By Colleen Cloonan Swain: Women’s Leadership Development and Advocacy Associate Mercy International Association: Mercy Global Action at the UN: While coinciding with the UN migration conferences in Morocco, displacement due to climate change was to be addressed at COP 24 in many forms. There continues to be widespread recognition internationally about how climate change has been and will affect the number of people migrating both internally within a country and to different countries. This year’s COP stressed the issue of “just transition” for workers as they move away from fossil fuels towards other forms of employment and decent work; this creates internal displacement as countries move towards more sustainable means of energy. The Silesia Declaration on “just transition” was signed by 50 countries and noted in the final COP text.
Furthermore, “At the Paris talks in 2015, countries agreed to establish a taskforce to 
provide recommendations on averting, minimising and addressing climate-related displacement…The recommendations of this task force were submitted and discussed in September at a meeting of the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM), the formal mechanism at the UNFCCC for addressing the loss and damage caused by climate change. They were then endorsed at this year’s COP as an annex to the WIM’s final text, which “invites” countries to consider the recommendations.” It is our hope that loss and damage continues to be addressed and reviewed with more urgency.
Many UN Agencies and countries of Asia-Pacific stressed the theme of climate displacement through hosting events entitled “Climate Induced Human Mobility: Taking Stock of 3 years discussions under the UNFCCC”, “Voices from the climate frontlines: Protecting the most vulnerable and furthest behind” and “Living in the Face of Climate Change: From the Pacific Islands to the World”.
For more information on climate displacement see UNHCR’s “Key Concepts on Climate Change and Disaster Displacement or Sierra Club’s “Women on the Move in A Changing Climate.
Some events may be found via https://unfccc-cop24.streamworld.de/ondemand
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By Colleen Cloonan Swain: Women’s Leadership Development and Advocacy Associate Mercy International Association: Mercy Global Action at the UN: This past December, I was honored to attend the 24th Session of the Conference of Parities of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, otherwise known as COP 24. One of the main agenda items for this year’s conference was the finalization of the “Katowice Rulebook” which defines how climate action in the Paris Agreement is to be implemented and accounted for decades to come. Going into the conference, I knew these were ambitious goals but they were achievable with international cooperation and commitment.
rights, despite the recognition of human rights within the preamble of the Paris Agreement. Negotiators were not willing to mix social policies and climate policies despite the two influencing one another.
Despite setbacks there were some positives at COP 24 as well.
At the 
gather again in Katowice, Poland, for the Katowice Climate Change Conference (COP 24), to deliberate on a collective action plan to realize those critical commitments made by all the countries of the world in Paris, in 2015.
Two years into the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement, the 
described climate change “as the defining threat of our time.” It is therefore, our duty — to each other and to future generations — is to raise the ambition to combat it.”
