The 2nd issue of the Research Brief Series entitled "The Way Forward. Researching the Environment and Migration Nexus" deals with possible future migration flows triggered by climate change. The issue based on the outcomes of the second Expert Workshop on Climate Change, Environment, and Migration is written by two UNU-EHS scientists: Marc Stal and Koko Warner. The workshop aimed to further understand the links and implications of climate change and environmental degradation for migration and policy and took place in Munich, Germany, in July 2009 .

"Vulnerable Countries and People. How Disaster Risk Reduction & Insurance Can Help Manage the Risks of Climate Change" focuses on linking disaster risk reduction and insurance approaches. A central concern is how to make such measures accessible and affordable to vulnerable people in developing countries.

Download the second issue here.

On November 3rd in Barcelona, during the COP15 preparatory meetings of the UN Convention on Climate Change, a special ‘Water Day’ event will bring the attention to water as a critical and cross-cutting concern for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

UNU-EHS and the Munich Re Foundation invite qualified Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Master of Laws (LLM), or Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) students to apply for the 2010 Summer Academy. Students with interdisciplinary focus and background in humanitarian and human rights law, migration studies, economics and labor migration, environmental studies, natural disasters, human security, or public health are especially encouraged to apply. Applications are required to be submitted online not later than 15 January 2010.

The University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa and the United Nations University (UNU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for joint research and capacity development on 25 September 2009 at the UN Campus in Bonn. The signing representatives were Prof. Herman Van Schalkwyk, the Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UFS, and Prof. Konrad Osterwalder, Rector of the UNU.

The parties share substantial areas of common interest and objectives. They agreed to cooperate and coordinate closely on capacity development programmes.