Capacity Building For Governments To Develop Evidence-Based Migration Policies
The importance of improving data collection, analysis and management is gaining increasing recognition. Objective 1 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration(GCM), the first global agreement on migration, adopted by the majority of UN Member States in December 2018, is “to collect and utilize accurate and disaggregated data as a basis for evidence-based policies/to develop evidence-based policies.” Further, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 17.18 calls for data to be disaggregated by basic characteristics, including sex, age and migratory status. At the continental level, the African Union (AU) adopted the Migration Policy Framework for Africa (MPFA) that was substantiated by a 10-year action plan (2018–2027). This document provides guidelines on nine thematic areas, namely migration governance, labour migration and education, diaspora engagement, border governance, irregular migration, forced displacement, internal migration, migration and trade and other cross-cutting issues. It furthermore constitutes a strategic framework for migration management in states that are members of the AU and of African Regional Economic Communities (REC). The Action Plan also builds on work that is already underway on the continent and to facilitate a participatory approach. This action plan recognises the pivotal role that disaggregated data hold in mainstreaming migration into policy and development initiatives. At regional level, an Action Plan has been defined in 2017 by the Thematic Working Group on Migration Statistics and Data established within the context of the Migration Dialogue for West Africa (MIDWA).
In Burkina Faso, Côte d´Ivoire, Guinea and Niger, national efforts on migration data have increased in the last years, as well. Burkina Faso, Guinea and Niger have recently adopted or are finalizing the adoption of national migration policies and/or strategies and Côte d´Ivoire is also working on a national migration policy. All four countries have adopted strategies or laws on statistics and data, and Côte d´Ivoire has finalized a National Action Plan focusing on migration data collection and management in particular