9 October 2018: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has issued a guide to help policymakers integrate the migration aspects of the SDGs into local and national planning processes. The guide titled, ‘Migration and the 2030 Agenda: A Guide for Practitioners,’ discusses the interlinkages between migration and the SDGs and suggests a process for integrating migration and the SDGs into legislation, policies, programmes, projects and other initiatives.

The publication was developed with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It notes that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development marks the first time that “migration is integrated explicitly into the global development agenda.” Within the 2030 Agenda, the central reference to migration is made in SDG target 10.7 (Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people). Other targets are also related to migration.

The guide highlights the SDGs’ direct references to “migration-related issues,” as well as cross-cutting connections where SDG areas “may affect or be affected by migration.” On the SDG targets that directly reference migration (direct connections), the guide identifies: student mobility (SDG target 4.b); human trafficking and exploitation (targets 5.2, 8.7 and 16.2); labor migration and employment (targets 8.5, 8.7 and 8.8); migration governance (target 10.7); remittances (target 10.c); and migration data (target 17.18).

The publication identifies cross-cutting connections between migration and the following areas and targets:

  • Poverty and growth (SDG targets 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 1.a, 1.b, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 and 10.1);
  • Social protection (SDG targets 1.3, 5.4 and 10.4);
  • Health (SDG targets 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.7, 3.8, 3.b, 3.c, 3.d, 5.6, 8.7, 8.8, 10.7 and 10.c);
  • Education (SDG targets 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 10.7 and 10.c);
  • Gender (SDG targets 5.2; 5.3, 5.4, 5.a and 5.c);
  • Children (SDG targets 1.2, 4.2, 4.5, 4.a, 5.1, 5.2, 8.7, 10.7, 16.2 and 16.3);
  • Cities (SDG targets 11.1, 11.3, 11.b and 11.c);
  • Climate change (SDG targets 1.5, 10.7, 11.5, 13.1 and 13.3);
  • Citizenship, rule of law and inclusion (SDG targets 10.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.7, 16.9 and 16.b); and
  • Diaspora and partnerships for development (SDG targets 8.9, 9.2, 12.b, 17.3, 17.5, 17.13, 17.16, 17.17 and 17.18).

The authors note that the implementation of migration-related aspects of the 2030 Agenda should be integrated with other sustainable development initiatives, and should engage all levels of government and across sectors. It encourages users to adapt the process to fit their unique context, and outlines four steps of implementation, namely: kick-off; prioritization; implementation; and monitoring and reporting. The guide also highlights: tools designed to help organize and inform actors as they work through the implementation process; suggestions for stakeholder participation; and relevant case study examples.

Among the case studies, the publication documents the experience of Armenia, which initiated a process of nationalizing migration-related SDGs. The process involved: examining migration and development issues in the context of the SDGs; prioritizing relevant targets; and developing a set of proxy indicators. It also comprised efforts on data, including an exercise to map migration data, and the improvement of national migration data collection and usage.

Another example discussed in the guide concerns the implementation of an IOM project in Ghana to support the government in mainstreaming migration into national development policies and achieving policy coherence, in line with the SDGs.

In December 2018, governments will gather in Marrakech, Morocco, to adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The Compact is the first intergovernmentally negotiated agreement prepared under the auspices of the UN aiming to address all dimensions of migration in a comprehensive manner. [Publication: Migration and the 2030 Agenda: A Guide for Practitioners] [Report landing page] [SDG Knowledge Hub story on ‘Road to Marrakech’ side event] [Webpage for intergovernmental conference]