UN Expert Applauds Marshall Islands’ Displacement Response on Nuclear and Climate Crisis

“For generations, nuclear testing and foreign military land requisitions have uprooted hundreds of Marshallese, while climate change now threatens thousands more,” Gaviria Betancur noted.

Paula Gaviria Betancur, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, praised the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) for its commitment to addressing the displacement of its people due to nuclear testing and climate-related threats. In a statement following her recent visit to the island nation, Gaviria Betancur emphasized the moral obligation of the global community to support the Marshall Islands as it grapples with the long-term impacts of nuclear testing by foreign powers, military land requisitions, and the mounting pressures of climate change.

“For generations, nuclear testing and foreign military land requisitions have uprooted hundreds of Marshallese, while climate change now threatens thousands more,” Gaviria Betancur noted. She commended the Marshall Islands for taking bold steps to seek justice for historically displaced communities and to develop forward-thinking strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The Special Rapporteur lauded the RMI’s recent election to the Human Rights Council, where it has been instrumental in advocating for the rights of displaced persons and addressing the human rights legacy of nuclear testing. “This international leadership is crucial,” she said, “and I encourage the Government to continue these efforts, adopting a comprehensive, rights-based approach to addressing displacement and ensuring that relevant laws and policies are transparent and inclusive.”

Gaviria Betancur further stressed the need for collaboration with traditional leaders to adapt land tenure systems to address both current and future displacement challenges. She observed that displacement had deeply affected Marshallese cultural identity and sense of place, highlighting the powerful testimonies of those who described the lasting emotional and cultural dislocation from lands tied to their Indigenous identity.

The report underscored that the historical displacement occurred while the Marshall Islands was a UN-administered Strategic Trust Territory under the United States. Displaced Marshallese could not give informed consent regarding these policies, as they were residents of a non-self-governing territory negotiating with a nuclear power with limited access to critical information about the health and environmental impacts of nuclear tests.

Calling on the United States to take responsibility, Gaviria Betancur urged it to provide comprehensive information to displaced Marshallese about the residual health risks from past nuclear testing, ensure meaningful reparations, and seek the fully informed consent of Marshallese landholders for current military land use, including the option to reclaim their lands if desired.

She also called on the international community to provide resources to support the Marshall Islands in implementing climate adaptation policies, noting that the nation contributes minimally to global emissions yet faces some of the world’s most severe climate impacts. The Marshall Islands’ plight, she noted, reflects the larger global challenge of supporting small island states that bear the burden of external pressures largely beyond their control.