ODI released an online tool to help track reforms, initiatives, and campaigns that showcase migrants’ contributions to the COVID-19 response in healthcare, food and agriculture, hospitality, and other sectors. The tracker brings together actions from around the world in an interactive visualization that connects data with migrant workers’ lived experiences.

The tracker titled, ‘Key Workers: Migrants’ Contribution to the COVID-19 Response,’ consists of five “trees,” each corresponding to a geographic region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia and Oceania), where larger branches represent sectors, and smaller branches represent levels of action, from the national to the local. Each berry-like dot on the branches represents a reform, new initiative or campaign.

Users are invited to explore actions by clicking on the dots. Each click takes them to an initiative summary page, which provides a visual localization of the initiative on the map, along with some basic information such as the location, date, sector, and level of action. In addition to a brief summary, each designated page features an example of relevant statistics, with visuals, and, where appropriate, a quote from a high-level official. There is also an option to read more on each given initiative by following the link to the original source.

For example, a dot on the North America tree corresponds to a US regional measure. On 15 April 2020, California became the first US state to give cash stimulus payments to irregular migrants, offering USD 500 to 150,000 adults left out of the USD 2.2 trillion USD stimulus package approved by Congress. The summary page notes that 10% of California’s workforce are irregular migrants, and in 2019, they paid more than USD 2.5 billion in state and local taxes. California Governor Gavin Newsom is quoted citing “a deep sense of gratitude for people that are in fear of deportations that are still addressing essential needs of tens of millions of Californians.”

A click on the Latin America tree takes the user to Colombia where the government announced, on 9 February 2021, that it will grant temporary protective status to Venezuelan migrants, conferring legal status for ten years and the right to work on this migrant community. A row of dots represents the 966,000 Venezuelan migrants currently living in the country without legal status, with each dot corresponding to 10,000 people. Colombia’s President Ivan Duque is quoted as saying, “We need to take action. This process marks a milestone in Colombia’s migration policies.”

On 26 May 2020, Spain granted two-year residency and work permits, extendable by another two years, to young migrants between the ages of 18 and 21, who formerly entered the country as unaccompanied minors, working in Spain’s agriculture sector. A row of dots helps users visualize the 13,000 unaccompanied minors in Spain, with each dot corresponding to 1,000 people.

One of the dots on the Africa tree stands for a 5 May 2020 initiative in the Gambia, where the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has supported the reintegration of returning migrants, mainstreaming COVID-19-related activities into existing initiatives. As part of reintegration assistance, migrants are participating in a cash-for-work initiative producing personal protective equipment (PPE). A row of dots represents the 118,500 migrants who left the Gambia in 2019, with each dot accounting for 10,000 people. “This innovative initiative utilizes the skills of returnees to meet an urgent public demand,” said IOM Chief of Mission in the Gambia, Fukimo Nagano.

In Asia and Oceania, on 5 November 2020, Taiwan granted every migrant farm worker a subsidy covering 50% of the quarantine fees. A row of dots helps visualize the 700,000 migrant workers in Taiwan, where each dot represents 10,000 people. According to Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture, “The measure is in response to calls by the country’s agricultural businesses, which have experienced a labor shortage.”

There are 59 stories listed for North America, 17 for Latin America, 95 for Europe, 17 for Africa, and 78 for Asia and Oceania. The tracker dataset, also available in spreadsheet format, is regularly updated. ODI welcomes suggestions from the public.

ODI developed the tracker with support from the IKEA Foundation.

This article was written with support from the UN World Data Forum Secretariat. Read additional SDG Knowledge Hub stories about the UN World Data Forum, data impact, and news.