Migration Governance in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries: Well-developed Areas and Opportunities for Development

The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa, CPLP) is a multilateral forum founded in July 1996 at the Lisbon Constitutive Summit, with the aim to promote political and diplomatic coordination, cooperation in all areas, and the promotion and dissemination of the Portuguese language. It is made up of nine member States: Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, and Timor-Leste. These countries are home to approximately 290 million citizens spread across four continents – Africa, America, Asia and Europe.

The Migration Governance Indicators (MGIs) – IOM’s flagship initiative on migration governance – is a critical tool to support governments in assessing the comprehensiveness of their migration policies, as well as in identifying gaps and areas that could be strengthened. Seven CPLP member States have so far undertaken an MGI assessment: Angola (2021), Brazil (2022), Cabo Verde (2021), Guinea‑Bissau (2023), Mozambique (2024), Portugal (2022) and Timor-Leste (2019).

This report presents aggregate findings in order to identify common priorities, progress and challenges across countries in the Community. Selected examples under each domain were drawn from the respective MGI profiles.