7 May 2008: UN-HABITAT intervened in the discussions on “land” during the sixteenth session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, which met in New York, US, from 5-16 May 2008. Clarissa Augustinus, Chief, Land, Tenure and Property Administration Section, of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), noted that “climate change refugees will flood into the cities and as the cities grow to accommodate these refugees they will further impact their rural environs.”

More than that, climate change will impact on planning systems, systems used to value property, the way property is financed, national economies, as well as the governance arrangements for the settlement of the poor.” In response, she highlighted prevention approaches, such as “the introduction of pro poor planning standards, land records, maps, improved governance and the need to create a cadre of people qualified to deal with the disaster, both within government and non state actors.” She also called attention to the Global Land Tool Network, which has been set up as a coalition of land partners to help to address these issues. [Presentation]