The field of migration data and statistics is rapidly evolving. On one hand, new concepts and definitions are being standardized and old concepts and measures are being revised. In 2021, the UN Expert Group on Migration Statistics developed a new global framework for statistics of international migration that places international migration and temporary mobility under the umbrella of international mobility. The revised framework has implications for the measurement of international migration and the statistics that countries are encouraged to produce (see Part II, Chapter 1). In 2023 the Expert Group on Refugee, IDP and Statelessness Statistics (EGRISS) endorsed the first International Recommendations on Statelessness Statistics (IROSS). In the same year, the International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) proposed to revise the 20th ICLS Guidelines Concerning Statistics of International Labour Migration by 2025. On the other hand, innovative data sources such as call detail records, satellite imagery and social media activity are increasingly being used to study temporary mobility, forced displacement, diaspora engagement and other aspects of mobility that are harder to capture through traditional data sources (see Part II, Chapter 2). The EMD is therefore intended to be a “living document” that can be continuously adapted or extended based on new developments in the field. This will be implemented by transposing the content to an online platform similar to the Essentials of Migration Management 2.0, IOM’s flagship program on migration management. This format will also allow for highlighting any future case studies of how the recommendations are implemented across different regions, countries or projects.
The EMD should not be treated as a blueprint for a one-off training on migration data and statistics, but as a comprehensive knowledge base for any migration data capacity-building initiatives. For example, Part I, Chapter 3 highlights recommendations for the development of a strong national statistical system and legislative framework that may be relevant to stakeholders working on a data sharing agreement between the national statistical office and line ministries. Part II, Chapter 1 provides a list of core indicators and disaggregating variables that may be useful to stakeholders developing a national migration data strategy. Part II, Chapter 5 summarizes data visualization best practices that may be helpful to stakeholders drafting a national migration profile with data collected from the national statistical office and line ministries. The content of the EMD can inform the development of a broad range of capacity-building tools and materials such as survey questionnaires, metadata files, online data browsers, data mapping and stakeholder mapping exercises, technical capacity assessments, data privacy checklists, and training presentations, exercises and evaluations. The development of the EMD as a living document will allow for examples of such tools and materials to be uploaded to or referenced in the relevant sections of the EMD.
Finally, practice shows that any training on migration data and statistics needs to be tailored to the specific needs of the audience. For example, policymakers and decision-makers might need to know why migration data are important, how they can inform the development of policies, programmes and actions and what legal structures should be in place to facilitate the production and dissemination of migration data. Technical personnel and first responders might need to know how to design their data collection tools in line with international standards, what needs to be done to the data in order to make it suitable for analysis and which methodologies can be employed to generate statistics on hard-to-reach migrant groups. The EMD has therefore been structured to address the specific needs of different stakeholders. Part I of the EMD is mostly directed at policymakers and decisionmakers working for government agencies and international organizations whose engagement is key to building momentum around migration data. Part II of The EMD is mostly directed at the technical personnel and first responders of line ministries, national statistical offices and non-governmental and civil society organisations who are responsible for data collection, data management and data analysis (see Table of Contents below). While structuring the content in this way makes the information manageable, it goes without saying that some sections are relevant to all kinds of stakeholders, e.g., knowing about the strengths and limitations of different data sources is also relevant to policymakers. As emphasized above: the EMD is not a blueprint for a one-off training, but a knowledge base that practitioners and stakeholders can draw from to inform their own migration data capacity-building initiatives.