Role of Regional Organizations in Environmental Migration Governance: a Comparative Study of Au and Eu

Abstract

The study sought to examine the trends and patterns of environmental migration, explore the role of AU and EU in development of environmental migration governance, and examine the challenges experienced by AU and EU on mitigating environmental migration. Its main focus was on examining the role of regional organizations in environmental migration governance: a comparative study of au and EU. In contrast to the long-held belief that underdevelopment, conflict, and poverty are the main causes of migration out of Africa, the study found that migration is driven by social transformation and development processes, a trend that is expected to continue. Both gradual and unexpected environmental factors can cause an environmental migration to occur. Aside from the gradual and abrupt beginning of environmental events, climate change has also produced dangerous environmental consequences that have aggravated preexisting vulnerabilities and ultimately prompted migration. The study highlighted that migration in relation to environmentally catastrophic events and climate change has increasingly been a recurrent subject in the present global agenda and has helped create worldwide standards for integration into international and national practices and policies. The study established that both AU and the EU are faced by institutional weaknesses in executing the mandate of ‘environmental migration’ norm setting as well as ensuring compliance to the environmentally induced migration governance. The multi-layered approach executed by both the institutions are limited by the poor cooperation and coordination of activities among the member states as well as the complexities introduced by the varying patterns and forms of migration. The study established that the development of environmental migration governance from norm setting, implementation, and norm monitoring within the policy and institutional framework of the EU and AU has showcased the need for cooperation, coordination, and partnership among the respective member states of the two regional organizations and between AU and EU. The EU has had more recognition and advocacy on environmental migration than their AU counterparts, especially the conceptualization of ‘climate migrants’ yet there is need for both organizations to enhance governance on environmental migration affecting both Europe and Africa. The development of environmental migration governance must take a multi-stakeholder approach from policy formulation to monitoring of compliance as an avenue of enhancing advocacy on the issue. The study recommends that there is need for both the AU and EU to develop institutional frameworks of environmental migration governance responsive to the complexities of migration contexts and patterns. The study noted that the Horn of Africa is the hardest hit by environmental migration, as result AU needs to work with IGAD and specific countries within the Horn of Africa region in order to address environmental migration within the region.