Background:
Climate change, environmental disasters, and conflict are reshaping mobility patterns across Eastern Africa. From drought and conflict-driven migration in the Mandera Triangle to displacement caused by flooding in South Sudan, the region faces complex challenges at the intersection of climate, conflict, and human movement. Managing the Impacts of Environmental Change and Conflict on Mobility in Eastern Africa (MECMEA) project works to bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice to create coordinated, evidence-based responses.
Objective:
To strengthen governance of mobility linked to climate change, environmental disaster, and conflict through inclusive policy dialogue, research, and collaboration.
Key Focus Areas:
- Enhance the evidence base and learning of local, national, and regional migration governance institutions and other key stakeholders in the areas of mobility linked to climate change, environmental disaster, and conflict.
- Facilitate capacity-building, collaboration, and dialogue among different levels of government, inter-governmental, and regional organizations; CSOs (including youth-led organizations); and researchers to ensure integration of global, regional and local approaches to climate mobility.
- Support greater policy coherence through the inclusion of human mobility considerations in local and national policies and by addressing the insufficient translation of migration-related policies and legal frameworks into concrete actions.
Geographic Focus
The MECMEA project focuses on the following countries in the East and Horn of Africa: Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda., reflecting the region’s shared ecological and migration challenges.
MECMEA Project Partner Organizations
Funding Agency: European Union (EU)
Contracted Implementing Agency: International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) – overall lead and project coordinator.
Website: https://www.icmpd.org/
Implementing partners
- South Sudan Nature Conservation Organization (SSNCO) – Lead implementing partner in South Sudan.
- Engaged in community mobilisation, field work, and local coordination under the MECMEA initiative.
Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre & Network (HoA‑REC&N) / Addis Ababa University
Regional academic and institutional partner, based in Ethiopia, facilitating inclusive policy dialogue and cross-border collaboration under the MECMEA project.
Website: https://hoarec.org/
Mixed Migration Centre (MMC)
Lead research organisation, coordinating primary data collection and research on mobility, climate change, and conflict.
Website: https://mixedmigration.org/
PanAfricare (Kenya)
Country-level partner in Kenya, contributing to on-the-ground activities related to environmental change, mobility, and conflict linkages.
Website: https://panafricarekenya.org/
Association Djibouti Nature (Djibouti)
Country-level partner in Djibouti, supporting project efforts in the broader Horn of Africa context.
Website: https://djiboutinature.org/
Expected Outcomes
- Improved understanding of the links between environmental change, conflict, and mobility.
- Strengthened capacity of governments and communities to manage environmentally driven mobility.
- Enhanced collaboration across sectors through policy dialogue and stakeholder engagement.
- Evidence-based recommendations integrated into national and regional policy frameworks.
Project Duration
The MECMEA project has a duration of 18 months. The initiative officially launched in May 2025 and is expected to run until Oct 2026.
Activities in South Sudan
- Baseline assessments on environment, mobility, and conflict in target regions.
- Stakeholder and policy dialogue workshops.
- Awareness and advocacy campaigns on climate-resilient mobility.
- Launch of the MECMEA Project in South Sudan (November 2025).