A/67/299
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights
of migrants
Summary
The present report, submitted in accordance with General Assembly resolution
66/172, constitutes the first report to the Assembly of the Special Rapporteur on the
human rights of migrants. The report first introduces the activities of the Special
Rapporteur throughout the reporting period.
The thematic section of the report is dedicated to the impacts of climate change
and some of its consequences for migration. The Special Rapporteur first analyses
some of the technical aspects of climate-change-induced migration, including
questions of definitions, identifying the places and persons most affected and
considering where climate-change-induced migrants are moving towards. It then
considers how international law approaches the matter of climate-induced migration,
including some deficiencies in the currently existing categories.
Finally, the Special Rapporteur takes note of the political engagement that will
be required on the issue by a range of actors, including from governments, the
international community and civil society. He provides some conclusions and
recommendations to help guide States in developing appropriate responses to this
complex issue.
Contents
Page
I.
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3
II.
Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3
A.
Engagement with the Human Rights Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4
B.
Regional thematic study: management of the external borders of the European Union
and its impact on the human rights of migrants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4
Thematic section: climate change and migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5
A.
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5
B.
United Nations system and international engagement on migration and climate change .
6
C.
Question of definition: what is climate-change-induced migration? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7
D.
International law and climate-change-induced migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13
E.
Looking ahead: political engagement on the issue of climate-change-induced migration
17
F.
Migration as a solution: recognizing the opportunities of migration as adaptation to
global environmental change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21
Conclusions and recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22
III.
IV.
2
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