Host Countries

The State in which an emergency is taking place is responsible for all persons in its territory or under its jurisdiction before, during and after the emergency. This includes migrants, regardless of immigration status. Past experience shows that the impacts of emergencies can be felt heavily by migrants living or transiting in affected areas. Migrants often face specific barriers to accessing essential information, resources and assistance, as a consequence of their limited proficiency in the local language, their lack of local knowledge, policies and regulations influencing their status, or marginalization and exploitation.

This has significant implications for the work of their host countries’ civil protection, emergency management and disaster risk management actors. Inclusive, non-discriminatory preparedness planning, awareness campaigns, emergency communications and provision of relief and recovery assistance need to reflect the presence and needs of migrants of different nationalities, languages, and cultures.

The capacity building tools presented here are aimed at supporting authorities in migrants’ host countries to include migrants into their preparedness and response frameworks.

Training of Trainers This training course targets the personnel of emergency management institutions aiming to improve the integration of migrants in emergency preparedness, response and recovery efforts. The course covers elements such as understanding the characteristics of migrant groups, communicating with migrants, planning for migrants’ evacuation; and assisting migrants before and after emergencies.

Toolkit  Additional products and services developed to support efforts to reduce migrants’ vulnerability, including a national capacity assessment toolkit, a template for migrant-inclusive contingency planning and awareness-raising materials for migrants are being developed.