Evidence-based migration policies are a fundamental component of good migration governance. Information and data, and policies based on them, are essential elements for compliance with goals 10.7 and 17.18 of the 2030 Agenda. In this regard, recent studies warn of multiple challenges to ensure the availability of useful, updated data and information about migrations. Additionally, these studies agree that there are still limitations in coordination between countries (and sometimes between institutions within the same country) to facilitate the exchange of data and information in this area.
 

Have there been advances in the generation and use of information on migration on an international level?

International interest in the generation, collection and use of statistical data on migration is not recent. Since the end of the 19th century, important meetings have been held to address the need for international migration statistics. In 1891, during the congress of the International Statistical Institute (IIE) in Vienna, meetings were held to discuss the drafting of a uniform definition of international migrant. At the IIE meeting in Budapest in 1901, the need for a distinction between the statistical purposes of permanent and temporary emigration was underlined. With the establishment of the United Nations Organization, a new period of progress has been made in the generation and harmonization of statistics on migration, with special relevance given to the work of the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations (UN DESA).

This interest in having reliable and comparable statistics on migration at an international level has translated into a series of guides, standards and recent models in terms of generation, collection and analysis of data, one of the most recent and complete being the “Handbook for Improving the Production and Use of Migration Data for Development" of the Global Migration Group (2017). This document was generated within the framework of the Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD) initiative of the World Bank, and aims to assist Member States in the collection, tabulation, analysis, dissemination and use of migration data, and therefore contribute to monitor the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

A new contribution from IOM

In this scenario, Regional Project to Strengthen the Production and Analysis of Information on Migrations in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean of the IOM Regional Office for Central America, North America and the Caribbean proposed the study entitled "Characteristics of the process for gathering and using administrative records on migration in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean." The objective of this study is to contribute to the strengthening of the generation, systematization and access to information and data related to migrations in twelve countries of Mesoamerica and the Caribbean, namely: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Lucia and Suriname.

What are administrative records on migration?

Administrative records in the migratory matter are a system of data collection, dedicated to the registry of the facts/events (for example, the transfer) that each one of the individuals of a community experiences. They record characteristics (demographic, migratory, socioeconomic ...) of the whole or a part of the population.

In terms of international migration measurement, this type of data source usually includes records of:

- International arrivals and departures
- Population
- Foreigners
- Permits for migrant workers
- Asylum seekers
- Residence, work, study, and exit permits;
- Granting of filings
- Consular records of nationals abroad
- Others: visas, passports, etc.
 
 

Main conclusions of the study:

  • The countries included in this research are advancing (with varying degrees of capacity) in the development of institutional capacities for the collection, processing, dissemination, and use of administrative records on migration. However, it is clear that many of these countries still need to strengthen a series of capacities to take advantage of the information they generate to their full potential.
  • Although countries collect administrative records on migration, in most cases these records are not processed and translate into relevant information for the analysis, design, and evaluation of public policies on migration.
  • In some countries, the capacity for coordination between public and private actors interested in migration data management has improved. However, it is still necessary to encourage the participation of non-traditional actors through broader dissemination of relevant information for decision-making.
  • There is little articulation with the statistical and census institutes in most of the countries, and consequently, the limited use of data and information generated for the development of migration policies based on evidence
  • Most countries are unaware of the relationship between administrative records and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study presents, as an exercise, an example of how to use these registers to help monitor progress towards the SDGs.

The importance of this initiative is that it recognizes the context and capacities of each country for the collection, processing, dissemination, and use of data on migration, values ​​the good practices they develop to facilitate the flow of information in its different phases and promotes horizontal cooperation and joint work between various institutions.

SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities