Migration Profiles: Concept and IOM

1
Migration Profiles Concept and IOMs Experience
Jobst KOEHLER Research and Publications
Division IOM, Geneva Joint UNECE/Eurostat Work
Session on Migration Statistics, 16 April 2010
2
Outline

• Migration Profiles Background and
  Objectives
• b) Migration Profiles Main components
• c) Migration Profiles IOMs experience
• d) Lessons learned

3
Migration ProfilesBackground and Objectives
4
Migration Profiles (MPs)Background
MPs first introduced by the EC in Annex 6 of the
2005 Migration and Development Communication
Migration profiles aim to gather information on
issues such as the labour market situation,
unemployment rates, labour demand and supply and
present or potential skill shortages by sector
and occupation, skills needs in the country,
skills available in the diaspora, migration
flows, incoming and outgoing financial flows
linked with migration, including migrant
remittances, as well as relevant gender aspects
and those related to minors." To inform Community
programming in the field of migration and poverty
reduction strategies MPs provide concise
information in a standardized form, (A countrys
migratory picture at a glance)
5
MPsBackground
2007 Council conclusion to Global Approach to
Migration proposed to create sustainable
extended migration profiles, which would include
information regarding migration flows and stocks,
as well as the economic dimension of migration."
MP should feed into new policy tools such a
mobility partnership and circular migration
schemes. MP evolved from being a means to bring
together data from a range of sources, to a more
elaborate process involving consultation with
many different actors in an effort to help
identify and develop strategies to address data
gaps and produce the evidence required to inform
policy.
6
MPs Background
Migration Profiles
Information tool
Capacity-building tool
Extended Migration Profiles (EMPs)
7
MPs Objectives
Objectives of E / MPs

• To enhance governmental knowledge about
  migration and its relationship to development
• To support governments in establishing or
  strengthening mechanisms for regular reporting
  on migration-related information
• To improve the use of migration information for
  policy development
• To foster greater inter-ministerial coordination
  and collaboration with respect to data
  collection and policy development
• To monitor and assess the donor intervention in
  the area of migration

7
8
MPsMain Components
3
9
MPs as an information tool

• Standard MPs
• consist of a migration situation report based on
  a standardized template
• Two types of templates
• Shorter template used by EC Delegations in ACP
  and IOM in South-Eastern Europe and Black Sea
• Longer template used by IOM in West and Central
  Africa and Latin America
• Both include indicators on immigration/emigration
  types of migration (labour, forced migration)
  remittances, irregular migration and assessment
  of migration policy

7
10
Templates Key features
Shorter Template Longer Template
- Fewer indicators (20) on migration - No specific focus on migration-related areas (e.g. labour market, human capital, demography) - Short assessment of migration policies and actors, including diaspora. Detailed indicators (46) on migration Focuses on development, demography, economy, labour market and human capital Analysis of factors driving migration - Assessment of policy framework and effectiveness - inventory of data sources and list of key definitions.
11
Migration Profiles - Templates
MPs as an information tool

MP reports are more than a statistical report.
They also .
bring together information about the actors and
institutions involved in migration-related
activities and policy frameworks in general
12
Migration Profiles - Templates
MPs as an information tool
Government involvement in the production of MP
reports

National/Regional workshop Intra-governmental
mechanism to support data collection
and production of report Statistical Advisory
Group
13
MPs asa capacity-building tool
14
MPs as a capacity-building tool
During the preparation of MP reports
MP exercise presents an opportunity to initiate
a capacity- development process to improve data
collection and availability
Dialogue between data users and producers

• Problems with existing migration data
• Accuracy, reliability and validity
• Coverage
• Timeliness and frequency
• Relevance and usefulness
• Comparability
• Access and transparency

15
MPs as a capacity-building tool
National Data Management (Dissemination) Strategy
Inter-ministerial Technical WG
Statistical Advisory Group
Sustainable MPsM
New data collection instruments
Data assessment
Training through Twinning
Training of Focal institution
16
MPsIOMs experience
17
IOMs experience
IOM first tested the basic migration profile
concept in 2006, in Ecuador and Senegal, has
subsequently prepared MP reports in over 30
countries
Africa 13 Europe 16 Asia 2 South America 4

• Prepared in the context of
• Regional consultative processes
• (RCPs)
• National initiatives to support
• Government research units
• National initiatives to support main-
• streaming of migration into
• development plans.

18
IOMs experienceKey projects
- Pilot project to test a methodology linking the
preparation of MPs to a range of
capacity-building and policy development
activities that aimed to improve basis for
coherent policy-making and foster country
ownership.

• Migration in West and Central Africa National
  Profiles for Strategic Policy Development
  (funded by EC, Swiss and Belgian Government)
  2008-2010
• 10 countries involved Côte dIvoire, Democratic
  Republic of Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mauretania,
  Niger, Nigeria plus Cameroon and Cape Verde
• To identify information and capacity-building
  needs and developing plans to address these needs

19
IOMs experienceKey projects
- Migration Profile project linked to a broader
capacity-building initiative, the ECs Mobility
Partnership.

• Supporting the implementation of the migration
  and development component of the EU-Moldova
  Mobility Partnership (funded by the EC), 2010-
  2012
• Data assessment
• Twinning
• Capacity-building through targeted training and
  additional data collection

20
Migration ProfilesUseful tool for
policydevelopment?
21
MPs as a useful tool?
Migration Profiles can support policy development
through
..

• ... improving accessability and availability of
  migration data
• identifying data gaps and promote data-sharing
  at national and regional level
• promoting discussion on migration policy,
  coherence and coordination involving a large
  range of ministries
• deepen understanding of the policy options and
  information needs

22
MPs as a useful tool?
However, Migration Profiles still need...

• to move from fairly descriptive reporting to
  more sophisticated analysis
• to link research and policy-capacity building
  over the long run
• to be effectively utilized
• . to encourage Governments to take ownership and
  responsibility for updating MPs

23
IOM Contacts

Jobst KOEHLER Research and Publications
Division IOM Geneva Tél. [phone] Fax
41 22 798 6150 Email JKoehler_at_iom.int,
RES_at_iom.int