Don't miss your chance to join us for insightful discussions on displacement in Asia!
The 17th Human Rights in Asia Conference will examine how displacement disproportionately impacts marginalized groups—women, children, Indigenous communities, and LGBTQIA+ people—and explore how students can contribute to a better future. This student-led initiative, in collaboration with the University of Essex Human Rights Centre, provides a platform for academics and activists to exchange knowledge and propose recommendations for stronger human rights protections in displacement caused by conflict and the climate crisis.
Displacement in the context of climate crisis
The movement and mobility of one person from one place to another is a freedom that is recognised and protected under Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). However, displacement due to war, conflict, and climate crises challenges this right. Migration can be voluntary or forced, with the latter leading to displacement. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) defines displacement as the forced movement of individuals due to armed conflict, violence, human rights violations, or disasters. By the end of 2022, UNHCR reported over 108.4 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, including nearly 40 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Asia and the Pacific—many uprooted by Myanmar’s 2021 military coup. This figure does not yet account for the ongoing genocide in Palestine, where Amnesty International reports that 150,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from Rafah in Southern Gaza. Displacement is never a choice. Many resist leaving despite violence and oppression, as seen in West Papua, where communities fight to defend their land under Indonesian occupation.
Beyond the devastation caused by armed conflicts, the climate crisis is increasingly emerging as a powerful force driving displacement across Asia. The eight slow-onset effects of climate change, as identified by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), pose long-term threats that can push communities from their homes, either gradually or through cascading impacts that accelerate displacement. Desertification, glacial retreat, rising temperatures, land and forest degradation, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, salinization, and sea level rise are reshaping the environmental landscape of the region. These processes can make vast areas uninhabitable by depleting vital resources such as water, arable land, and food sources, ultimately threatening livelihoods. As communities struggle to adapt, many are forced to relocate in search of survival. Moreover, these slow-onset changes heighten the risks of sudden extreme weather events like droughts, tsunamis, floods, and storms. When compounded with existing vulnerabilities, such disasters can accelerate displacement, forcing mass migrations both within and across borders. Low-lying coastal nations, densely populated delta regions, and communities reliant on fragile ecosystems are particularly at risk. In Asia, where many economies and populations depend on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture and fisheries, the impacts of climate change are not just environmental but deeply social and economic. The erosion of traditional livelihoods and the loss of habitable land intensify the struggle for resources, leading to heightened competition, instability, and, in some cases, conflict. As a result, climate-induced displacement is not just a future threat—it is an ongoing reality reshaping communities and migration patterns across the continent.
Featured Speakers
Ryan Mitra is a Monitoring Associate for South Asia and the Pacific at the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). Simultaneously, Ryan is a PhD Candidate at the Geneva Graduate Institute, writing on sovereignty, displacement, and territory in the context of rising sea levels and climate change. His thesis is tentatively titled as “Can A State Die?: The Interlinkage Between Territory, Displacement, and Sovereignty in the Context of Climate Change in the Indo-Pacific.” Prior to joining the IDMC, he graduated with a Masters in International Affairs from the Geneva Graduate Institute. He has previously worked with the UN OHCHR, and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Zainab Lokhandwala is an Assistant Professor in Sustainability and Environmental Law at Essex Law School, with research focused on food sovereignty in India. Her interests include environmental law, food and agricultural systems, climate justice, and natural resource law. Zainab taught at SOAS, University of London since 2019, covering topics like international environmental law, water law, and law and natural resources. She is also involved with SOAS's Law, Environment, and Development Centre. Previously, she worked at National Law University Delhi and the National University of Juridical Studies in India. Zainab is a qualified advocate with two years of practice at the Calcutta High Court and other courts. Her publications address environmental law, food sovereignty, agrarian rights, and climate change.
Margaretha Quina is a Jakarta-based contract attorney for Earthjustice’s International Program. She facilitates Earthjustice’s collaboration with the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) on a range of energy and climate cases and policy advocacy, including the Jakarta air pollution case.
John Paul Jose is an environmental and climate activist from Kerala, India. His accolades range from collaboration with NGOs and the UN and delivering Tedx Talks - all before his 24th birthday. With first-hand experience of the impact of climate change, John Paul is committed to highlighting how global warming is affecting India’s forests and ecosystems.
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On the 15 March 2025 we are also holding day two of our conference on Displacement in the context of conflict at our Colchester campus.
