovative solutions, and protect the world’s most vulnerable communities in the face of the interconnected challenges of climate change and displacement.
The UAE’s role as a catalyst for meaningful change in this global imperative cannot be understated.
He emphasised that climate change is not a distant threat, but a harsh reality that disproportionately affects those who bear the least responsibility for global warming. Escalating temperatures, increasingly severe weather events, and protracted droughts exacerbate existing challenges such as poverty, food and water scarcity, and social instability. Vulnerable communities, including women, children, the elderly, and indigenous groups, bear the brunt of these consequences, he said.
As these environmental hardships disrupt societal systems, strain resources, and ignite conflicts, forced displacement becomes an unfortunate outcome. Harper shared poignant examples, including in the Horn of Africa, which continues to experience the longest and most severe drought on record, threatening lives and livelihoods, including millions of refugees and internally displaced people. Harvests have yielded little and water sources have dried up. Conflict and insecurity continue to intersect with the drought emergency. As conditions continue to worsen, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee in search of safety and assistance.
Harper underscored UNHCR’s role in anticipating and mitigating the impacts of those displaced in the climate crises, noting that the agency operates on the frontlines in fragile contexts where climate vulnerability and conflict intersect. The agency works to enhance the resilience of displaced communities to climate-related risks, strengthen disaster preparedness, and adopt more environmentally sustainable humanitarian practices.
Harper highlighted the government’s unwavering support and collaboration with UNHCR. He praised the nation’s role in facilitating the dispatch of 13 airlifts and a sea shipment in response to the Sudan crisis, which transported over 1,507 metric tonnes of life-saving relief supplies to address the Sudan Emergency. These vital provisions, including tents, blankets, solar lamps, and kitchen sets, were instrumental in improving the well-being of displaced Sudanese in Chad and Sudan.
Harper then confronted the alarming projection that 1.4 billion people could be displaced by 2060 or even earlier. He emphasized that it is not possible to truly pin down the number of people displaced by climate change, as climate does not displace people on its own, but is rather a threat multiplier for other drivers of displacement. However, to minimize the number of people who will be forced to flee in the future, we must take immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and extend support to climate-vulnerable countries and communities striving to adapt and enhance resilience. Delaying this vital action, he warned, would lead to even more severe, costly, and life-threatening consequences of climate change.
He underlined the crucial role of refugee host nations. Developing regions host 84% of the world’s refugees and are often the most climate vulnerable. Hosting countries are providing a global social good, while the costs and responsibilities they shoulder grow heavier due to escalating climate impacts. Many hosting states have contributed little to global emissions yet are being hit the hardest. At the same time, they often have less capacity to adapt and address climate-related challenges.
Looking ahead to COP28 and the Global Refugee Forum, Harper passionately advocated for a comprehensive approach that includes both refugees and their host communities in scaled-up climate action. This approach seeks to strengthen their protection, preparedness, and resilience against the adverse impacts of climate change.
In an era where combatting the climate crisis is a global imperative, the collaboration between entities like UNHCR and supportive nations such as the UAE emerges as a beacon of hope in alleviating the suffering of displaced populations and confronting the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change.
In a development of significant import, it has been reported that “Save the Children” is actively working on the development of an initial artificial intelligence (AI) model designed to offer predictive analysis of displacement. The primary goal of this model is to forecast both the duration and scope of displacement, providing critical insights for resource allocation and capacity planning.
When asked his perspective on such groundbreaking efforts, Harper noted the potential of AI to address displacement crises. He highlighted the possibility that AI, when effectively deployed, could enhance understanding of the intricate web of factors influencing displacement trends and challenges. These factors encompass critical aspects such as girls’ education, livelihood opportunities, corruption, access to water, heat stress, development funding, desertification, and soil depletion. The application of AI in this context could potentially attract funding to mitigate displacement-related issues, he added.
Harper also shed light on UNHCR’s role in this landscape. In 2022, in collaboration with the office of the UN Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel and a research consortium comprising 18 academic institutions, UNHCR released a report titled “Moving from re-action to action: predicting vulnerability hotspots in the Sahel.” This report was created to support resilience efforts in the Sahel region and promote climate risk-informed collaboration across peace, development, and humanitarian sectors.
The report compiles short, medium, and long-term predictions drawn from various data sources and methodologies provided by a consortium of 19 leading organisations. These predictions track the intricate interplay and feedback loops between climate change, food security, conflict, migration, and displacement.
As the world approaches COP28, Harper acknowledged the importance of the UAE’s role as the host nation, and conveyed a clear message to the world ahead of COP28. He urged all participating parties to collaborate in achieving global net-zero emissions, mobilise financial resources, and adapt effectively to protect communities and natural habitats. It is crucial, he emphasised, that not only should target-setting reflect these ambitious goals, but also the implementation strategies must be developed and delivered promptly to ensure the protection of both people and the planet. In a world grappling with the intertwined challenges of climate change and displacement, global collaboration and decisive action are paramount. Mr. Harper concluded by outlining UNHCR’s overarching goals at COP28.
UNHCR’s primary objectives are to ensure recognition and inclusion at the COP of displaced people, as well as advocating for displacement and the protection of people displaced to be included in COP28 decisions. UNHCR is calling for scaled up additional finance and support for adaptation and loss and damage.
