On 10 November 2026, ECOWAS opened its Pavilion at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, with a side event co-convened with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The event focused on how African institutions and Member States can better support people who move or are displaced because of climate impacts.

The panel brought together Dr. Sabelo Mbokazi of the African Union Commission, Mr. Christophe Deguenon, ECOWAS Director of Environment and Natural Resources, Dr. Ahmed Amdihun of the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), Dr. Priscilla Achakpa of the Women Environmental Programme (WEP), and Ms. Kulubo Koquoi, a Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change fellow from Liberia.

Panellists explored how the draft Continental Policy on Climate-Induced Human Mobility and the ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy can guide national climate planning and local action. Drawing on examples from Liberia and the Horn of Africa, they discussed how climate data, early warning systems and cross-border cooperation can help protect displaced people and communities at risk, including women and girls. They also examined what local organisations and young people need to expand community-led responses.