GUEST CONTRIBUTION
RETHINKING MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE MENA REGION With the right policies and investment, migration can be a development opportunity By Othman Belbeisi, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), International Organization for Migration (IOM)
A cross the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), climate change is not a distant threat but a present and growing driver – directly or indirectly – of human mobility. From recurring floods in Sudan and Yemen to rising sea levels in North Africa and water scarcity in Iraq and Syria, environmental stress is forcing more people to move. But none of this occurs in a vacuum. Across this region, climate change interacts with pre-existing vulnerabilities including political instability, poverty, conflict and limited coping capacity to trigger displacement on a significant scale. A case in point is Sudan, where 11 million people have been forced from their homes, especially since the start of the civil war in April 2023. But the crisis is not just about war. It is also about the collapse of agriculture after years of drought, increasingly erratic monsoon rains, rising temperatures and frequent flooding which have damaged the ecosystems and degraded soils, combined with the absence of viable alternative livelihoods. Climate issues amplify conflict risks and conflict, in turn, accelerates environmental degradation – a vicious
cycle that drives more and more people from their homes. We are also witnessing this dynamic in Syria, where recovery and reconstruction efforts are underway in areas still struggling with shattered infrastructure, exhausted local economies and traumatized populations. While the return of displaced people can be a sign of stability, it also presents risks: of overwhelming fragile infrastructure and services inflaming local tensions or pushing people to move again, within countries, across borders, or even back to where they first took refuge. On the other hand, if managed inclusively, the return of the displaced to their homes can be an opportunity to rebuild, to provide infrastructure that is fairer to communities and fairer to the environment. The MENA region includes some of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. In Iraq, entire communities in some southern districts have been forced to migrate to urban areas due to the collapse of traditional agriculture and lack of alternative income sources. In Libya, Cyclone Daniel brought severe destruction and loss of life in September 2023.
Othman Belbeisi
Othman Belbeisi previously served as IOM’s Senior Regional Adviser for MENA in Geneva, as Chief of Mission in Libya, and Head of the Lebanon Office. He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration. IOM
IOM is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of
migration and is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. Established in 1951, IOM is part of the UN system.
Views and opinions expressed are solely the author’s and don’t reflect the opinions or beliefs of the OPEC Fund.
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