Climate change and conflict are forcing millions of people to flee their homes, both internally and to neighboring countries, especially in developing countries in the Global South.
Reports by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre and the Norwegian Refugee Council found that more than 71 million people were displaced worldwide last year, with three-quarters of them in 10 countries, most of which are in the Global South.
Africa is one of the most affected regions, with millions of people displaced due to conflict. In Sudan, the ongoing military conflict has forced millions of people to flee their homes and to neighboring countries. The United Nations has launched an emergency response plan to support these people, allocating $114 million to Egypt, which has expressed concerns about the economic burden and pressure on services, as well as the cost of security measures to deal with the 350,000 Sudanese refugees it hosts.
Tunisia has called on the international community to take responsibility for the unprecedented influx of migrants. Tunisian President Kais Saied has said that his country is seeking to secure an international rescue plan to address the crisis.
Despite a recent agreement between Libya and Tunisia to host stranded African migrants at their borders, experts have said that the move is insufficient given the lack of facilities and resources to support refugees in both countries.
Pakistan suffered the displacement of nearly 8 million people due to the worst floods in decades. The government has launched a response plan and has received international support of $9 billion to help the country recover from the disaster.
As countries in the Global South struggle to cope with the crisis, concerns are growing that the number of refugees will continue to rise due to climate change. Reports have found that more than 32 million people were displaced due to disasters, including floods and droughts, during the past year.
In a recent interview with Sky News Arabia, Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, discussed the intersection between climate change and displacement. Grandi said that the large-scale displacement of people in some parts of the world is having an impact on the climate environment.