The Nansen Initiative is a state-led consultative process with multi-stakeholder involvement. It is funded by the Governments of Norway and Switzerland, with additional support from the European Commission, the Government of Germany and the MacArthur Foundation. The Nansen Initiative Secretariat is based in Geneva.

The high level meeting, hosted by DROP director Prof. Oliver Ruppel, was attended by more than 40 participants from across the region and beyond. This included Prof. Walter Kaelin, the envoy of the chairmanship and official representative of the initiative, H.E. Ambassador Trine Skymoen from the Norwegian Embassy in South Africa and H.E. Ambassador Christian Meuwly from the Swiss Embassy in South Africa.

Prof. Oliver Ruppel says participants discussed the legal implications of the effects of natural hazards on migration and displacement in Southern Africa: “The consultation provided a timely opportunity for representatives from governments, civil society and international organizations in the region to share relevant experiences and identify good practices from Southern Africa related to human mobility in the context of natural hazards and climate change.”

Prof. Ruppel is a Member of the Nansen Initiative Consultative Committee. At DROP he researches and promotes sustainable development law and policy, focusing on reconciling the tensions between environmental sustainability, economic development and human welfare.

During the workshop, the draft Nansen Protection Agenda on cross-border displacement in the context of disasters and climate change was also reviewed. The final version will be presented at the inter-governmental Global Consultation in Geneva, Switzerland, which will take place from 12 to 13 October 2015. Its outcomes may be taken up at domestic, regional and global levels and lead to new laws, soft law instruments or binding agreements.

See Stellenbosch University Media News: http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=2650