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Climate change driving displacement, says UN refugee chief

781 views · Published 16 December 2009 · 2:26 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: United Nations · 2009 · News & Politics

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United Nations, New York, 16 December 2009 - With three days remaining at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the Secretary-General is confident that world leaders will be able to agree on a new deal to combat global warming. 
As part of his efforts to help pave the way, he held meetings Wednesday with a wide number of leaders and representatives of groups of nations. Among the latter were the Group of 77 (G77), the African Group, the Least Developed Countries and the Association of Small Island States, He also joined the President of the Conference of Parties on the podium of the High-level segment of the Climate Change Conference. 
Among the leaders he met on the sidelines of the conference were British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. 
The Secretary-General later attended the launch of World Food Programme's "safe stoves" initiative. The stoves require less firewood, which means preserving trees and reducing emissions, as well as protecting women and girls who often have to travel great distances to collect firewood at the risk of attacks, robbery and rape. 
Today's pilot launch is targeting women in Uganda and Sudan. 
The stoves will be rolled out fully next year to reach up to 6 million refugees, internally displaced persons and returnees across 36 countries.
Still in Copenhagen, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, has been speaking today about the links between migration, displacement and climate change.   
He said the traditional distinctions between refugees and migrants are becoming more and more blurred. This is because a combination of factors  climate change, food insecurity, poverty, conflict  are now more interlinked and forcing people to flee. 
He also said that climate change has become the most important trigger of forced displacements because it can help trigger conflict, especially when there is competition for resources made scarce by climate change.  

News story:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33279&Cr=copenhagen&Cr1=

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