2 December 2022, Geneva – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean participated in the General Debate of the 113th Session of the IOM Council on “The intersection between climate change, food security, migration, and displacement”, held at the International Conference Center in Geneva. On this occasion, PAM was represented by Amb. Gerhard Putman Cramer and Hon. Katya de Giovanni (Malta).
Hon. De Giovanni in her speech expressed her concern about Climate Change’s impact on the Mediterranean region, which is warming 20% faster than the global average. Climate Change is increasingly affecting people’s livelihood options by endangering the rights to food, water, sanitation, adequate housing, and exacerbating conflicts and instability. Consequently, the number of climate migrants is increasing, especially in North Africa.
Hon. De Giovanni recalled PAM’s call for a recognition of status of “environmental refugee” and PAM’s support to the implementation of the 23 objectives of the Global Compact, with a focus on objective number 8 “saving lives”. In this regard, Hon. De Giovanni commemorated the victims who went missing in the Mediterranean Sea and urged parliamentarians of the Mediterranean to join forces on climate action and migration policy to “save more lives and prevent these tragedies”.//