Improving data on

international migration:

Capacity building and innovative practices

Bela Hovy

Department of Economic and Social Affairs

United Nations, New York

Ministry of Foreign AffairsBerlin, Germany

1 – 2 December 2016

UN/DESA – Key migration activities

Population Division

• Intergovernmental migration processes

• Global migration estimates

Statistics Division

• Migration data collection

• Migration data standards and guidelines

Population + Statistics Division

• Capacity building on migration data

Who is an international migrant?(UNDESA, 1998. Recommendation on statistics of international migration)

Any person who changes her/his country of residence

• Part of this definition:

A move

Minimum duration of stay

• Not part of this definition:

Reason (work, family, study, asylum, etc.)

Legal status

Migration at the UNGA

1. Declaration of the High-level Dialogue on international migration and development (2013)

2. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, incl. SDGs and AAAA (2015)

3. NY Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (2016):

Global migration compact (2018)

Global refugee compact (2018)

Guidance on vulnerable migrants (2018)

153173

222244

375

578

469

Global number of international migrants

likely to increase

International migrant stock, 1990-2050 (millions)

1990 2000 2010

2.9%2.8%

3.2%

Proportion of international migrants in total population

2015

3.3%

2050

1990-2000

growth rate

2000-2010

growth rate

2010-2015

growth rate

Source: UN/DESA, Population Division (2015). Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2015 revision

The components of population change -

Africa and Europe compared

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1950-1960

1960-1970

1970-1980

1980-1990

1990-2000

2000-2010

2010-2020

2020-2030

2030-2040

2040-2050

mil

lio

ns

-10

40

90

140

190

240

290

340

390

440

490

1950-1960

1960-1970

1970-1980

1980-1990

1990-2000

2000-2010

2010-2020

2020-2030

2030-2040

2040-2050

mil

lio

ns

Total net population change

Immigration-emigration

Births-deaths

Europe

Migration is slowing population decline (but

not halting)

Africa

Migration is reducing population

growth (but little impact)

Demography: a powerful driver of

migration and a case for developmentChanges in working age population by major area, 2015 – 2050

138%

10%

-21%

17%9%

37%

Africa Asia Europe LatinAmerica and

theCaribbean

NorthernAmerica

Oceania

Source: UN, DESA, Population Division (2015). World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision

Source: UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2014, Annex Table 26. Indicators of host country capacity and contributions, end-2014

Uneven responsibility sharing for refugees Ratio of refugee population to gross domestic product per capita (PPPs)

Under 0.1

Between 0.1 and 1

Between 1 and 15

More than 15

Regional workshops on collecting and

using migration data for development

DESA in collaboration with ILO, IOM and UNHCR [Addis (2014), Dakar (2015), Rome (2016), Bangkok (2017), …]

Global and regional policy context

Data sources (census, admin, surveys)

Data standards

Migration-related SDGs

Main capacity building needs(elements of DESA’s project submission;

GMG partners welcome)

1. Scale up regional workshops

2. Professionalize learning materials

3. Develop web-based learning programme

4. Develop guidance on SDG migration indicators

5. Disseminate tabulations from population census

6. Disseminate data from administrative sources

7. Hire regional advisers for in-country support

Aligning existing efforts

1. Build on existing capacity building programmeson collecting and using migration data for development

2. Implement existing UN recommendations (census, migration, remittance, refugees) and statistical classifications (education, labour, etc.)

3. Involve GMG expertise (DESA, ILO, UNHCR, etc.)

4. Joint fundraising; donors can ensure UN collaboration