1. Committee: United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR)
Topic: Environmental Refuges
Country: Brazil
Delegates: Md Bhuiyan and Maria Marionkova, Brooklyn Technical High School
With environmental changes and natural disasters come complications and consequences,
yet a key point overlooked is the effects on the people residing in the area. In Brazil,
deforestation of the Amazon as well as flooding and droughts throughout the area has destroyed
thousands of homes. This has left numerous refugees to migrate into different locations, often
causing tension and low standards of living. In spite of these events, the Brazilian government
has employed faculties not only to aid refugees of its own country, but for nations in need of
assistance as well. The Brazilian government has shown an unprecedented effort to resolve this
issue worldwide and to keep the environment, and the people affected by its changes, safe.
To tackle the problems of environmental degradation and of increasing emigration from
Brazil, the Brazilian government has set up an organization called Ministério do Meio Ambiente
(MMA), or the Brazilian Ministry of the environment.[1] This institution is responsible for
creating policies and proposing strategies, mechanisms, and social and economic instruments for
improving the quality of the environment. Locally, since 2000, the MMA has been educating
Brazilians about desertification to improve communication and flow of information about this
subject.[2] Once self-sufficient, poor farmers were losing their land to large corporations that
transformed their farms into giant eucalyptus plantations which destroy the neighboring
environment. Hence, in their implementation of the “National Plan to Combat Desertification,”
they have been advising private and public entities about taking actions to decrease
environmental degradation. Recently, the Brazilian National Committee for Refugees
(CONARE), has created resettlement programs in order to assist these refugees even further.[3] In
addition to providing resettlement, the government is also providing assistance for the first six
months to help them integrate, by granting them access to free health, education, and skills
training services. By implementing methods such as these, the Brazilian government is
protecting the environment and decreasing the number of environmental refugees emigrating out
of Brazil.
Aside from being a part of organizations to help refugees coop and resettle in Brazil, the
government has stated its plans to increase funding to provide humanitarian assistance
worldwide as well as reaching agreements with other nations to aid refugee integration. Part of
an agreement with Ecuador signed in September 2010, the Brazilian government has agreed to
actively assist with refugees, in addition to funding projects in areas such as education, sexual
and gender based violence, and water and sanitation infrastructure.[4] This type of generosity has
been commended by the deputy representative, Luis Varese, in which he praises Brazil for
“seeking solutions.” After Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota returned from meeting with the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in August 2011, he once again re-enforced the

2. government’s position to aid this problem. Although the status of environmental refugees was
not addressed in the 1951 Refugee Convention, nor the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change, delegates have drafted a resolution on statelessness and have initiated the
process of ratifying the 1990 United Nations Convention on the “Protection of the Rights of All
Migrant Workers and Members of their Families,” that would give services to refugees and
asylum-seekers.[5] By working together with other nations on this matter, Brazil is doing well in
helping so many refugees throughout multiple countries.
The national and international effort to decrease the number of environmental refugees
and to protect Brazil’s environment has shown to be fruitful. In 2011, Brazil’s protected areas
cover about 2.2 million km2 of land, comprising mainly of conservational parks and indigenous
territories.[6] Also, deforestation of the amazon has dropped to its slowest pace in 22 years. In
2010, about 6500 km2 of the Amazon was deforested, which is a great 14% drop from the
previous year, and the lowest since 1988.[6][7] From the 1960s to the 1980s, environmental
problems forced 3.4 million people to emigrate from Brazil.[8] However, in recent years, the
amount has dropped significantly and Brazil has actually become a refuge for some!
Nonetheless, even with all the good news, analysts expect that deforestation, desertification and
the number of environmental migrants may once again increase as Brazil recovers from its
economic problems.
During inauguration, the newly elected Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, promised to
continue the government’s efforts in aiding environmental refugees and conserving the
environment. Rousseff stated that “[It is Brazil’s] sacred mission to show the world that it is
possible for a country to grow rapidly without destroying the environment.”[9] She went on to say
how the government will pursue environmental policies put in place by her predecessor while
remaining the world leader in “clean energy” and balancing economic sustainability.
Over the decades, environmental refugees have become a major problem for many
nations; however, Brazil has been working tirelessly to protect its ecosystems and its citizens. In
order to prevent future difficulties, Brazil recommends that nations work together to tackle the
problem at its roots. With the help of the international community, governments should work to
reduce greenhouse emissions and to properly handle hazardous waste, because after all, these are
the largest factors that cause climate and ecological change, which in turn renders people
environmental migrants. In addition, governments should urge corporations to stop the
unsustainable overuse of natural resources that has exhausted many ecosystems and displaced
millions of people in the past. By confronting the problem at its source, Brazil hopes that the
amount of environmental refugees will decrease significantly in the long run.

3. [1]
Brazil. Ministry of the Environment. Ibama. Agenda 21. Ed. Maria C. Bezerra. Web.
<http://www.mma.gov.br/sitio/index.php?ido=conteudo.monta&idEstrutura=18&idConteudo=78
9>.
[2]
Brazil. Ministry of the Environment. Desertification, A National Report. By José S. Filho,
José C. Carvalho, and Raymundo S. Garrido. 2000. Web.
<http://www.unccd.int/cop/reports/lac/national/2000/brazil-eng.pdf>.
[3]
Papanicolas, Koula. "Brazil." USCRI. Web. 09 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.refugees.org/resources/refugee-warehousing/archived-world-refugee-surveys/2009-
wrs-country-updates/brazil.html>.
[4]
Aguilar, Sonia. "UNHCR - Brazil Helps Ease Local Integration of Refugees in Northern
Ecuador." UNHCR. 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. <http://www.unhcr.org/4d5d4afd6.html>.
[5]
Godinho, Luiz F. "UNHCR - Brazil to Step up Efforts to Integrate Refugees; Reaffirms
Support for UNHCR." UNHCR. 8 Aug. 2011. Web. 09 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.unhcr.org/4e3ff6676.html>.
[6]
Butler, Rhett A. "Deforestation in the Amazon." Mongabay.com. Web. 10 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.mongabay.com/brazil.html>.
[7]
Sibaja, Marco. "Amazon Deforestation In Brazil Increases Six-Fold, Crisis Center Created To
Combat Huge Rise." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. America Online, 18
May 2011. Web. 10 Jan. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/19/amazon-
deforestation-in-b_n_864087.html>.
[8]
Afifi, Tamer, and Jill Jager. "Climate and Migration: A Synthesis." Environment, Forced
Migration and Social Vulnerability. Springer. Web. <http://www.springerlink.com/content/978-
3-642-12416-7#section=746774&page=9&locus=0>.
[9]
Murray, James. "President Rousseff Vows to Step up Brazil's Green Revolution - 04 Jan 2011
- News from BusinessGreen." BusinessGreen - News, Comment and Analysis for the Low
Carbon Economy. 4 Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/1934762/president-rousseff-vows-step-brazils-green-
revolution>.