At a meeting last week in Panama City with Human Rights Watch, government officials from Panama’s Ministry of Environment said they are drafting a climate adaptation decree, expected to be adopted by the end of April. The decree will lay the legal foundation for a national protocol on planned relocation in the coming year.
In 2024, Panama’s previous administration held intersectoral consultations to begin creating a national approach, but it did not lead to one. The current administration’s work to finalize this decree, which includes reporting on climate-displaced people in Panama, is a promising sign that the government recognizes the need for a coordinated, rights-based approach to planned relocation as a climate adaptation solution of last resort.
At the meeting, Panamanian officials acknowledged the mounting challenges that climate change poses for Indigenous coastal communities like Gardi Sugdub and Ukupa in Guna Yala. But for any relocation policy to be effective, the voices of those most impacted should shape its design and implementation.
In Panama, this means that affected communities like Gardi Sugdub and Ukupa should be at the adaptation decree’s negotiation table from the outset. The Gardi Sugdub community’s experience highlights important lessons learned, and underscores the risks of delays and inadequate consultation; mistakes that should not be repeated.
Developing a national protocol for planned relocation is a critical step toward protecting the human rights of communities at the frontlines of the climate crisis and should be a priority for Panama’s new administration.
This is true for coastal countries all around the world. As rising seas and worsening storms continue to threaten homes and livelihoods, the window for policy development is closing fast. Hundreds of communities worldwide have already relocated or are relocating in the face of rising sea levels, floods, and other disasters that are likely to intensify as climate change accelerates.
Panama’s commitment to developing a relocation protocol is welcome progress. Now the government should move swiftly. Families in Ukupa are living in limbo and cannot afford prolonged uncertainty. By expediting the process and ensuring community leadership, Panama can set an example regionally and globally for planned relocation approaches that prioritize human rights.
