Across the Middle East and North Africa, climate change is already driving displacement through floods, droughts, rising sea levels, and water scarcity. These environmental pressures interact with existing fragilities like conflict, poverty, and weak governance to push millions from their homes. Sudan alone has seen 11 million displaced since the war began in 2023, while Iraq, Syria, and Yemen are witnessing similar climate-linked crises.

Agriculture has collapsed in parts of the region due to droughts and soil degradation, forcing rural families into cities without alternative livelihoods. In Yemen, over four million people remain displaced, and extreme weather is worsening food insecurity. Coastal areas of Egypt and Tunisia face sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion, while Libya suffered devastation from Cyclone Daniel in 2023.

IOM is responding with solar-powered water systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, disaster risk reduction, and natural resource management to reduce conflict over scarce resources. In Tunisia, climate-resilient cooperatives are being piloted; in Sudan, IOM supports peacebuilding through shared resource management; and in Iraq, human mobility is being integrated into urban planning.

Othman Belbeisi, IOM’s Senior Regional Adviser for MENA, previously served as Chief of Mission in Libya and Head of the Lebanon Office. stresses that climate, displacement, and development are deeply connected. Migration, if managed well, can become a tool for resilience and opportunity. This requires anticipatory action, investment in livelihoods, and support for both displaced people and host communities. Crucially, young people—30% of the region’s population—must be empowered as leaders in climate adaptation and innovation.

At this crossroads, the choice is between reacting to each disaster or investing in systems that allow people to adapt and move with dignity, by choice rather than by force.