This session was inspired by the Idai and Kenneth cyclones that hit Mozambique in 2019, as well as military instability in the north of the country, resulting in massive displacements. In this session, presenters discussed the consequences of and prospects for resettlement legislation and procedures in Mozambique in light of increased climate change vulnerability, focusing on impacts on livelihoods and relations with host communities. These insights were compared with findings from research on development-induced resettlement in the Amazon in Brazil, which focused on local conceptions of space, place and rights.

Key Takeaways

• Legislation should not only be about defining rights, but also about providing details about processes and procedures to reduce possible room for manoeuvre by powerful actors.
• Even participatory social and environmental impact assessments will not prevent harm to the displaced if we do not take uncertainty, informality and above all local conceptualizations of rights and resources into account.
• This has been said many times, but really, communities are not homogeneous, and labelling people as indigenous, peasants or otherwise impacts on people’s response options.
•  Expropriation should be the exception of the exception of the exception.