Migrants and natural disasters: National law, policy and practice in the Americas

The publication discusses the fragmentary empirical data from the Americas on migration-related challenges in the context of natural disasters and analyses the laws, policies and practices of States concerned. It addresses only "international migrants", a term that encompasses both voluntary and forced movements of persons.

The conclusions of this policy brief are the following:

• Even in the absence of international law or policy on migrants affected by natural disasters, the tools and innovation that already exist in this area should not be overlooked.
• To the extent that countries within the Americas and from other parts of the world wish to develop their own laws and policies for responding to these challenges, the collected practice of the Americas represents an inspiring touchstone.
• In fact, there is nothing overly “particular” about the legal and policy tools presented in this brief that limits their transferability to other national contexts.

Environment Migration Portal, Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Policy Brief Series, Issue 2, Vol. 2, February 2016. This document is part of the "Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Policy Brief Series" of the International Organization for Migration.