The foundation of climate justice activist Greta Thunberg has donated €275,000 to support the International Organization for Migration’s emergency response to historic floods in Pakistan and drought in Somalia, it was announced on Friday.
The donation was made after a debate between the activist and the director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), António Vitorino, in which “they found many points in common” about the impact of climate change on human mobility, says the organization. in a statement released today.
According to the same source, Greta Thunberg defended, in the conversation held by videoconference, that it is necessary to support people “before they move, while they move and after they move”, considering that this crisis must be faced “thinking comprehensively as in any other emergency”.
“This is a matter of life and death for countless people who need to flee due to the climate crisis,” he said.
The position was supported by António Vitorino, who assured that he was “totally in agreement” with Greta Thunberg.
“I believe that the younger generation is a source of inspiration and resilience and is relentless in meeting this great challenge,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.
According to the IOM, 20 million people are displaced every year due to the effects of climate change, causing “an urgent need to prevent global environmental crises and address the impacts of climate migration.”
It is necessary to “find solutions for people to stay and for people who are going to move,” the organization considered.
“Those who suffer the most from climate change are the populations that in the past contributed the least to the problems we face today,” recalled António Vitorino.
For this reason, “solidarity and co-responsibility for the fate of those populations that already today experience the suffering associated with climate change in their daily lives is necessary,” he added.
In Somalia and Pakistan alone, where the activist’s foundation sent a donation and which have suffered unprecedented floods and droughts in recent months, there are, according to the IOM, more than 15 million people in need of humanitarian aid due to extreme weather events. . .
Acknowledging the contribution, the IOM assured that it is committed to providing assistance to save lives in Pakistan and Somalia, but stressed that the organization cannot achieve this goal alone and that it is necessary to “raise awareness about the impact of climate on migration”. .
“”Everyone has a different role to play. Organizations like the IOM are vital to supporting people affected by climate change and those who can help should do so,” said Greta Thunberg, adding that “those who can raise their voices for justice for migrants and for the climate should do so.” . . that”.
Record monsoon rains submerged a third of Pakistan last summer, damaging two million homes and killing more than 1,700 people.
Millions of people were living below the poverty line when the monsoons destroyed vast areas of plantations and many already impoverished families lost their livelihoods.
Somalia is going through a historic period of more than two years of drought, something that has not happened for 40 years, which has already caused more than 1.5 million people to flee their places of residence, becoming refugees or internally displaced persons.
Source: TSF
