Some 500,000 people have migrated into Europe this year as a result of conflict in the Middle East and Africa — the worst migration crisis since World War II. The civil war in Syria has been the single biggest driver of the surge with more than 4 million people having fled the conflict, according to UNHCR. Sweden has taken in the highest proportion of refugees in Europe this year (relative to population), receiving some 80,000 people in the past two months alone, and has therefore decided to reallocate some of its budget to help with their resettlement.
Even if government funding is reallocated, in Sweden or elsewhere, to cater for costs associated with refugees, there is no doubt that increased efforts are needed to address not only the pressing humanitarian situation but also the root causes of the refugee crisis.
An important number of these causes are found in the nexus between climate change, water scarcity, poor governance and conflict. Climate change mitigation and adaptation, improved water governance and conflict prevention are arguably key to addressing the root causes of the refugee migration from areas such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
About the authors
Karin Lexén
Karin Lexén is director of SIWI’s World Water Week, and its prizes, including the Stockholm Water Prize and Stockholm Junior Water Prize. She leads SIWI’s engagement on international processes, such as the UN’s development goals and the global climate policy processes, driving SIWI’s advocacy of water issues in the international environmental politics arena.
Anders Jägerskog
Anders Jägerskog is counselor for regional water issues in the MENA region at the Embassy of Sweden in Amman, Jordan. He is also associate professor of peace and development at Gothenburg University. He was formerly head of the Transboundary Water Management Unit at the SIWI where he also served as the program manager of the U.N. Development Program Shared Waters Partnership. The views expressed by Jägerskog do not necessarily reflect the views of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency or the Swedish Government.
