The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Prof. Foday Jaward, and the Head of Office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Sierra Leone, Mr. Christos Christodoulides have signed the Plan of Action to address the issue of Climate Change and Human Mobility in Sierra Leone on the 14th June 2023.

The Plan of Action makes provision for the implementation of recommendations to address Human Mobility in the context of Climate Change, Environmental Degradation, and Disasters in the country.

The plan is a culmination of a series of activities including research, consultative stakeholder engagements with partners both international and local, government and non-government, working in the areas of human mobility in relation to climate change, disasters, and environmental degradation.

In West Africa and Sierra Leone, human mobility has always been linked to the environment, either in the form of displacement in the context of disasters, transhumance, migration during the harvesting season, or longer-term labor migration in the context of agricultural activities. However, over the last two decades, the adverse effects of climate change have intensified environmental events and processes in the region, such as droughts, deforestation, water scarcity, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and flooding, compelling more people directly and indirectly to leave their homes. The Plan of Action signed at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC) in Freetown identifies five key areas of prioritization; to address human mobility (migration) in the context of climate change, environmental degradation, and disasters in Sierra Leone.

The plan outlines the timeline for implementation of prioritized activities and identifies the responsible lead actors within various Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies as well as international partners. The key priority areas identified include Governance, Data, Equipment, Technology, and Financing. The recommendations spelled out in this Plan of Action are aimed at complimenting the efforts of the Government of Sierra Leone to minimize displacement and facilitate regular migration pathways in the context of disasters, climate change, and environmental degradation and to support the actions of the Government to implement its commitments as set out in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).

The piloting of IOM’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Integrated Human Mobility Assessment Tool and the Plan of Action is rolled out in Sierra Leone under IOM’s regional project, “Implementing Global Policies on Environmental Migration and Disaster Displacement in West Africa” carried out together with the Platform on Disaster Displacement and with support from the Government of France.

After signing the Plan of Action with the Honorable Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Mr. Christos Head of Office IOM Sierra Leone expressed hope that the recommendations will guide the government of Sierra Leone in prioritizing areas of action in addressing human mobility in the context of climate change in the country.

“After several months of consultative stakeholder exchange, we have signed with the Honorable Minister of Environment and Climate Change the Plan of Action for the implementation of recommendations on human mobility in the context of climate change in Sierra Leone,” Christos said. “Thanks to government and UN colleagues who actively contributed to this achievement,” he added.

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For more information, please contact IOM Sierra Leone

Bilal Kamara, Communication Assistant, IOM Sierra Leone bilkamara@iom.int.