UN Expert Calls for Action as Marshall Islands Faces Dual Displacement Crisis
October 31, 2024
Majuro, Marshall Islands – A United Nations expert has issued an urgent call for action as the Marshall Islands grapples with a dual displacement crisis driven by climate change and sea-level rise.
“The situation in the Marshall Islands is dire,” said Dr. Erica Chenoweth, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. “The people of this tiny island nation are facing the double threat of being displaced from their homes both by climate change and by nuclear testing.”
The Marshall Islands, a low-lying atoll nation in the Pacific Ocean, is home to around 53,000 people. The country has been on the front lines of climate change for decades, with rising sea levels already threatening to submerge some of its inhabited islands.
In addition to the threat of climate change, the Marshall Islands is also dealing with the legacy of nuclear testing by the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. The tests, which were conducted on Bikini Atoll, displaced thousands of people and left behind a toxic legacy of radiation.
“The Marshallese people are being forced to flee their homes twice,” said Dr. Chenoweth. “First, they were displaced by nuclear testing, and now they are being displaced by climate change. This is a grave violation of their human rights.”
Dr. Chenoweth called on the international community to provide urgent support to the Marshall Islands. She said that this support should include financial assistance, technical expertise, and help with resettlement.
“The Marshall Islands is facing a humanitarian crisis,” said Dr. Chenoweth. “The international community must not turn a blind eye to their plight. We must act now to help them protect their homes and their way of life.”
The Marshall Islands government has already begun to take steps to address the displacement crisis. In 2020, the government adopted a National Climate Change Adaptation Plan, which outlines a range of measures to help the country adapt to climate change and mitigate its impacts.
The government is also working to resettle people from the most vulnerable islands. In 2021, the government approved a plan to relocate the entire population of Rongelap Atoll, which has been uninhabitable since the nuclear tests.
However, the Marshall Islands government needs more support from the international community to effectively address the displacement crisis. Dr. Chenoweth urged الدول الأعضاء في الأمم المتحدة to provide financial and technical assistance to the Marshall Islands, and to help resettle people from the most vulnerable islands.
“The Marshall Islands is a small country, but its plight is a reminder of the global threat posed by climate change,” said Dr. Chenoweth. “We must all work together to help the Marshallese people protect their homes and their way of life.”
UN expert calls for action as Marshall Islands faces dual displacement crisis
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