Advancing rights-based approach to climate change resilience and migration in Sahel

In the Sahel region of Africa, as in many other places around the world, climate change is adversely affecting the enjoyment of a broad range of human rights. Individuals and communities in the region are confronted with threats to their livelihoods from degraded lands and declining agricultural production, to their homes and health from ever more frequent floods and other impacts, and to their lives and security from growing conflicts, including over natural resources. These climate change-related threats combine with other factors to drive or compel migration, often in situations that are unplanned and precarious. Communities and individuals that already face situations of vulnerability or multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination face even greater human rights risks. This report demonstrates the connection between climate change, human rights and migration, and the important guidance international human rights law offers in addressing it. This report builds on that past research and analysis, incorporating the results of visits throughout 2021 and 2022 to three selected communities in Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria that have been affected by climate change-related migration, as well as consultations with relevant stakeholders throughout the Sahel region.