Is relocation an adequate means of adaptation to environmental change? And if so, how should the relocation process be designed to benefit the affected population? This policy brief analyses the success factors of relocation programmes by drawing on studies on relocation projects in the Mekong River Delta in Viet Nam, as well as research carried out as part of the European Union-funded Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Evidence for Policy (MECLEP) project. The authors argue that the success of relocation depends on various factors: (a) livelihood preservation; (b) distance of the relocation site; and (c) availability of broad economic and institutional programmes supporting the process. The policy brief also stresses the importance of understanding relocation as a starting point of further mobility and formation of migration corridors, particularly in the case of the Mekong River Delta and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Policy Brief Series welcomes submissions from policymakers and researchers worldwide. For inquiries on article submission, please contact the MECLEP team (MECLEP@iom.int).