South-Eastern Europe regional synthesis: climate change, displacement and the right to education

In 2021 alone, 23.7 million people were displaced in 137 countries and territories due to natural disasters, which the scientific community has recognized have become more frequent and intense due to climate change. Climate change and displacement is currently taking place in Europe, with particularly disastrous consequences in South-Eastern Europe due to regional specificities. Comparative country case studies were carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Moldova, and Serbia, as they exemplify clear, present patterns of climate displacement, to examine the impacts of climate change on the right to education in the region. The case studies show that climate change directly threatens education through the destruction of schools and property. It also indirectly puts learning in peril by leading people across borders where their legal residency nor right to education is ensured. This publication aims to guide policy-makers by providing recommendations on how to ensure the protection of the right to education in South-Eastern Europe in the face of climate change and displacement. It is one of four regional reports that will lead to the development of a global report providing global policy guidance.