Demographic and Social Statistics
Meetings
Enhanced international cooperation for better migration data
Migration has moved to the top of the policy agenda in many countries around the world. In September 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, which contains bold commitments for enhanced international cooperation to protect and assist refugees and migrants. Given that there are many gaps in our knowledge about migration, the Declaration underlines the importance of improving migration data collection at the national level, as well as calling for enhanced international cooperation to achieve this objective.
To better inform the public debate and to address migration challenges effectively, there is an urgent need to improve the availability, comparability, timeliness and quality of international migration data. Statistical projects and initiatives on migration and migrants are currently underway in many countries. However, these initiatives often remain fragmented, confined to each discipline and are not usually brought together and disseminated in a comprehensive and integrated manner.
About the Forum
OECD, IOM and UNDESA (represented by UNSD and UNPD) propose to co-organise a regular International Forum on Migration Statistics. The first Forum will be hosted at OECD's conference centre in Paris. The location of the Forum will rotate between the three co-organising agencies. The Forum will also involve partner organisations that will contribute to relevant sessions.
This event will enhance the exchange of information, promote mutual learning and facilitate cooperation among relevant stakeholders. It will bring together producers, analysts and users of migration statistics, and will create a community of interest focused on migration measurement issues. It will mobilise expertise from a wide range of disciplines - such as political science, economics, demography, development studies, migration studies, geospatial science, sociology, statistics, and information technology - that can contribute to an improved global understanding of international migration in all its dimensions.