[00:00:07] So, welcome to our global network webinars. My name is Alexander Loschky, and I will be moderating this webinar today together with my colleague Panya You. We have with us Jean Christophe Dumont from OECD, John Wilmoth from the
[00:00:26] UN Population Division, Coco Warner from the IOM, so the International Organization for Migration, Peter Bevelander and Anna Andrén from Malmö University, and Francesca Groom from the UN Statistics Division,
[00:00:44] who will present today on the fourth International Forum on Migration Statistics. Um the International Forum on Migration Statistics is organized by OECD, IOM, and UN DESA, and will take place from 16th to 18th June in Malmö, Sweden
[00:01:04] Sweden. Um migration is playing a crucial role in shaping social, economic, and political landscapes worldwide, and the forum aims to bridge critical data gaps, foster international collaboration, and
[00:01:20] leverage emerging technologies such as big data and AI to improve migration forecasting and analysis. So, this global event will convene key stakeholders, including policy makers, researchers, and data experts,
[00:01:39] to discuss the revised UN recommendations on migration statistics, as well as innovative approaches for enhancing the availability, accuracy, and timeliness of migration sta- -tistics. This webinar will serve as a preparatory
[00:01:56] platform for the forum. Um now let me just very, very quickly introduce our speakers. So, Jean-Christophe Dumont is the director of the International Migration Division at OECD. John Wilmoth is the director of the UN Population
[00:02:16] Division, as I just said. Coco Vana is the director of the Global Data Institute at the International Organization of Migration. Pieter Bevelander is professor of international migration and ethnic relations and director of the Malmö
[00:02:36] Institute for studies of migration, diversity and welfare at Malmö University. Anna Andrén and is the dean's assistant and management administrator at the Faculty of Culture and Society at Malmö University. And
[00:02:54] Fran- Francesca Groom is assistant director and chief of the Demographic and Social Statistics Branch at the UN Statistics Division. Um just before we start, uh some some practical remarks, as always.
[00:03:11] We will first hear the presentation before we will have a Q&A session at the end. Uh feel free to write your comments and questions into the meeting chat at any time. And then during the Q&A session, uh we
[00:03:26] would encourage you to ask your question yourself if you can. Otherwise, uh Francesca or I can read out the question. As always, this Global Network webinar is being recorded and will be made available on the Global Network of Data
[00:03:43] Officers and Statistician at yammer.com/unstats. So, if you haven't joined yet, the network, this is an invitation for you to follow the link in the chat. I will put it there very very shortly, and you can
[00:04:02] sign up. So, now without much further ado, I would like to hand over to Jean Christophe, I believe who is the first speaker. So, Jean Christophe, over to you. The floor is yours. Thank you very much, Alexander. So, I
[00:04:20] guess you will upload the PPT, right? Yes, just give me 1 second. So, good afternoon, good morning, everybody. It's and thank you very much, Alexander, for offering the opportunity to the group to present the fourth
[00:04:39] International Forum on Migration Statistics, as you expressed, will take place in in Malmö, Sweden, from the 16th to the 18th of of June this year. I mean, the context in a few words is clearly well known.
[00:04:59] Migration has been increasing not only in terms of numbers, but has become also top of countries' political agenda and is gaining increasing attention in in the media, even if migration data remain scarce in terms of quantity,
[00:05:22] quality, timeliness, and comprehensiveness, and its insufficient use and sharing of existing data are still persistent. There are a lot of discussion on migration, but we often lack the supporting evidence to
[00:05:42] to support the the policy making and and the public debate. The formal inclusion of a migration in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and also the adoption of a global compact for safe, orderly, and
[00:05:59] regular migration and the global compact for refugee have an item the need for reliable, timely, and internationally comparable data to support their follow-up and and review. And it's quite striking to note that the first
[00:06:15] objective of a GCM was actually about improving data availability, quality, and and timeliness. And and the IFMS, the International Forum on Migration Statistics, was created by the three organization, UNDESA, IOM, and
[00:06:35] and the OECD exactly to serve the objective one of the GCM by enabling um the the creation of a community of of of practice between all the people who are producing all sort of migration data and also
[00:06:57] those who are using it and notably the policy makers. The first event was created or took place in Paris in 2018 organized by the OECD. The second event took place in Cairo organized by IOM and the third event took place in Chile,
[00:07:19] Santiago, organized by UN DESA hosted by ECLAC. So, we now starting a new cycle and the OECD is very happy to take the lead on the organization of this fourth International Forum on Migration Statistics,
[00:07:40] which also, and maybe we can go to the next slide, is building on multiple partnerships. So, the the forum is supported and will be hosted by Malmö University. Thank you very much for your continuous support through
[00:07:59] throughout the organization. Also supported by the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs as well as the government of Sweden, not only Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Employment, as well as
[00:08:15] by Statistics Sweden. There are a number of uh international organizations which are partnered to the IFMHS and for this year, this is the ICMPD, the ILO, UNICEF, and and UNHCR. Um the way this work is that we issue a call for
[00:08:36] papers and call for session which is reviewed by an extensive scientific committee that comprises more than 20 people and rank all the proposals so that we can on that basis organize the agenda. Maybe we can go to
[00:08:55] the next slide. Uh as you can see here, the agenda is a combination of plenary session and we'll have high-level speakers in many of these sessions, including the Swedish Minister for Employment and Integration, but also the
[00:09:16] State Secretary from the Ministry of Justice and hopefully all the leaders of respective organization in the opening session. So, it's a combination of these high-level plenary sessions and parallel sessions. In total,
[00:09:36] currently we have 42 parallel session in in the draft agenda, and we may add some um closer to the date. Uh which means that altogether, we're talking about between 200 and 250 speakers for for that event. And
[00:09:57] maybe we can have up to 400, maybe more, slightly more, maybe we'll see, uh participant altogether uh to the event. So, it's a very rich program. It's impossible to go through all the topics that will be discussed
[00:10:15] here. Uh the IFMS aims at covering really all migration data-related issues uh from integration to measurement of flows, uh to remittances, to impact on economic development, uh to social integration,
[00:10:36] and so on and so forth. But, for this year, we have selected six main themes, and maybe we can go to the next slide, which are specifically looking at challenges and recent advancement in the measurement of social economic
[00:10:52] integration and inclusion of migrants and refugees. That's one of the topic that uh uh is led by the OECD, and I'll say a few words about that. Uh we'll have a second uh topic on revised UN recommendation on statistic of
[00:11:06] international migration, enhancing data availability, timeliness, and relevant uh straight to the to the core of the IFMS. The third uh broad theme is on data solution to promote regular migration pathways and balanced narrative. We
[00:11:24] always uh discuss this link uh between data availability and communication on on data on migration. this is really important and sometimes challenging. The fourth theme is on strengthening cooperation and partnership on migration
[00:11:40] statistics. The fifth is on building national capacity to use data for action inside and foresight with a special focus on temporary mobility. And the last broad theme is on current developments in in migration
[00:11:58] forecasting. So I can just say maybe two words on the first and last themes which led by by the OECD. So on the first one we will have the privilege to have some introductory remarks by the Swedish Minister for
[00:12:15] employment Mats Persson. We will also have the Assistant Commissioner for refugees and and a number of other high-level speakers participating in in that session. Integration is is challenging in terms
[00:12:32] of measurement because it should be seen as a process. So longitudinal data are not always available. We need to find ways to cover the time dimension of the integration process. We also need and this is
[00:12:48] crucial to be able to cover the multi-dimensional aspect of integration which is certainly not only about employment and uh and and and income but it's also about all other aspects which are relevant for
[00:13:08] the sustainable inclusion in in the host community. So we will have first hand discussion from these high-level speakers and notably from from Sweden on on on this aspect of integration and inclusion. The last
[00:13:25] theme that is also led by by the OECD is on current developments in migration forecasting. Here it's very clear. We've seen a lot of volatility in some of the migration movement in in recent years and all countries
[00:13:44] are trying to anticipate better and reinforce their preparedness when it comes to migration management and and integration. And they they do that for multiple purposes. First of all, for planning purposes,
[00:14:03] for financial reasons, but also in order to develop contingency plans when high level of inflows are anticipated or to simply adapt the integration support when large number of people are are expected to to
[00:14:22] come. In the EU context, this is at the core of the EU migration EU pact sorry on migration and asylum which includes a new forecasting exercise that is carried out by DG HOME and and JRC. And so we will discuss this issue
[00:14:43] from the EU perspective from the member states perspective, but also from non-EU, non-OECD perspective. We will have a speaker from Pakistan typically on on on that topic. So very much looking forward to
[00:15:01] understanding what countries are doing in order to better anticipate through early warning forecasting or even foresight future migration migration flows. So this is about in a nutshell the event overall and the
[00:15:19] two OECD session. And let me now hand over to John so that he can present the the sessions, uh, led by, uh, UN DESA. Over to you, John. Thank you, Jean-Christophe. Could we have the slides for the presentation?
[00:15:39] I'm going to speak to you about two of the plenaries, plenary number two and plenary number four. Uh, plenary two, as you see in the slide, concerns the revised UN recommendations on statistics of international migration,
[00:15:56] enhancing data availability, timeliness, and relevance. The objective is to discuss the opportunities and the challenges that are there in in improving the availability, timeliness, and accuracy of international migration data through
[00:16:10] implementation of the new revised, uh, UN recommendations on the collection of such information. So, we will begin that session with a context setting by Francesca Grum, who is the, uh, chief of the branch of
[00:16:27] social and demographic statistics in the statistics division of UN DESA. UN DESA is the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. And so, we begin with a context setting, uh, by Francesca, and then we have a
[00:16:42] presentation also to help set the context, uh, presentation by Josee Begin from Statistics Canada, who will examine how migration fits in the overarching conceptual framework for social and demographic statistics. So,
[00:16:58] we not only have this revision of the UN recommendations on migration statistics, there's also a broader conversation going on, uh, by the Friends of the Chair Group in the Statistical Commission, Friends of the Chair Group on Social and
[00:17:12] Demographic Statistics within the UN Statistical Commission, which has been working, um on the development of an integrated social and demographic data infrastructure which is based on the premise that social and demographic
[00:17:25] statistics are fundamentally about people who are in relationships with each other and that the events of our lives occur in time and place and that social statistics seek to understand population level outcomes. So, in this
[00:17:39] broader framework of social and demographic statistics that's being developed um as Jose began will help us to see the uh the role of migration statistics in that overall framework to give us some more context on this
[00:17:53] discussion around the new UN recommendations. And then we will move to a presentation from Italy by Marco Marsili of Istat, the National Institute of Statistics in Italy uh on measuring international migration
[00:18:07] in the context of permanent of a permanent census uh looking at the state of the art and new challenges. In a recent workshop, Italy discussed the application of the revised recommendations in the context of their
[00:18:20] personal uh sent a permanent census. They would showcase their experience and provide learnings uh lessons so far regarding the implementation of the revised uh recommendations. And then if we can have the next slide,
[00:18:37] please. Thank you. Um the the next presentation then will be also on data collection really under the same topic, how countries are dealing with the uh data collection under the new recommendations. Um from Mexico, we'll hear about the
[00:18:54] estimation of subgroups of the resident population based on country of birth and country of citizenship. This is a presentation by Graciela uh Martinez Caballe- Caballero uh who is from the migration policy,
[00:19:08] registration, and personal identity unit within the um Ministry of the Interior of the government of Mexico. And next we will hear from Indonesia about the strengthening of international migration statistics.
[00:19:24] Uh Ali Said from the Statistics Indonesia will speak to us about the initiative known as One Data Indonesia on international migration or SDMI. This initiative enables collaboration through sandbox spaces for government agencies.
[00:19:44] And so we'll learn more about what's going on then with in Indonesia in the context of the new migration recommendations from the UN. And also we'll hear from Eurostat. Christine Virtz will join us to speak
[00:19:59] about gender perspectives, intersectionality, and data disaggregation. Uh and how this is relates to the understanding of the life course approach to the analysis of international migration. So that will give us an overview of the
[00:20:18] situation with the new international recommendations from the Statistical Commission. And that's plenary number two. In plenary number four, if we can have the next slide, thank you. Uh we will look in
[00:20:33] this session, in plenary session number four, on strengthening cooperation and partnerships in as on statistics on international migration. So the session's objective in this case is to showcase cooperation and
[00:20:51] partnerships that are taking place at the global, regional, and national levels. Uh the session will bring together experts and practitioners from a variety of backgrounds, including the national statistical offices and international
[00:21:05] organizations, who will discuss strategies for fostering partnerships and collaboration to deliver more accurate, timely, and inclusive migration data and statistics. The session will also explore ways of
[00:21:20] strengthening cooperation and partnerships to measure progress towards global commitments, including the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals,
[00:21:31] and the objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration that were mentioned already by Jean Christophe. So, I will have the the privilege of moderating this session, the plenary
[00:21:44] session number four. And following my opening remarks, we will have the opportunity to hear from five distinguished experts. First, we'll hear from uh Marina Manke, uh the chief of Global Migration Data
[00:21:59] Analysis Center at the International Organization for Migration, or IOM. And Marina will highlight the progress made by the UN Network on Migration in its work stream on indicators. They've had a work stream on indicators as
[00:22:16] requested by member states in the progress declaration of the first uh International um Migration Review Forum, which took place in May of 2022, which requested the UN system to come up with a limited set set of
[00:22:33] indicators uh to measure progress towards implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration. So, we will hear from Marina about the progress in developing those indicators. It's actually quite an
[00:22:46] interesting project, and some good work has gone has gone on there. So, she will uh bring us up to date on that. After that, we will hear from Ambassador Dr. Namira Nang, who is the director of the African
[00:23:00] Migration Observatory. And uh Dr. Naim will focus on the experience of the African Migration Observatory in strengthening South-South cooperation and partnerships in the area of migration statistics. And last,
[00:23:19] uh moving forward to the last slide, um There we go. Yes. We will um look at three more We have three more speakers. Uh sorry we don't have pictures for all of them. Uh but the first one will um uh Cecilia Ersland Björn from Statistics
[00:23:40] Sweden will uh speak to us about cooperation on migration statistics and data, uh fostering greater cooperation and partnerships on migration statistics, showcasing best practices and lessons learned from Statistics Sweden. I didn't
[00:23:59] mention that Cecilia is the director of the social statistics and analysis department of Statistics Sweden. So, we'll be very happy to hear from her. And following that, Sarah Hugo uh from uh the International Fund for
[00:24:15] Agricultural Development, specifically in their senior strategic knowledge management uh specialist finance financing facility for remittances uh of the IFAD. And she will focus on RemitScope and the important progress that has been made in
[00:24:32] strengthening cooperation on data on migrant remittances at the national, regional, and global levels. These very important transfers of funds from migrants to their communities and families back home. Remittances, she
[00:24:47] will review the progress that has been made in strengthening cooperation on data across countries to understand um what's what's happening in terms of migrant remittances. And lastly, we will hear from Mr.
[00:25:02] Yuyoung Park, who is director within Statistics Korea, KOSTAT, on their practices of for strengthening cooperation and partnerships on international labor migration statistics in the Republic of Korea.
[00:25:16] And Mr. Park will highlight the increased coordination on international labor migration statistics between the National Statistical Office and the line ministries, as well as the partnership between KOSTAT and the International
[00:25:32] Labor Organization. So, all in all, both of these plenaries are full of interesting speakers and uh topics, and we hope that you'll be able to join for those. And then I pass on the uh discussion to the next speaker. If
[00:25:47] Alexander could guide me on that, who's the next speaker?
[00:25:53] Coco. Coco. Thank you. Sorry, yes. Coco is next. Thanks. Take it away, Coco. Great. Thank you, John. You've already made me so excited for the plenaries that you guys are putting together. Looks fantastic. Hi, everyone. As
[00:26:08] Alexander introduced, my name is Coco Warner. I am IOM's director of its Global Data Institute, and we're so delighted to be co-organizers with OECD. Really, Jean Christophe laid out the entire overview of IFMS this
[00:26:26] year, together with UNDESA and our long-year partnership in working together in this area, and specifically on IFMS, is something our organization really prizes. It's very exciting. So, what I'd like to do in just a couple of slides,
[00:26:43] in um slightly different format than what John presented, also tell you about our two plenaries, or the plenaries that we have the privilege of putting together. Um and I'm going to do this by providing
[00:26:58] obviously the context and hopefully give us all um plenty to talk about in the discussion and at IFMS itself. So, just as an overview, one of the plenaries that we are putting together is on data solutions for regular migration and a
[00:27:17] balanced narrative. Now, to this slide that you're looking at on the screen, we know that migration is often temporary, circular, and fluid, and our way of capturing data about people is not always fully reflecting
[00:27:34] that reality. So, official statistics don't always um provide the lens on that temporary, circular, very dynamic type of population movement. We were so delighted and congratulations to the UN Statistical Commission and John made
[00:27:52] reference to that in the revised UN recommendations that formally recognized temporary mobility. This is a really key milestone. It supports the implementation of some newly adopted uh GCM indicators, for
[00:28:08] example, international migrant workers, international students, annual migration flows, and the recognition that new data types can and should complement official statistical approaches. And that's where
[00:28:25] even in some of the things that have been said before, this is really the direction of travel. So, we'll be listening very keenly to the innovations that national statistical offices and other partners are bringing to IFMS this
[00:28:39] year. Now, of course, that the UN Statistical um Commission has made its recommendation on a revised definition, we need to move and translate standards into context-specific action. Um, and of course, part of that capacity
[00:28:59] building together with national statistical offices, governments, and other parts of this landscape are really long-term investments. So, with that, the one plenary looking at, um, data solutions that enable things
[00:29:16] like regular migration will be a topic of discussion. Now, on the next slide, I'll also talk to some of the context for another plenary that IOM is putting together. And this is plenary five. The title is
[00:29:34] building national capacities on data for action, insight, and foresight, the case for temporary mobility. So, there again, you can hear, um, IOM as a large operational organization working with so many member states who
[00:29:52] are actively, um, talking with with one another about how they manage migration. This is really something that the UN Statistical Commission and actually all of you have really captured our imagination. So, in this session, um,
[00:30:07] we're going to have some panelists recognizing that a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach is really essential for the implementation of these revised recommendations on temporary mobility. Um, so, we'll have
[00:30:23] some speakers talking about their experience, um, working together with national statistical offices, private and public data sources, and different types of data to get that lens on temporary mobility.
[00:30:38] In terms of IOM, what we help bring the table are tools, staff, methodologies that are relevant to some part of that temporary mobility um mosaic that we're putting together. We have primary data collection,
[00:30:58] um sometimes along migration routes and out at the field level, at the community level, where a lot of that population um mobility and where those dynamics happen. We have data sets that are structured and unstructured about these
[00:31:14] global population movements. We have a committed staff at the field, regional, and global levels, many of whom work with you. And then, as I mentioned before, our institutional partnerships and continually cultivating
[00:31:31] this culture of data that spans from data governance, data standards, and statistics all the way up, of course, to working with national statistical offices. You know some of our data sets, um and we are really excited also for the
[00:31:49] margins of IFMS when we get to talk together, um and exchange notes and best practices. And that really is um the spirit of IFMS generally as well as this year, to exchange, align our work, and to innovate.
[00:32:06] And just taking a look to what comes after IFMS, and this is the last slide that I would present. We have a mix of challenges as well as tremendous opportunities that our community is tackling together.
[00:32:22] Of course, the new revised recommendations are a foundation. I can't stress enough what a wonderful milestone um they are and how excited we are to be working together to go from standards to our actual data practice.
[00:32:39] We know the implementation requires triangula- triangulation and innovation in our data works. Um and so not only will we be bringing these two panels that we have the privilege to organize, but we're also
[00:32:52] going to be listening with great interest to all of you and also the parallel sessions. We know that there are there's an abundance of types of data, administrative, survey, big data, and the challenge that we are tackling
[00:33:07] together now and after IFMS is how we bring those together to provide countries the patterns, the insights that they really are telling us they want to manage migration in all of these different forms of temporary mobility.
[00:33:24] And then last but not least, we know that strong data governance is not only the key to building stakeholder trust, but it's going to be the one of the real leverage points moving forward in our methodologies as we combine different
[00:33:40] types of data to understand temporary mobility better. It's going to be that much more important to have the legitimate, credible sources of data that can be actioned and that can be part of the contribution to
[00:33:54] evidence-based policy. So really looking forward. Thanks everyone again for the chance to tell you a little bit about these two sessions and turning the baton back over to you, Alex. Thank Yes, thank you.
[00:34:12] So I believe now we hand over here to Peter and Anna from the Malmö University. So please go ahead. Okay, thank you very much also and opportunity to present something about Malmö University and the MIM Institute
[00:34:35] that is organizing together with all the others this conference in Malmö in in a couple of months. Please, you can go to the next slide, please.
[00:34:50] So, Malmö University is founded in 1998. So, it's a very young university. It has currently a bit over 27,000 students, a bit over 2,000 employees. It has almost 300 doctoral students, almost 90 professors, and around 130 programs
[00:35:12] and 450 courses. It consists of five faculties and 10 research centers. And MIM is one is of one of those research centers. It's nowadays called the Malmö Institute for Migration Studies. It was founded in 2007.
[00:35:32] And it's a multidisciplinary institute with research focus on international migration and its consequences. And it has about 30 to 40 researchers including PhDs. And these people are from different faculties.
[00:35:49] We have also a rotating guest professorship, which is paid by the Malmö City and we call it the Malmö City Migration Studies Professorship. We attract both internal and external funding.
[00:36:08] So, these are the two venues that we will host our uh next IFMS. On the left side, you see the Orkanen, the hurricane, and where we will have the plenary sessions in the morning. And then, just 50 m just over the
[00:36:27] street, we have another building, which is the Niagara, and there we have our afternoon panel sessions.
[00:36:39] Just a little bit on the logistics. So, this is the city, and as you see, we have we are very close to Copenhagen. It's only a 20-minute train ride. Uh and we have as you see the two places where we will held the conference is very close
[00:36:58] to each other, but it's also close to the station. So, when you arrive from Copenhagen, where you will fly in, it's you're very close directly to the university and all the hotels that are available for being here in Malmö.
[00:37:18] So, we have also some own sessions at this conference, and I just a little bit short on this. So, the first session will is called migration measurement, global and comparative perspective. Uh this panel brings together scholars
[00:37:33] from regions around the globe to examine migration statistics in a comparative perspective through presentations that explore variations in migration data, measurement, and management regimes across cases from global north and
[00:37:48] south. The papers or the presentations are drawn from a research project and a book understanding global migration published by Stanford University 2022. 2023, sorry. And by the editor, James Hollifield.
[00:38:08] The presentations examine the tools for counting migrants adopted by the states to govern migration and citizenship. Together, the panel offers a rich set of historical and comparative case studies to challenge and extend James
[00:38:23] Hollifield's concept of the migration state. The panel chair and discussants will share their insights on migration management and hopefully lead to a lively discussion of the challenges and opportunities of bringing understudied
[00:38:38] cases to the migration debate and prospects for a truly global approach to the study of migration statistics and the management of population data. So, the chair of this panel is James Hollifield from Southern Methodist
[00:38:52] Methodist University, Dallas, USA, but also Kamal Sadiq from the University of California, Irvine, Helene Thiollet from Sciences Po in Paris, Miriam Hazan, Organization of American States, and discussant is Giuseppe Sciortino
[00:39:12] from the University of Trento, Italy. The second panel is on machine learning for migration research, innovations, challenges, and practical practical implications. This session comes out of uh the CLIME project that
[00:39:32] is here at Malmö University and MIM, and over the last decade, the transformative potential of machine learning has been increasingly recognized in migration research, not only in terms of its ability to
[00:39:47] enhance the accuracy and timeliness of migration statistics and forecasts, but also to uncover insights at the scales that traditional methods are incapable to do so. Meanwhile, the uptake of ML has also
[00:40:06] raised a myriad of new questions and challenges concerning, for example, data and algorithmic biases, ethical considerations, and the implications for policy making as well as for the well-being of migration populations.
[00:40:23] So, in this session, we have a number of presentations, for example, by Professor Holly Reed from the City University of New York, and she will talk about evolving and emerging models of international migration research,
[00:40:38] but also by Dr. Laura Toll um and Dr. Emmanuel Letouzé on mapping climate-induced mobility using mobile phone data and survey, by Professor Steven Lang and Dr. Lorenz Lwent on data from the sky using Earth
[00:41:00] observation for humanitarian assistance and the placements mapping. Dr. Stefano Iacobus from Hertie University will talk about forecasting climate-induced migration with machine learning and high-dimensional data,
[00:41:19] and Professor Tuba Bircan from the Free Universities of Brussels will talk about augmentation or replication assessing big data's role in migration studies. And this session will be lead by my colleague Audun K.
[00:41:37] who is um the the main investigator of the the CLIMB project. And finally, our last session is called Bridging Theory, Methodology, and Policy, the role of equality data in anti-racism efforts. So, many European countries gather
[00:41:58] information based on people's country of birth or citizenship to better understand differences between native-born and former population. However, this information alone isn't enough to address structural racism, the
[00:42:12] systems, institutions, and policies that lead to racial inequality. So, equality data, which is in is voluntary and anonymously reported, includes details about racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, and religious
[00:42:28] identities. So, this panel brings together policy makers and academics to discuss the theoretical, methodological, and political dimensions of equality data. Emphasizing its critical role in anti-racism initiatives.
[00:42:44] And we hope with this panel, of course, that the uh discussion discussions, theoretical, and methodologically are uh discussed and that it leads to uh better information also to policy makers in the future.
[00:43:02] And hereby I close this and hope you all come to Malmö. Thanks so much uh Peter for for this um overview of the the your sessions uh in in um in Malmö. I will now hand over to Francesca. Francesca Groom, who is um
[00:43:28] who will be moderating the uh Q&A session now. So, Francesca um I hand over to you. Please come in. Thank you. Thank you, Alex, and greetings uh everyone. Um I was monitoring the chat, but I don't see any
[00:43:45] questions or comments for our speakers uh apart from some logistical questions, and I think maybe Jean-Christophe, uh you should come in and say a few words about the registration process. Yes, thank thank you uh Francesca. Very,
[00:44:02] very briefly, uh so there is a website. Uh it's very easy to Google. You just have to type IFMS 2025 and you should you should find it at OECD if you if you don't have it, but it should be easily searchable
[00:44:23] on on Google so any other tool that you using. And and here you have the possibility first of all to access all the logistical information that was shared with by Peter. So there's practical information and you can find all the
[00:44:45] information about how to to get there and the list of hotels and all the information regarding the the logistic. We will upload later today the agenda. The full detail agenda will be uploaded in in a few weeks because we
[00:45:04] confirming the speakers for the 40 plus parallel sessions that we have have agreed on. And you have the possibility to self-register for the conference. It's free of charge obviously. You're all welcome to Malmo as Peter said. We will
[00:45:27] have enough space to accommodate everyone I'm sure. So please don't hesitate also to to reach out by the generic email on the website if you have if you have any question in this regard. Thank you Jean-Christophe. As you were
[00:45:46] speaking actually we we had a couple of comments in the chat. So the first one I think you addressed it. They are asking for the program of the plenary and the parallel sessions and you said that already by the end of the day or by
[00:46:04] tomorrow, uh the full program of the plenary, the high-level plenary session, should be available in the uh IFMS dedicated website, and the link you should find the link uh attached in the chat, available in
[00:46:20] the chat. Um there was another question that is more technical, so I would like to see if any of you um wants to address that. Uh are we going to talk at the IFMS about challenges to data, research, and policy as a result of the funding
[00:46:40] cuts uh we have seen this year? Do you think that that will be picked up somehow either in the plenary sessions, in the parallel session, maybe when we talk about capacity building? What's your thinking? Maybe
[00:46:56] Jean-Christophe first. I'm I'm sure that uh this will come up because this is an issue that everybody is currently uh facing. Uh I think uh it's quite easy to make the case that uh uh investment uh in in good migration data
[00:47:17] is is really critical to not only uh develop uh efficient policies, but also to have uh um uh an evidence-based uh public debate on on on on migration. So, uh I'm sure that will come in different session, in the
[00:47:36] capacity building one, in the one where you talk about the implementation of the UN recommendation. Probably people may ask uh what will going to be the source of funding for to support that work. Uh uh I'm sure it's going to be also on
[00:47:49] the integration uh session by uh with with the Swedish minister. So, I I'm I'm sure this will come up in in many occasions during during the event, but I'm also confident that country will continue investing on on migration data
[00:48:05] because because they have no choice, basically. Thank you, Jean-Christophe. I see Dennis. Kearns apologies. Hi, yes. Hi, Dennis. Thank you. Dennis Kearns from University of Oxford. I asked the question in the chat and I
[00:48:22] guess basically from my point of view it'd be interesting to hear from from IOM, from OECD, from from DESA, how they're adapting their plans as that have been so ambitious, but obviously require a lot of resource.
[00:48:37] And sort of in this environment now, obviously it seems like we're going to have to be working together more efficiently probably than we have in the past. So, I I yeah, I just to say that that's something that I'm really looking
[00:48:49] forward to to to hearing. Thank you. Yes, Dennis, thanks. And I think Jean-Christophe also already pointed out that there will be plenty of opportunities at the forum to also discuss how to make more with less.
[00:49:05] Definitely, we also touch on the need for better partnerships and collaborating among all of us and becoming more efficient. Koko, did I see your heads up? You wanted to take the floor? Oh, thank you. Francesca, Dennis, you
[00:49:24] definitely inspired me. We're hearing particularly in the current environment, but generally for those of us who provide complimentary types of data to what the national statistical offices do, we get
[00:49:41] a lot of questions right now from donors about what we're doing to increase the timeliness, to deduplicate, to increase efficiency, to increase impact. Uh Um, and we're well underway in this direction, but I
[00:49:58] think again that's going to be one of the values of IFMS. It's always good to get together as a network. Um, there's a real pressure right now and need to come together on standards and definitions. We've talked a lot about the UN
[00:50:14] Statistical Commission, so important. Um, as well as our methodologies and our ways of working together. Um, so just acknowledging exactly what you're saying, Dennis. Um, and I think a lot of our speakers
[00:50:29] are going to be talking very much about doing more with the data that we have. And that can be done through standards, definitions, innovative methodologies, really working together. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks, Gakou. Um, I see a
[00:50:46] couple of questions on logistical issues like, uh, uh, acknowledging the speakers that will be invited, sending letters, uh, um, supporting the visa process, uh, so I don't know if Frank, Frank, I see
[00:51:05] your head's up. Maybe you want to raise a question about that, Frank? Yes. Yes. Yes. Hello. Hello. We can hear you. Good afternoon. Um, thank you for the program. Yes. Um, my my question is in relation to logistics.
[00:51:31] First, um, we've not received any invitation letters in respect of the program. And then those of us from uh, me, I'm from Ghana. Uh, by all means I would need a visa. Do you have any support letter, and what have you, so
[00:51:48] that we can apply even if we have been selected for the program? For now, I don't know my status yet. Thank you. Now, dear the Frank, um maybe Jean-Christophe as the main organizer, so you can give us an update.
[00:52:04] There is also a question on uh hybrid connections. You may want to to address. Thanks. So, maybe starting with that. Uh yes, uh the plenary session will be uh video stream, uh and uh interpretation will be
[00:52:22] provided. Uh so, it will be possible to follow all the plenary uh from wherever you are. Uh for the parallel sessions, uh there will be limited options for organizers of parallel sessions to have uh one or two speakers online through
[00:52:41] Zoom, uh but they will not be uh visible from uh for for for the rest of the other public. So, only the uh the plenary session will be uh accessible. Regarding the the visa issue, uh we understand this is
[00:52:57] uh this is possibly a challenge for some of you. So, all the uh speakers in the program will receive uh formal letter of invitation that they can attach to their visa application. We are also uh in touch with the Swedish
[00:53:13] authorities, and uh if there are specific problems, uh uh we can follow up with with them directly. Uh but uh for the other participants, those who are not in the program, uh we will unfortunately not be
[00:53:28] able to facilitate the visa uh processing. Um yeah. Uh anything about uh notifying the abstracts, people who prepared abstracts, and uh uh proposed the papers. So, that was done in the in the selection process. We'll not show
[00:53:53] the the abstracts in in the program. But we will have contact for each panel and if people interested by a specific presentation, they will be able to reach out to the contact point. Okay. You may want still to keep an eye
[00:54:14] Jean-Christophe on the chat because there are a few questions about that being notified, etc. Um so, we are we still have 3 minutes. I would like to ask our speakers. Alex, you want the floor? I had a question for our speakers.
[00:54:35] Yeah, yeah, you can ask the question and then after that I can come in. Thanks. Okay. No, so for I hope that this introductory session to IFMS is really triggering uh and picking your interest and many of
[00:54:51] you will join us in Malmö. Hopefully in person. Uh but otherwise for our speaker, are there other ways for our audience to get engaged? And if they are looking for additional information or if they want
[00:55:05] to contribute? Uh what what can they do from now until June?
[00:55:22] Jean-Christophe. Oh, that's Go, go. No, no, no. I mean, just because OECD is the main organizer, right? I No, I I I think currently we still, you know, finalizing the the agenda. We providing the uh answers to those who have been selected
[00:55:42] and and those who have not been selected. We we will keep the website up-to-date and and it's not impossible we organize another online session more focused on on some specific topics on on the road to Malmö.
[00:56:05] So please stay tuned with the website and and and check if any information is available. Uh well, but it it's true that we want uh that this uh uh IFMS uh uh is not only a conference like once three three or four years
[00:56:25] uh two or three years, sorry, but uh that start becoming a a network. Uh so uh IOM uh GDI has some initiatives to build that network uh and maybe uh Coco can can say a few words about that, but otherwise we'll certainly stay in
[00:56:46] touch with all the person who have applied shown interest to the IFMS so that they they have a chance to to contribute to this networking effort effort that we want to set up in between meetings and not only
[00:57:00] at at the event uh itself. Thank you. Thank you Jean-Christophe and Coco, do you want to also add on how to stay informed and contribute? Thanks. Yes, sure. And it's been it's being organized so well. There's a LinkedIn
[00:57:20] network. Um and I think Jean-Christophe you just referred to that. Email the IFMS secretariat or organizers with your questions or comments. It's a little selfish, but I'd personally be really interested in your methodologies,
[00:57:36] your data sets, how you're approaching different aspects of temporary mobility. I talked about that and we're just so so fascinated. So, I think there are There you go. There's the IFMS um email and the LinkedIn group.
[00:57:53] And then just reach out. You're certainly very very welcome to reach out to us at IOM. If you'd like to engage with us or any of our country offices. For example, if national statistical offices want to be
[00:58:07] put in touch, we'd be delighted to be of any assistance in that way. Thanks. Perfect. And just to conclude before I give back the floor to Alexander, I take note of the many comments or questions about invitation letters, knowing if
[00:58:25] you've been accepted or not, if you can travel. Please do write to IFMS2025 @oecd.org. And that's probably the best place to to get the information that you need. So, feel free to write and I trust that our colleagues will
[00:58:48] promptly respond. Thanks. Thanks so much for your interest in IFMS. And again, I really hope to see many of you in Malmö in just a couple of months. Alexander, back to you. Thank you. Thank you, Francesca. I just
[00:59:04] wanted to share once more quickly my screen. There was still one slide. So, about the UNHCR-OECD datathon. I'm not sure who who could say a few words about this. Cecil, want to say a few words? Thank you. Thank you, Alexander. Thank
[00:59:27] you, Jean-Christophe. I'll be very brief and thank you for giving me the opportunity to say a word on this exciting initiative because today is a first first day of this that at all competition starting
[00:59:45] today. So far we have So this is UNHCR OECD I doc international data alliance on children on the move initiative. It's really the objective is to to to promote innovative solution to improve understanding and action on issues
[01:00:07] affecting displaced and stateless children. You'll have to leverage micro data data set that you have at at your disposal for 7 days starting from today. We encourage you also to generate children specific indicators.
[01:00:30] We we are very keen also on receiving comparative insights in your work and also actionable outputs. I'll put on the chat very informative wiki page that our colleague from UNHCR put together. So I'll do that in a
[01:00:51] minute. So far we have received 167 in total it's 167 participants so grouped in teams and the two winning teams will have the opportunity to present that project at the next IFMS also next I doc conference. So very
[01:01:14] much looking forward to to meet you in Malmo next June and good luck everyone in the in data at all. Thank you. Thanks so much, Cecile. Yeah, we've come unfortunately to the end of our time for this webinar. So, I
[01:01:33] would like to thank all the speakers for for their contributions. And if you still have questions about the International Forum on Migration Statistics, so the link was shared in the chat, the email address, and so on. So, please
[01:01:51] reach out and yeah, thank you everyone for joining today. The recording and the slides of this webinar will be shared on the Global Network of Data Officers and Statisticians at yammer.com/unstats. So, please sign up if you haven't done
[01:02:09] so yet. And yes, this would be all. So, thanks everyone for joining and see you next time. Thank you. Thank you, Alex. Bye. Bye-bye. Bye, everyone. Thanks, Alex. Bye, everyone. See you in June.