Migration

Presentation Zickgraf

In this debate, we will discuss the multi-causal relationship between climate change and (forced) migration. From different perspectives, terms such as ‘climate refugees’ are seen as controversial and academics and policy-makers do not seem to agree on a single definition. Moreover, the complex relationship between climate change and migration poses great challenges for institutions and governments worldwide. People that are displaced because of changing environmental conditions should be assisted, but experts argue that their situation is different from those who are facing persecution or war. So should climate change migrants have refugee status? And who has the responsibility to take care of them? We will search for an answer on these questions on Tuesday, 16th of October.

Caroline Zickgraf is FNRS Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Liège. She holds a doctorate in political and social sciences from the University of Liège as well as degrees from Leiden University (MPhil) and Michigan State University (MA). Dr. Zickgraf has consulted for the World Bank, the Nansen Initiative, the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on the links between climate change and migration. In 2016, she began leading ULg in the Horizon 2020 project ‘EDGE’ (Environmental Diplomacy and Geopolitics), a partnership with University of Economics Bratislava and Sciences Po-Paris. She also lectures on environment, migration, and ecopolitics at Sciences Po-Paris, Paris 13, and IHECS.

Dr. Zickgraf’s main areas of research are the migratory impacts of climate change on coastal populations, transnationalism and transnational families, and (im)mobility. Currently, with the generous support of the Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS), she is conducting the research project ‘IMMOBILE’ (Immobility and the Environment), which analyzes populations ‘trapped’ or who choose to stay in areas affected by environmental changes and their relationships with those who go. For this project, she is conducting case studies in Senegal (Université Gaston Berger), Vietnam (Can Tho University) and Japan.

Flor Didden is Policy Officer Migration at 11.11.11

Samuel Lietaer currently works at the Institute for Environmental Management and Land-use Planning - Center for Studies on Sustainable Development (IGEAT - CEDD), Université Libre de Bruxelles. He holds degrees in International Relations (VUB); Public Law (VUB) and International and European Law (VUB). Samuel does research on environmental migration, assessing migration as an adaptation strategy with a multi-sited and mixed method research approach. He is part of the project 'MIGRADAPT - Making migration work for adaptation to environmental changes. A Belgian appraisal.' The project includes regions in Morocco, Senegal and DR Congo and is financed by Belspo-BRAIN.  Before, Samuel worked as Climate Policy Officer for 11.11.11.

Tuesday 16 October​ 2018
From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
University of Antwerp - Stadscampus  
Rodestraat 14 - R.001 - 2000 Antwerpen (how to reach the Stadscampus?)

Register here