Pakistan’s climate disasters have become global case studies in devastation, including the historic 2010 and 2022 floods, relentless heatwaves, and recurring droughts. But behind these headlines lies a quieter emergency, the millions of people displaced by climate shocks who remain invisible in national policy and unprotected in law.
In 2024, Refugee Solidarity Network (RSN) and Climate REACH set out to change this. Led by RSN’s Zaid Hydari and Climate REACH’s Ahmad Shabbar, the teams carried out field research across Sindh, the southeastern region of Pakistan, meeting displaced communities, some for more than a decade, others much more recently, and still without land, security, or recognition. Their findings were clear: despite Pakistan’s National Adaptation Plan and the Sindh Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy, climate displacement remains overlooked and legally undefined. As Ahmad Shabbar explains, “While climate displacement is largely insidious as the drivers are quite slow onset, there are occasions when it becomes urgent, such as during the 2022 and 2025 floods in Pakistan.”
As rights-based advocates, RSN and Climate REACH observed how positive steps were taken at the federal and provincial levels, yet official plans consistently failed to recognize the needs of displaced communities, especially their legal protection concerns. Drawing on Climate REACH’s experience in environmental litigation and RSN’s expertise in law and policy response to major instances of forced displacement, the partners committed to reviewing the existing legal framework and finding ways to promote advancements in policy. In Shabbar’s words, “we have tried to be proactive rather than reactive. The findings of this report aren’t an indictment, rather constructive criticism and encouragement for stakeholders from grassroots communities, development sector practitioners, international organizations, and government officials.”
Both Clyde & Co and RSN are proud members of the GRF Legal Community Pledge, and PILnet’s clearinghouse services played a vital role in bringing them together for this initiative. As Hydari reflects, “PILnet’s help in matching us with Clyde & Co saved us a great deal of time and effort and helped steer a successful collaboration” at a time when, he notes, “resource scarcity makes the need to come together to achieve results more important than ever.” Led by Lucia Williams, the Clyde & Co team analyzed Pakistan’s climate displacement policies against regional best practices, motivated by a clear sense of purpose. “As the effects of global warming materialise with disastrous consequences in climate-vulnerable countries like Pakistan,” Williams explains, “it is important to identify potential legal and policy gaps to effectively protect populations bearing the brunt of catastrophes, particularly displaced people.” For Clyde & Co, this commitment is rooted in a broader mission. As Caroline Loving notes, “through our pro bono programme, we aim to facilitate access to high-quality legal support for charities,” and the firm points to its “longstanding partnership with PILnet, including our recent collaboration on climate-related displacement,” as a reflection of that goal in action.
The partnership delivered timely research ahead of COP29 and culminated in the 2025 report, Climate Displacement in Pakistan: A Review of Law, Policy, and Comparative Contexts, a key resource that will informed policy discussions leading up to COP30. Williams describes the experience as “a privilege and an enriching experience,” while Shabbar strikes an urgent note: “it is great that the world, and now Pakistan, has started to notice this issue, but we need to be quicker in rolling out policy, systems, and infrastructure before it becomes insurmountable or before the next extreme weather event.”
This collaboration bridged local knowledge and insights, diaspora vision and experience, and high-caliber legal expertise, yielding results that have already begun to travel. The report has been shared with representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and other environment and development sector groups, with plans to engage government representatives and additional stakeholders in the months ahead. For Hydari, the reach of the work reflects something deeper about how RSN operates: “We now have stronger networks at the international and regional levels that feed into work at the local and national levels. We see this project as a great success, and we are not even finished with the overall initiative.”
As the climate crisis accelerates and displaces millions more across South Asia, projects such as this show the critical role of pro bono legal work in contributing to informed and inclusive policy development so that climate-affected communities are protected, not forgotten.
As the climate crisis accelerates and displaces millions more across South Asia, projects such as this show the critical role of pro bono legal work in contributing to informed and inclusive policy development so that climate-affected communities are protected, not forgotten. We encourage anyone working at the intersection of climate and displacement, or on projects supporting displaced communities, to reach out and access our free legal support. Organizations can get started by submitting their request through our legal support form.