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This article discusses the foundational role of data in policy-making, the importance of investment for sustainable migration solutions, and the critical role of health systems in integrating migrants. As of 2023, over USD 650 billion in remittances were sent back to home countries, nonetheless, channelling the benefits of refugees and migrants requires good data, especially considering that migration trends are often misrepresented, leading to policy responses that are reactive rather than evidence-based.
Data – A foundation for solutions
Accurate and quality data is necessary, but not sufficient for good policy solutions to refugee and migration crises. In fact, speaking to Dr Frank Laczko, former Director and Head of Research at the UN-IOM and Senior Adviser to the WHO’s Health and Migration Programme (Global Data Initiative), he pointed a related key issue: “Data alone doesn’t necessarily give policymakers the ‘right answer’—it depends on how they choose to use it (…) Policymakers can interpret the same migration data in entirely different ways—while some countries use it to justify amnesty and regularisation, others propose mass deportations”.
Typically, the public overestimates the number of migrants in their country, sometimes by more than double the actual share of migrants in their countries. Additionally, public discourse disproportionately focuses on irregular migration despite it accounting for a small share of migrant population. This is true especially considering the lack of adequate data on it and biases regarding their estimation, something covered by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) in 2024 and the IOM.
Additionally, there is a capability and knowledge dimension within data on refugees and migration which is often overlooked. Dr Laczko added that: “Data gaps make it harder to evaluate migration’s economic impact accurately. For instance, we lack sufficient evidence on how remittances contribute to reducing poverty in migrants’ home countries”. As of 2023, global remittance flows are estimated to be at over USD 650 billion. Ryan Plano, formerly Project Officer at Climate Refugees and MSc in International Migration and Public Policy (2019) at the LSE, also commented on the lack of data which we for example face when talking about cross-border climate migration: “Cross-border migration is harder to track because it requires cooperation between countries and international organisations, and it can be difficult to pinpoint whether climate change alone is the driving factor”.
Nonetheless, data serves as the foundation for good policies, helping set up adequate and long-term sustainable budgets, while also helping personalise policies which can more effectively integrate migrants and minimise negative externalities in the process. Thus, though not total, data is part of the solution towards mutually beneficial migration and refugee integration.
Investment and finance
Data is essential in motivating good, evidence-based policies, though the financing of these solutions is equally essential. A clear example of this is early labour market integration with formal programmes, which can foster substantive benefits. Lawrence Huang, Policy Analyst at Migration Policy Institute, former Consultant at IOM, and MSc in Migration Studies from the University of Oxford, talked to us about these programmes: “We think it’s important to work with the private sector and organised labour to see if we can invest in training refugees and migrants before they move, so that they can move in safe regular ways through a labour pathway rather than having to make dangerous journeys to seek asylum. Nonetheless, public-private cooperation and investment are key to push these initiatives.”
The financing of projects trying to encourage labour market integration and creation of safe pathways may be the most pressing issue for many in international development, as wars, climate change, and humanitarian crises increase the rate of migration.
Impact finance offers innovative tools to address these challenges. Mechanisms like ESG bonds are emerging as ways to attract investment in refugee training programs and sustainable integration efforts, aligning investor interests with social impact. By July 2023, over 250 Development Impact Bonds (DIBs) had been launched, with projects like the Refugee Impact Bond lifting over 4,000 Jordanians and refugees out of vulnerability. Additionally, international organisations are experimenting with blended financing models which combine grants, loans, and private investment to scale effective migration-related interventions. These approaches provide promising avenues for creating scalable and sustainable solutions in the face of growing global migration pressures.
Health systems as a bridge to integration
Health is one of the most critical dimensions of refugee and migration policy, and as such requires good data and investment. Speaking with Dr Santino Severoni, Director of Health and Migration at World Health Organization, the interaction between refugees and migration and health is found under one key assumption: “The health sector has an additional value that is perceived useful by all parties, so at the end of the day there is a tendency to be open and receptive to integrating migrants into the healthcare systems of host countries. This is because if you are intentionally marginalising a group of people from the public health point of view, you are not building a protection to the rest of the population, as could happen with communicable diseases”.
Following from this is the idea that health is the most supported dimension of refugees and migration on which different parties seem to support effective and cooperative policies. Thus, “anticipation is key to reduce the financial burden of curative stages later. Non-inclusive care, such as that in which having papers or credit cards determine access are not effective. We need universal coverage. There is a rhetoric that migrants are exploiting systems, but that’s not true. In fact, migrants, contrary to general claims, are not health vulnerable. They become vulnerable if you neglect them on various aspects, and intentionally marginalise them”, Dr Severoni adds. In order to channel the socioeconomic benefits of migration, host communities and parties need to care for the health of refugees and migrants, as it is in their best interest to do so. Health vulnerable refugees and migrants will lead to a worse economic integration of them, channelling bigger negative externalities.
Dr Laczko added that: “There are significant gaps in global migration data, especially when it comes to understanding migrant wellbeing—health, income, and housing are often overlooked”, and this shows how essential it is that solutions which also promote creating quality data are needed, not only regarding health, but all those dimensions we are constantly seeing as constraining an effective integration of refugees and migrants.
To summarise, refugees and migration involve a set of challenges and opportunities. Good, reliable data is essential for effective policies, and in many cases it is difficult to come by. Additionally, while good data serves as a foundation for good policies, these policies require financing and investment, and progress on these areas is being achieved through various innovative tools. Health systems offer a bridge to successful social integration of refugees and migrants, but also face deep challenges which require data and investment. Together, these pillars support sustainable refugee integration and mutual benefit.
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