VIII. The Application of the Peninsula Principles in Gunayala

growth and a lack of space on the island for expansion 31. Despite assertions to the contrary, it was also clear that their concerns with climate change focus primarily on the biophysical aspects and less on the aspects of social vulnerability that make people susceptible to its effects.

Figure 2: Erosion of the Gunayala Islands

Panama is the first country where Displacement Solutions has used the Peninsula Principles (PPs) - the first international legal instrument to protect the rights of climate displaced people and set out the obligations of states toward them - to analyze and guide the interventions needed in the Gunayala region. The PPs were drafted by a diverse group of human rights, international law and climate change experts in a consultative process that included input from people already affected by climate displacement, other experts, and the general public.

The PPs are based on current human rights laws, including those that focus on internally displaced people as well as best practices on disaster risk prevention and reduction, and are tailored to address the specific needs of people facing climate displacement. One of the main

31 Meeting with Engineer Rosilena Lindo, head of the Climate Change Unit at the Ministry of the Environment. Panama City, April 17, 2015. Last year, the National Authority on the Environment apparently had a different position. See: Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (2014). Comarca Kuna Yala, ante la vulnerabilidad del ascenso del nivel del mar. http://www.thecvf.org/FTP/ANM%20-%20Panamá.pdf