Climate change adds to world clandestine migrant dilemma

DAKAR (AFP) – Migration from the world’s poorest nations to the rich West is going to increase and could be speeded up by climate change, a top international agency chief has warned.

With growing numbers of poor Africans dying trying to reach Europe on flimsy boats and Asians paying “snakehead” traffickers to get them out of the poverty trap, International Organisation of Migration (IOM) director general Brunson McKinley said wealthy nations need foreign workers but must arrange a proper mechanism for their arrival.


McKinley is to appeal to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) summit this week for greater help as his inter-governmental agency, with 122 member states, launches a landmark project in Libya to help illegal migrants to return home.

Muslim nations are particularly prone to the migration trap. Eleven of the world’s 15 poorest nations are members of the Islamic body.

“Migration is increasing. More people than ever are leaving their home countries today” for economic, demographic and political reasons, McKinley told AFP in an interview Tuesday.

“You can see a steady upward curve over the last 50 years and especially over the last 20. The numbers continue to go up and that is not going to change any time soon. Climate change and natural disasters will also push up numbers,” he said.

AFP