From Drylands to Cities: Strategies for coping with dryland migration (A2)

Today, three billion people live on the Earth’s drylands and are vulnerable to water shortage and land degradation that threatens crops, livestock, economic development and health and sanitation. Climate change is projected to exacerbate these harsh realities. 
So how will these environmental pressures affect migration patterns in regions already facing high population growth? How will the growing populations in these areas adapt to the pressures that endanger their livelihoods? This event, set up in a “World Café” format and led by a professional moderator, will strive to answer these questions by understanding development and livelihood stresses in dryland areas as drivers of migration into cities. It also aims to add to the development of operational strategies for the improvement of dryland livelihoods, as well as strategies providing economic opportunities for migrants in cities, without this causing tension between migrants and the original residents. The event is targeted at international organizations, policy makers, NGO’s related to migration and funding agencies.

Objectives:

• Bring specialists and practitioners from different disciplines together 

• Share combined knowledge concerning demography, land degradation, water, climate change, migration, policy development and conflict risk

•  Get input to understand what questions are relevant

• Gather best practices from participants working on related projects ‘in the field’ 

• Inspire participants to take messages home to their institutes