Lesotho Highlights Climate Mobility at 3rd Global Mobility Summit

On the margins of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Honourable Lejone Mpotjoana, delivered a keynote intervention during Session I of the 3rd Global Mobility Summit. The summit, themed “Turning Evidence into Action: Leveraging Climate Mobility Blueprints to Unlock Climate Finance,” convened global leaders to address the urgent link between climate change and human mobility.

In his address, Minister Mpotjoana described climate mobility as the human face of the climate crisis, affecting millions worldwide and requiring immediate, coordinated action. He highlighted Lesotho’s vulnerability to climate shocks, despite the country’s minimal contribution to global emissions. Increasingly severe droughts, floods, and temperature extremes have disrupted livelihoods and driven both internal and cross-border migration.

“The right to stay is as important as the right to move,” the Minister stated, emphasizing the need for resilience strategies that allow communities to remain in place safely and sustainably.

Minister Mpotjoana outlined Lesotho’s strategic approach to climate resilience. The strategy focuses on harnessing natural capital for clean energy, particularly hydropower and wind, positioning Lesotho as a regional leader in renewable energy. It also involves mobilizing climate finance through the Just Energy Transition Fund and the National Inclusive Growth Fund to attract private investment and support underserved regions. Strengthening policy frameworks, including the National Climate Change and Risk Reduction Policy and the Strategic Resilience Framework, was also highlighted.

The Minister underscored the importance of partnerships, particularly with the Global Centre for Climate Mobility, to conduct Climate Mobility Deep Dives. These integrate data, modeling, and community engagement to inform future mobility trends. He further called for a dedicated climate financing pipeline for mobility, bridging humanitarian responses with long-term adaptation.

Honourable Mpotjoana also advocated for debt relief mechanisms, including debt-for-climate and debt-for-nature swaps, alongside reforms to the global sovereign debt architecture to better support vulnerable nations.

“If evidence is the foundation, finance is the engine,” he stated, urging the international community to turn climate mobility blueprints into actionable instruments that deliver resources to the populations most in need.

Lesotho’s participation highlighted the country’s proactive stance on climate mobility, combining evidence-based planning, policy development, and financial innovation to protect communities and strengthen national resilience.