Refugees from climate change and rapid urbanisation concerned Kristalina Georgieva, the EU commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response, and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres when they met in Brussels, on 28 April. These new environmental causes for people to flee their homes have recently risen on the international community’s agenda, giving organisations like the UNHCR and the EU larger numbers of refugees, but also a greater diversity of related humanitarian crises.

Changes in sea levels, salination, drought and extreme weather conditions have already started to prompt movement in populations around the world. Particularly vulnerable communities are already trying to adapt to changes in weather in countries like Bangladesh, for example, where much of the country is affected by flood each year, or islands like Tuvalu, which are barely above sea level. But in these cases, populations will almost inevitably be displaced by even minor changes in climate.

“Mr Guterres and I discussed the best way of helping these new refugees, whose status has not yet been defined and whose rights need to be safeguarded,” said Georgieva.”Needs are growing, situations are becoming increasingly complex and humanitarian space is all too often violated,” she added. Guterres, whose mandate was recently renewed for a further five years, said: “The current humanitarian crises are complex, last for a long time and are often forgotten”. He noted his appreciation for the emphasis within the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO) on supporting work in locations or on themes neglected by other international actors. “Never before have we relied so much on European support to help the most vulnerable.” ECHO is UNHCR’s biggest donor.