Guatemalan farmers face many dangers when climate change impacts force them to migrate and settle in new communities. As national authorities work to better manage the risks to human security emerging from climate-induced migration, they have called on the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration (FCM) to develop a training course for civil servants. In 2024, FCM researchers trained 54 ministerial staffers and other stakeholders on the nexus between climate change, migration, and human security.
Guatemala is considered a primary hotspot for climate change. Guatemalan farmers, many of whom rely on rain-fed agriculture, are particularly vulnerable. At the same time, the country’s history of violence and conflict reduces their resilience and capacity to cope with climate shocks.
Especially in the regions of Guatemala that are part of the Central American Dry Corridor, droughts and long dry spells are challenging farmers’ traditional practices. The increasing competition over water and other natural resources is causing tensions and can spur conflict within communities. While these challenges might push some farmers to turn toward more illicit activities, others are forced to migrate to cities or neighboring countries to find work.
But climate-induced migration is emerging as a key risk to human security. People on the move are vulnerable to human trafficking, robberies, kidnapping, and other threats, and, as migrants, they remain vulnerable to poverty and social marginalization even once they have arrived at their destination. These are among the top conclusions reached by researchers from the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration (FCM) after they consulted existing literature as well as local, regional, and national stakeholders at a 2023 workshop.
Every day, thousands of Guatemalans cross borders in search of better living conditions due to the impacts of climate change that threaten their livelihoods. This is why we have work to meet the needs of the people in the countryside through policies and actions for a better Guatemala. – Andrea Lucrecia Fión Góngora, Head of Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), Guatemala.
FCM researchers have progressed the conversation on these challenges by co-hosting the second and third National Forum on Migration and Climate Change (in 2023 and 2024). These events have allowed representatives from the national government, academia, community organizations, and UN agencies to present research, exchange knowledge, and discuss new strategies, policies, and priorities.
During the second forum, national stakeholders repeatedly requested training to increase understanding and capacity to manage the risks arising from climate-induced migration. The need for training on these issues was also highlighted in recent national policies, including the National Climate Change Action Plan and the National Migration Policy.
In response, FCM researchers teamed up with migration experts at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to develop a training course on the nexus between climate, migration, and human security. Its curriculum covers topics such as terminologies, knowledge and data, public policy, programs, finance, and loss and damage. It is being offered to staff at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINEX).
The first training session, conducted for 33 staffers in May 2024, focused on introducing participants to the nexus between climate change, migration, and human security and to related terminology. A second session, which took place in October 2024, was attended by 21 ministerial staffers and other stakeholders. It aimed to enhance inter-institutional coordination by deepening participants’ understanding of the how climate change, human security, and migration linkages are accounted for across public policies at departmental, national, and regional levels.
Feedback from participants acknowledged that it is necessary to reflect more deeply on these issues: “Understanding how migration is interlinked with climate change is important for the ministry because these are issues that go hand in hand,” offered one participant. Evaluation surveys indicate that the training course did increase participants’ knowledge, thus equipping them to better manage the challenges to human security emerging from climate-induced migration.
This improved understanding is already prompting new initiatives within MARN: the Desertification Unit within the ministry’s Climate Change Department invited FCM researchers to co-develop a proposal for an initiative to further investigate the interlinkages between human migration, drought, desertification, and land degradation. The proposal, which is taking shape under the umbrella of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), was discussed during the 16th UNCCD Conference of the Parties.
Both the training course and work on the joint proposal is excepted to continue in 2025 under CGIAR’s upcoming Climate Action Science Program.
References
- Ministerio de Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARN); Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (MINEX); Instituto Guatemalteco de Migración (IGM); Bioversity International y Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT); Instituto Internacional de Investigación sobre Políticas Alimentarias (IFPRI); CGIAR FOCUS Seguridad Climática; Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM) (2023) Memoria II Foro sobre Migración y Cambio Climático, 26 de julio 2023.
- Ferré Garcia, T.; Madurga-Lopez, I.; Medina, L.; Penel, C.; Carneiro, B.; Liebig, T.; Läderach, P.; Pacillo, G. (2023) How does climate exacerbate root causes of conflict in Guatemala? Climate Security Pathway Analysis. Climate Security Observatory Series, 2023/4.
- Madurga Lopez, I.; Medina, L.; Penel, C.; Castellanos, A.; Surama Borrayo, A.; Paola Hernandez, M.; Kenduiywo, B.; Hernandez, M.; Olivet, F.; Castañeda Oajaca, A.; Hernández Vela, H.; Escobar López, N.; Siquinajay Castro, .; Folgar Corado, J.; Martínez Figueroa, K.; Asturias Alquijay, L.; Villatoro Robledo, N.; Cardona, M.; Febres, M.; Molina, A.; Ortiz, L.; Rodas Camas, O.; Camas, I.; Pajarito, R.; Pocon, E.; Salazar, E.; Sarti, C.; Mora, V.; Manchame Mateo, Z.E.; Valdés, R.; Maas, R.; Laderach, P.; Pacillo, G. (2023) Towards a common vision of climate security in Guatemala. CGIAR ClimBeR: Building Systemic Resilience Against Climate Variability and Extremes.
- Penel, C.; Madurga-Lopez, I.; Medina, L. (2023) Climate security in Central America. CGIAR Focus Climate Security. Report Paper 2023/1.
- FAO. 2018. FAOLEX Database | Guatemala. Last updated November 5, 2024.
- Guatemala, Autoridad Migratoria Nacional. 2023. Política Migratoria, Guatemala, 2023. Guatemala City, Guatemala: Autoridad Migratoria Nacional.
