The EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement has issued two publications on Migrants and Disaster Risk Reduction. Migrants, asylum seekers and refugees are a particularly vulnerable group, their situation exposing them to an additional risk of harm in the event of a disaster. As a result, EUR-OPA has decided, together with the International Organisation for Migration, to gather evidence, from researchers and practitioners from different countries, on how they can be involved in disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery activities. The EUR-OPA/IOM publication on Migrants in Disaster Risk Reduction: Practices for Inclusion focuses on integrating migrants into various disaster risk-reduction initiatives – in the areas of decision-making, policy-setting and implementation. This publication will be launched in the framework of the International Dialogue on Migration 2017, which will be organised by the International Organisation for Migration in the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 18 and 19 July 2017.
The second publication is the result of the EUR-OPA Project Migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in the context of major risks prevention and management. It provides an overview of the current situation in Europe and presents recommendations and guidelines on how member States can improve this group’s resilience to natural and technological hazards.