A/HRC/37/35 rights law did provide for the protection of the fundamental rights and dignity of all people on the move, but that gaps persisted in meeting the protection needs of those fleeing the adverse effects of climate change, particularly those seeking to escape the impact of slowonset processes. 9. Negotiations on the global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration offered an opportunity for the international community to set in place a migrant-centred, human rightsbased and gender-responsive system of global migration governance. The ongoing discussions of the Task Force on Displacement of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage offered a similar opportunity. 10. In closing, the Deputy High Commissioner called for action to address the underlying causes that force people to move in response to climate change. Actions today could destroy or preserve the planet for future generations. The world needed improved disaster risk reduction, strengthened climate change mitigation and adaptation commitments under the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and enhanced social protection systems. Planned relocations, if necessary, should be voluntary and fully respect human rights obligations. All those compelled to move because of climate change needed effective protection of their human rights without discrimination throughout their migration. According to the Deputy High Commissioner, failure to address climate change and its effects, and to protect the human rights of all migrants was impermissible. 11. In her keynote video message, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration highlighted the importance of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. The Declaration recognized the complexity of the motivations that compel people to move, such as the adverse effects of climate change, natural disasters or other environmental factors. It had initiated a process expected to conclude with the adoption of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration in 2018. The present panel discussion would make an important contribution to the formulation of the global compact. 12. According to the Special Representative, even though “migration by choice not necessity” was an appealing mantra, in actual fact migration was the result of a broad spectrum of voluntariness and free choice, and was usually triggered by a variety of complex factors. A key issue for the international community and the global compact was to address fully the protection needs of all those compelled to move by complex factors and to design long-term solutions, particularly when return is not a sustainable option. Furthermore, greater attention should be paid to the issue of gender in the context of migration. Forty-eight percent of migrants were women, and many migrated alone. Women migrants were rights-holders, agents of development and leaders. 13. In concluding, the Special Representative called for a global compact that strengthened international cooperation, addressed the drivers of migration and focused on the promotion, protection and fulfilment of the rights of all migrants, particularly those most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Such a rights-based, gender responsive approach was achievable if the international community worked together. III. Panel discussion 14. The President of the Human Rights Council opened the panel discussion and invited the panellists to make their statements. A. Contribution of panellists 15. The Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement, Walter Kaelin, asked the audience to consider the situation of hurricane survivors and residents of lowlying atoll nations. For some of them, migration could be the key to a better life. Suddenonset disasters, particularly floods and tropical storms, displaced on average some 22.5 million people every year. Others moved because of the effects of slow-onset processes, 3