Handling Climate Displacement

How do we begin to handle the greatest crisis affecting humanity today? Climate change is already causing droughts, flooding, and famine that are forcing people to leave their livelihoods and communities. In the years to come, millions will find their local areas uninhabitable, as mass displacement of people reaches disastrous levels. Handling Climate Displacement explains how climate change has become recognized as a human rights concern, and how human rights are key to managing the crisis. Local authorities and populations increasingly call for guidance in the absence of an internationally recognized framework. Drafted in 2013 by a committee of experts and practitioners, Hassine uses the Peninsula Principles on Climate Displacement within States to offer concrete solutions to the impending emergency. Enriched by the author's experience working with the victims of climate displacement, this book offers an effective framework to deal with the challenges presented by mass displacement while protecting human rights.

Part I. Research Framework: 1. Introduction; 2. Climate displacement scenarios; Part II. Connecting the Dots: 3. Human mobility and the climate change framework; 4. Climate change and human rights: the path of convergence; 5. Mobilizing the United Nations human rights machinery; 6. The road to Paris; 7. Intermediate remarks; Part III. Protection Challenges and Policy Options: 8. Normative framework and protection challenges; 9. Existing frameworks and policy options; 10. Intermediate remarks; Part IV. A Framework for Handling Climate Displacement: The Peninsula Principles: 11. Introductory remarks; 12. Background; 13. Nature and structure of the Peninsula principles; 14. Scope of application; 15. General obligations under the Peninsula principles; 16. Human rights imperatives; 17. Prevention commanding relocation; 18. Protection and assistance throughout the displacement cycle; 19. Return of climate displaced persons; 20. Operationalizing and applying the Peninsula principles; 21. Implementation – impact and impediments; Conclusion.

Khaled Hassine specializes in international and human rights law and has worked extensively on housing, land and property (HLP) rights and redress mechanisms, as well as on land solutions for climate displaced persons. He has advised UN peace operations, research institutes and NGOs, is a member of the HLP Group of the UN Global Protection Cluster, and the UNHCR Livelihoods Advisory Board. He was honored with an Academia award for his outstanding contribution to research on HLP rights and mass claims procedures in post conflict situations. He currently works at the United Nations Secretariat with the UN Human Rights Office.