Presenter: Si-Eun Lee (National Program Officer, IOM Korea)

The climate crisis is no longer merely an environmental issue—it has emerged as a serious global crisis profoundly affecting the lives and migration patterns of millions of people worldwide. This presentation will focus on the theoretical framework surrounding climate-induced migration and examine the activities of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in response to climate change, highlighting key cases that address migration issues resulting from environmental shifts. It will explore how IOM’s programs and policies respond to climate-related migration and how the organization is working with the international community to seek sustainable solutions.

Si-Eun Lee specializes in climate change and humanitarian response, with over a decade of research and field experience in the nexus of climate change and migration. She has served as a regional thematic expert on climate change and migration at the IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, and at IOM Headquarters, she contributed to the organization’s first global research project on climate migration and the establishment of the UN’s first dedicated unit on climate mobility. Lee also brings extensive experience in developing IOM’s climate migration programs, advising on policy and research, and supporting government capacity-building efforts.