Nansen Initiative
+10
Exploring a decade of advances on disaster displacement and international protection
Ten years on from the launch of the Nansen Initiative Protection Agenda, we take stock of progress in protecting people displaced in the context of disasters and climate change, and look ahead to future challenges and opportunities.
Image: IOM/Muse Mohammed
Image: IOM/Muse Mohammed
19 November 2025
Susanne Melde, Sabira Coelho, Lisa Lim Ah Ken, Chris Richter, Pablo Escribano Miralles and Nicholas Bishop from the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Ten years after the Nansen Initiative Protection Agenda, the promise of regional collaboration has moved decisively from concept to practice. In Africa, the Americas and the Pacific, regional coalitions have generated political momentum, clarified responsibilities and created replicable pathways to translate commitments into national action.
Image: IOM/Muse Mohammed
Image: IOM/Muse Mohammed
12 November 2025
Walter Kälin (Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement)
10 years after the endorsement of the Nansen Initiative Protection Agenda, much of the optimism that accompanied it has vanished. Yet, it is important to remember that a lot of progress has been made over the past decade – progress that cannot be easily dismantled.
About the Nansen Initiative +10 blog
In 2015, more than 100 governments around the world endorsed the Nansen Initiative’s Protection Agenda – an Agenda for the Protection of Cross-Border Displaced Persons in the context of Disasters and Climate Change. In this commemorative blog, leading experts reflect on subsequent developments in key priority areas identified in the Nansen Initiative Protection Agenda, including protection and solutions for people displaced in the context of disasters and climate change, and the integration of human mobility within disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategies.
The Nansen Initiative +10 blog is a collaboration between the UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, the Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD) and UNHCR. It is edited by Dr Tamara Wood and Scientia Professor Jane McAdam. For further information or to contribute, contact: kaldorcentre@unsw.edu.au.
To learn more about disaster displacement and international protection:
- Read the Nansen Initiative Protection Agenda
- Visit the Platform on Disaster Displacement
- Read about UNHCR's work on climate change on displacement
- Read about IOM's work on environmental migration
- Explore the Kaldor Centre's Climate Mobility Hub
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