E.g., 04/24/2024
E.g., 04/24/2024
Middle East & North Africa

Middle East & North Africa

The Middle East and North Africa span both poles of migration: as countries of migrant destination, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and as countries of migrant origin. The region has a large supply of young, active workers, with millions working elsewhere in the region or in Europe. The research here focuses on labor and humanitarian migration to and from the region, including the policies and regulations that govern such migration, protection and integration issues for the region's refugees, diaspora engagement, migration cooperation and reintegration agreements with European governments, and more.

Migrant workers on a farm in Jordan
Reports

Diverging Paths: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Migration in the Middle East and North Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts on mobility in the Middle East and North Africa were immediate and wide-reaching. These include the world’s largest and most sustained repatriation efforts for stranded migrants, halted and reversed irregular journeys, and a reckoning with some countries’ reliance on foreign labor. This report examines how these impacts varied across countries in this highly diverse region, as well as the uneven recovery.

Paintings of the Algerian and Moroccan flags on a brick wall
Articles

Tense Neighbors, Algeria and Morocco Have Divergent Migration Histories

Algeria and Morocco sit along a crucial migration corridor between Africa and Europe and have often been defined by their rivalry. Although both have been reluctant to welcome large numbers of sub-Saharan African migrants, their motivations have been different. And historically, their approaches to emigration have been a study in contrasts. This article explores the factors driving migration policy in these two countries.

Recent Activity

Chinese tourists
Articles
August 1, 2019
African Countries Relax Short-Term Visa Policies for Chinese in Sign of Increased Openness to China
By Loksan Harley
CongoleseMigrants
Articles
July 2, 2019
A Growing Destination for Sub-Saharan Africans, Morocco Wrestles with Immigrant Integration
By Driss El Ghazouani
Three men pose with guns
Articles
April 3, 2019
Foreign Fighters: Will Revoking Citizenship Mitigate the Threat?
By Meghan Benton and Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan
Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Articles
February 21, 2019
A Fragile Situation: Will the Syrian Refugee Swell Push Lebanon Over the Edge?
By Dina Eldawy
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Policy Briefs
February 2019
Strengthening Refugee Protection in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
By  Susan Fratzke and Camille Le Coz
Somali migrants disembarking.
Articles
February 6, 2019
On the Move in a War Zone: Mixed Migration Flows to and through Yemen
By Henry Wilson-Smith
Migrants returning to Ethiopia
Articles
December 14, 2018
Intensifying Focus on Migrant Returns Takes a More Global Stage
By Lauren Shaw
Famine Memorial in Dublin
Articles
November 15, 2018
The Emerging Crisis: Is Famine Returning as a Major Driver of Migration?
By Batul Sadliwala and Alex de Waal

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Reports
September 2010
Diaspora Philanthropy: Private Giving and Public Policy
By  Kathleen Newland, Aaron Terrazas and Roberto Munster
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Reports
September 2010
Heritage Tourism and Nostalgia Trade: A Diaspora Niche in the Development Landscape
By  Kathleen Newland and Carylanna Taylor
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Reports
August 2010
Diaspora Investment in Developing and Emerging Country Capital Markets: Patterns and Prospects
By  Aaron Terrazas
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Reports
August 2010
Connected through Service: Diaspora Volunteers and Global Development
By  Aaron Terrazas
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Reports
June 2010
Migration's Middlemen: Regulating Recruitment Agencies in the Philippines-United Arab Emirates Corridor
By  Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza
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Books
September 2009
Closing the Distance: How Governments Strengthen Ties with Their Diasporas
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Reports
September 2009
Migration and the Global Recession
By  Michael Fix, Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Jeanne Batalova, Aaron Terrazas, Serena Yi-Ying Lin and Michelle Mittelstadt
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Reports
November 2008
Emerging Demographic Patterns across the Mediterranean and their Implications for Migration through 2030
By  Philippe Fargues

Pages

EgyptianWoman BenPiven Flickr
Spotlight
January 10, 2018
Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants in the United States

In 2016, nearly 1.2 million immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region lived in the United States. MENA immigration has picked up in recent decades, owing to war and worsening economic prospects. This article offers the latest data on the MENA population in the United States, which is more likely to come via humanitarian routes and less likely via family reunification than the foreign-born population overall.

 

Migrants on a boat
Top Ten
December 18, 2017
European Leaders Pursue Migration Deals with North African Countries, Sparking Concerns about Human Costs

European leaders in 2017 pursued migration partnerships with North African countries, seeking to stem maritime arrivals across the Mediterranean. Italy struck a deal with Libya to provide support in cracking down on illegal migration and smugglers, while Germany signed cooperation agreements with Egypt and Tunisia. Meanwhile, widespread reports of migrant abuse in Libya are prompting questions about the limitations and human costs of these partnerships.

South Sudanese refugee girl
Top Ten
December 14, 2017
As Displacement Becomes Long-Term, Refugee Hosts Grapple with New Normal

Millions of displaced people were unable to return home in 2017, and countless others found themselves newly displaced. Targeted violence in Myanmar caused more than 624,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, and conflict in South Sudan drove at least 668,000 abroad. Some first-asylum countries, such as Uganda and Turkey, were largely accommodating, while others, such as Jordan and Lebanon, pressured refugees to leave.

A Syrian refugee woman uses a special e-card to purchase food at a grocery store in Turkey.
Feature
August 9, 2017
Thinking Outside the Camp: Syrian Refugees in Istanbul

Turkey has been on the frontlines of the Syrian refugee crisis from the beginning. The vast majority of Turkey's nearly 3.2 million Syrian asylum seekers live in cities, putting pressure on the limited resources and legal authority of local governments to serve them. This article examines Istanbul's creative approaches to meeting the needs of this vulnerable population while balancing the concerns of local citizens.

SyriansDallas CNeukum IRC
Spotlight
January 12, 2017
Syrian Refugees in the United States

More than 18,000 Syrian refugees have been resettled in the United States since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011. Nearly half of Syrian refugees are under age 14, and this population is more dispersed geographically across the country than the overall Syrian immigrant population. This article offers a demographic profile of Syrian refugees, including age, gender, language, and religion, as well as top state and city destinations.

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Recent Activity

Books
July, 2013

How Can Talent Abroad Induce Development at Home? Towards a Pragmatic Diaspora Agenda

This edited volume develops a pragmatic approach to the engagement of highly skilled members of the diaspora for the benefit of their countries of origin. The book, edited by a World Bank senior economist, is based on empirical work in middle-income and high-income economies.

Articles
May 30, 2013

Tuareg Migration: A Critical Component of Crisis in the Sahel

The Tuareg, a nomadic group of Berber origin located in several countries across North and West Africa, have been enmeshed in a complicated struggle against the Malian state since January 2012. This article explores the unique role that migration plays in shaping Tuareg grievances in the context of this crisis.

Video, Audio
May 9, 2013

Stranded Migrants: A New Challenge for the International Community

With global mobility on the rise, the international community is finally grappling with the challenge of stranded migrants, which is one of the main agenda items for the High-level Dialogue on Migration and Development in the UN General Assembly in October 2013.

Articles
January 16, 2013

Hospitals and Doctors under Attack in Syria: Q&A with the Chair of the Humanitarian Aid Committee for the Syrian Expatriates Organization

This Q&A explores the dire medical emergency and refugee health concerns resulting from the ongoing Syrian crisis. Source Editor Amber French conducts a Q&A with Dr. Fadi Al Khankan of the Syrian Expatriates Organization and MPI's Kathleen Newland, both panelists at the January 14, 2013 MPI event unveiling the International Rescue Committee's report, Syria: A Regional Crisis.
Video, Audio
January 14, 2013

A Bleak Winter: Providing Needed Aid to Those Fleeing Conflict in Syria

A delegation of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) visited Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iraq in late November to discuss the humanitarian crisis with refugees, officials from host and donor governments, representatives of international humanitarian organizations and local nongovernmental agencies; and to get a firsthand look at the work of IRC partners and staff who are directly involved in providing assistance to the refugees and to Syrians trapped inside the country.

Articles
December 1, 2012

Forced Migration: No Resolution in Sight for Syrians, Violent Outbreaks Displace Thousands across African Continent

More than 465,800 Syrians were registered as refugees during 2012 or were awaiting assistance, and another 2 million Syrians were internally displaced as a result of the prolonged armed conflict. On the African continent, difficult humanitarian situations also were unfolding.

Policy Briefs
August 2012

Regulating Private Recruitment in the Asia-Middle East Labour Migration Corridor

This issue brief examines Asian labor migration to the Middle East—a region distinguished by its major dependence on migrant workers, the overwhelming majority from Asia. The author focuses on the role of private recruiting agencies as key facilitators of temporary labor migration and perpetrators of exploitative practices.

Video, Audio
July 11, 2012

MPI/IOM Panel Discussion and Asia-Pacific Launch of Developing a Road Map for Engaging Diasporas in Development

A discussion with Dr. Noppawan Tanpipat, Vice President, National Science and Technology Development Agency; Frank Laczko, Head, Migration Research Division, IOM; Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias, Regional Research Officer, IOM, and Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute (MPI); and Kathleen Newland, Director of Migrants, Migration, and Development, Migration Policy Institute (MPI).

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