An Assessment on "Migration with Dignity" in the Pacific (Kiribati & New Zealand)
Résumé
Even though scientist and scholars recognised climate related displacement, there is a huge gap in legal and political protection to this category of cross-border movement at both international and regional levels. Therefore, the UN Secretary General`s Agenda for Humanity calls on states to adopt an appropriate international framework, national legislation and regional cooperation frameworks by 2025 to ensure countries in disasterprone regions are prepared to receive and protect those displaced across borders without the refugee status (UN General Assembly, 2016). Meanwhile, the Pacific small island states (SIS) are undoubtedly vulnerable and already jeopardized by the slow-onset and sudden onset effects of climate change. This scenario has made the Kiribati Government adopt a climate change adaptation framework, which promotes reallocation as a medium-long-term planed strategy through couple of national schemes. This context has already generated jurisprudence in New Zealand's and Australia's courts, where there have been unsuccessful claims from Pacific islanders, who asked for refugee status due to climate change related displacement. Although, no one has yet been granted protection on these grounds, New Zealand's jurisprudence provides the most comprehensive analysis by decision-makers to date about the scope and content of protection for people escaping the impacts of climate change and disasters (McAdam, 2015). The country also holds migration schemes specific destined to Pacific islanders (i.e. Pacific Access Category). Hence, facing this 21 st century regional challenge, this paper, firstly, analyses the scenario of slow onset climate impacts in the Pacific islands and considers reallocation as a response to them. Secondly, it approaches the specific threats faced by Kiribati, followed by an assessment of Kiribati`s and New Zealand's domestic migration frameworks. In conclusion, it suggests to Kiribati`s and New Zealand's Governments some improvements and new initiatives that can be made in these policies towards building bilateral cooperation on climate displacement in the next decade.
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