Climate change and climate policy induced relocations: A challenge for social justice - recommendations of the Bielefeld Consultation

This policy brief concerns those who have already been or are likely to be permanently displaced by the effects of climate change or as a result of investments and programme activities related to climate policy, and who may require or pursue permanent relocation. The brief  is the result of an interdisciplinary research workshop with academics and practitioners, held at Bielefeld University in Germany on November 2014.

The publication offers the following minimum standards for planned relocation, among others:

• independent environmental risk and human rights impact assessments of the need for relocation;
• independent assessment of public interest, parliamentary and local approval;
• transparency throughout the land-acquisition process and legal protection of traditional land tenure systems;
• consideration of all other already existing and human rights-based best practice in carrying out planned relocations;
• access to justice and redress by providing appropriate grievance and complaint mechanisms
  at operational and institutional levels of project implementers and funders.

Environment Migration Portal, Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Policy Brief Series, Issue 10, Vol. 1, December 2015. This document is part of the "Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Policy Brief Series" of the International Organization for Migration.