Panama Completes First Climate-Related Relocation

The Guna Indigenous people of Gardi Sugdub Island in Panama began asking for government support to relocate their community in 2010.

Today in 2024, their move to the mainland begins. Isber Yala, the community to which the residents Gardi Sugdub Island are relocating for many is a celebratory moment. 

The relocation, due to impacts that sea level rise is having on their island, was a planned, community-led planned relocation, supported by the Panamanian government. 

That being said, challenges remain regarding basic needs in the new community.

Human Right Watch explains that lessons from this case highlight the need for a national policy to protect human rights in future climate-related relocations globally.

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