By Fatou Sanneh
The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR) in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Thursday, 29 December 2022, validated the draft plan of action to mainstream migration into the National Climate Change Framework, held at the National Youth Council in Bakau.
Under the framework of the project ‘Building Evidence and Enhancing Capacity to Formulate Policy Responses on Environment Migration in The Gambia’, this activity is part of the efforts to assist the government and its development partners to formulate policy responses to environmental migration in the country.
In his welcome remarks, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, Mr. Baboucarr Zaidi Jallow stated that the workshop was a continuation of what has been started in the development of the action plan. He urged all participants to thoroughly go through the documents and highlight gaps as well as make relevant comments and recommendations to ensure all the necessary elements were captured.
Speaking at the event, Principal Climate Change Officer, Mr. Modou Cham highlighted that climate change mainstreaming is part of the holistic approach to fight the impact of climate change, especially with regard to migration.
IOM Representative, Mr. George Andrews outlined the objectives of the validation workshop which were to provide recommendations to improve the document and to ensure the action plan is aligned with the policies and activities. The Plan, he added, will guide future interventions and ensure activities are better designed. He urged participants to serve as ambassadors to help achieve IOM’s targets and objectives.
In her closing statement on behalf of all other stakeholders, Marie Emily Gomez of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) thanked the organisers (MECCNAR and IOM) for the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions during the exercise. She added that the sessions held will be very helpful in enhancing the existing policy documents.
Climate change is manifesting in changes in temperatures, annual precipitation patterns, the frequency and severity of certain weather events, and other features of the climate system in the country. Combined with the existing environmental, social, and economic vulnerabilities, climate change is undermining Gambia’s food, water and economic security; as well as causing loss of livelihoods, thus destabilising rural societies and fueling rural-urban migration. Thus, analysts believe that there is need to mainstream migration in the national climate change policy framework on the environment and climate change.
