GUEST CONTRIBUTION
term. What we need is a shift in how development actors – including multilateral development banks – design, finance and implement integrated climate and migration responses that address both the immediate needs of the affected populations as well as long- term development needs. This means three things: First, we should invest in anticipatory action and disaster risk management (such as early warning systems) while making sustainable livelihoods accessible for the affected populations. Financing must prioritize areas at risk of displacement, not just those already in crisis. Second – and this is at the heart of what IOM already does – we need to support host communities, not just displaced people, to promote social cohesion. Development aid must strengthen services and local governance in the towns that are mainly growing due to climate factors. Third, we must use our local presence to amplify the voices of those most affected. Increased availability and accessibility to regular migration pathways is critical. Our role is to support, not restrict, migration choices, ensuring they are safe and voluntary. In this, young people, who represent around 30 percent of the MENA population, are pivotal. They are disproportionately exposed to climate risks due to limited livelihood and resilience opportunities. At the same time, they are powerful agents of innovation, leadership and sustainable development. There is no stopping climate change from influencing human mobility in this region. But there is still time to shape how it happens. Migration, if well- managed, can be a force for resilience, innovation and stability. Poorly managed, it can deepen divisions, overwhelm systems and escalate tensions. So, what do we do, as we stand at this crossroads of climate change? Do we continue to react to each new climate disaster with emergency appeals – or do we invest in a future where people are not forced to flee, but can adapt, thrive and move with dignity, by choice? This is a question for today. Not tomorrow.
In 2024 most migration from countries in Northern Africa and Western Asia was inter-regional. The largest proportion of immigrants from outside the region migrated from Central and Southern Asia. Numbers in brackets are the total of international migrants in 2024 whose place of origin or destination was in the region. Number of international migrants by regions of origin and destination, 2024
Origin
Destination
Europe (61 million)
Europe (94 million)
Central and Southern Asia (54 million)
Central and Southern Asia (20 million)
Latin America and the
Latin America and the Caribbean (48 million)
Caribbean (18 million)
Eastern and Southeastern Asia (23 million)
Eastern and Southeastern Asia (41 million)
Northern Africa and Western Asia (54 million)
Northern Africa and Western Asia (41 million)
Sub-Saharan Africa (24 million)
Sub-Saharan Africa (31 million) Northern America (4.6 million) Oceania (1.6 million)
Northern America (61 million)
Unknown (22 million)
Oceania (10 million)
Source: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
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