E.g., 04/24/2024
E.g., 04/24/2024
International Governance

International Governance

International Cooperation
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Though there is no formal, multilateral institutional framework to govern the global flow of migrants, states increasingly are exploring how to work collectively to make migration a more legal, orderly, and mutually beneficial process. Cooperation on migration management has been growing steadily, as the research below explores, involving both state and nonstate actors via regional dialogues, bilateral agreements, and the creation of international initiatives such as the Global Forum on Migration and Development.

Recent Activity

Shifting Realities at the U.S.-Mexico Border report
Reports
January 2024
Shifting Realities at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Immigration Enforcement and Control in a Fast-Evolving Landscape
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh and Doris Meissner
Image of EU and Member State flags flapping in wind
Commentaries
December 2023
One Phase Closes for the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Now Another Begins
By  Hanne Beirens and Camille Le Coz
Market on the dirt road, on a sunny day.
Multimedia
November 16, 2023
Migration, Integration, and Development in Secondary Cities
Cover image for What Role Could Digital Technologies Play...
Policy Briefs
December 2023
What Role Could Digital Technologies Play in the New EU Pact on Migration and Asylum?
By  Lucía Salgado and Hanne Beirens
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Policy Briefs
December 2023
Consolidating Gains: Lessons and Priorities for Promoting Fair and Ethical Recruitment
By  Kate Hooper
Multimedia
November 14, 2023
Engaging Local Voices: Letting Cities Inform National Refugee Resettlement Goals
Multimedia
November 15, 2023
A Passport to Opportunity: The Importance of Refugee Access to Travel Documents
Cover image for Migration and Displacement in Secondary Cities
Reports
November 2023
Migration and Displacement in Secondary Cities: Insights from Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda
By  Samuel Davidoff-Gore and Camille Le Coz

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Apuesta por la regularidad migratoria
Reports
May 2023
Apuesta por la regularidad migratoria: Respuestas de América Latina y el Caribe frente a la crisis del desplazamiento venezolano
By  Luciana Gandini and Andrew Selee
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Reports
May 2023
Betting on Legality: Latin American and Caribbean Responses to the Venezuelan Displacement Crisis
By  Luciana Gandini and Andrew Selee
Cover image for Migration, Integration, and Diaspora Engagement in the Caribbean
Reports
March 2023
Migration, Integration, and Diaspora Engagement in the Caribbean: A Policy Review
By  Valerie Lacarte, Jordi Amaral, Diego Chaves-González, Ana María Sáiz and Jeremy Harris
Cover image for External Processing report
Reports
February 2023
External Processing: A Tool to Expand Protection or Further Restrict Territorial Asylum?
By  Pauline Endres de Oliveira and Nikolas Feith Tan
Cover image for Using Risk Analysis to Shape Border Management
Reports
January 2023
Using Risk Analysis to Shape Border Management: A Review of Approaches during the COVID-19 Pandemic
By  Kelley Lee, Julianne Piper and Jennifer Fang
Cover image for Reassessing Recruitment Costs
Policy Briefs
November 2022
Reassessing Recruitment Costs in a Changing World of Labor Migration
By  Kate Hooper
Cover image for Financing Responses to Climate Migration
Reports
November 2022
Financing Responses to Climate Migration: The Unique Role of Multilateral Development Banks
By  Lawrence Huang, Ravenna Sohst and Camille Le Coz
Cover image for Embedding Reintegration Assistance...
Policy Briefs
June 2022
Embedding Reintegration Assistance for Returning Migrants in the Local Context: The Role of Referrals
By  Ravenna Sohst and Camille Le Coz

Pages

Migrants in the Darien Gap village of Canaan Membrillo, Panama.
Feature
September 20, 2023
How the Treacherous Darien Gap Became a Migration Crossroads of the Americas

Passage through the Darien Gap has transformed migration across the Americas. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken the incredibly perilous journey across the remote jungle between Colombia and Panama, risking exposure to hazardous terrain, criminal groups, and other dangers. As this article outlines, governments have struggled to respond to the growing movement, expected to top 500,000 crossings in 2023.

A female celebrity being photographed at an event.
Feature
September 14, 2023
Are Celebrity Spokespeople Always Helpful for Refugee Causes?

Famous faces have become a mainstay in promotional campaigns for humanitarian and refugee organizations. Celebrity advocacy can take a variety of forms, including encouraging donations, raising awareness for under-the-radar crises, and lobbying governments for action. This article reviews the trend of star-powered advocacy and examines the factors affecting its success.

Protests at a refugee compound in Nauru.
Feature
August 29, 2023
As Nauru Shows, Asylum Outsourcing Has Unexpected Impacts on Host Communities

For two decades, asylum seekers seeking to reach Australia by boat were diverted to Nauru, a small Pacific Island nation that made a hefty profit off the extraterritorial asylum arrangement. But attitudes among local Nauruans have been mixed, with some fearing their economy revolved around Australia and the foreign workers who shuttled in and out of the processing center. As more countries seek to strike offshore asylum deals, this article examines the effects on local communities.

A man pulls a boat on the low-lying Carteret Islands in Papua New Guinea
Feature
July 20, 2023
Who Counts as a Climate Migrant?

Researchers often seek to predict how many people will move due to climate change, but beyond the inherent forecasting difficulties, their work is complicated by the fact that terms such as "climate migrant" are nebulous and migration drivers are often multifaceted. Instead, this article explains why analysts might ask how climate change will reshape existing patterns of migration and immobility.

An abandoned shoe lies in the mud along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Policy Beat
May 25, 2023
U.S. Border Asylum Policy Enters New Territory Post-Title 42

The United States entered a new era with the end of the pandemic-era Title 42 expulsions policy. The government’s hopes of maintaining order at the U.S.-Mexico border post-Title 42 may be complicated by factors including authorities’ limited capacity, ongoing litigation, and cooperation from other countries. This article reviews the Biden administration's changing border policies and possible challenges ahead.

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Covid SchengenBorderClosures Falk Lademann Flickr
Commentaries
August 2020
When Emergency Measures Become the Norm: Post-Coronavirus Prospects for the Schengen Zone
By  Hanne Beirens, Susan Fratzke and Lena Kainz
Covid Mobility Commentary Flickr JensOlafWalter
Commentaries
May 2020
The Rocky Road to a Mobile World after COVID-19
By  Meghan Benton
EuropeAsylumCOVID_FlickrNicolasVigier
Commentaries
April 2020
The COVID-19 Pandemic Suggests the Lessons Learned by European Asylum Policymakers After the 2015 Migration Crisis Are Fading
By  Hanne Beirens
earth lights_pixabayTheDigitalArtistPeteLinforth
Commentaries
April 2020
As COVID-19 Slows Human Mobility, Can the Global Compact for Migration Meet the Test for a Changed Era?
By  Lena Kainz
MigrantCaravanMXCity2018_Wotancito_WikiCommons
Commentaries
July 2019
Strategic Solutions for the United States and Mexico to Manage the Migration Crisis
By  Andrew Selee, Silvia E. Giorguli-Saucedo, Claudia Masferrer and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
MigrantsTijuanaRiverBed_BBCWorldService2014
Commentaries
July 2019
Soluciones estratégicas para afrontar la crisis migratoria en Estados Unidos y México
By  Andrew Selee, Silvia E. Giorguli-Saucedo, Claudia Masferrer and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto
INMDistributesFoodAidChiapasMX.
Commentaries
June 2019
International Experience Suggests Safe Third-Country Agreement Would Not Solve the U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis
By  Susan Fratzke
EuropeanParliament EPphoto Flickr
Commentaries
May 2019
The Election Results Are In: It Is Neither the End of Europe nor Its Rebirth
By  Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan
BorderWall CBP ManiAlbrecht
Commentaries
January 2019
A Wall Cannot Fix Problems at Border; Smart Solutions for Asylum Crisis Can
By  Doris Meissner and Sarah Pierce
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Commentaries
December 2018
An Overheated Narrative Unanswered: How the Global Compact for Migration Became Controversial
By  Kathleen Newland

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Video, Audio
July 25, 2023

Improving Communications in the Voluntary Return and Reintegration Network

This webinar explores the goals and target audiences for public-facing information campaigns on voluntary return and reintegration, how to evaluate dissemination gaps, and the risks associated with inadvertently issuing messages that are not trusted or are misunderstood.

Expert Q&A, Audio
July 12, 2023

Climate Migration 101

Climate migration sounds simple. It is not. MPI’s Lawrence Huang answers some of the most common questions around one of the least understood dynamics in human movement.

Lucia is a South Sudanese volunteer for JRS in Maban, South Sudan. She leads women’s groups in the community and is a mentor for young girls.
Video
June 14, 2023

Making Refugee Participation in Protection Community Dialogues Meaningful

In the run-up to the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, this discussion examines efforts at facilitating refugee participation and meaningful engagement in policy conversations at global and other levels.

Expert Q&A, Audio
June 8, 2023

Before the Storm: Getting Out in Front of Climate Displacement

Can humanitarian organizations act before catastrophes occur to mitigate disaster-induced forced migration? Our podcast Changing Climate, Changing Migration discusses this kind of anticipatory action with guests Gana Gantulga and Zeke Simperingham from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Video, Audio
March 9, 2023

Migration in the Caribbean: Challenges and Opportunities for a Changing Region

This expert conversation reviews migration in nine Caribbean countries, outlining challenges and opportunities for the integration of the migrant population and a successful engagement with diasporas to advance development, along with recommendations to strengthen the region’s capacity to accommodate changing patterns of migration.

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Recent Activity

Expert Q&A, Audio
October 13, 2021

Making Migration Policy in an Ever More Complex World

MPI co-founder Demetrios G. Papademetriou takes on many questions, including whether the role of think tanks has evolved over the last two decades, in this World of Migration conversation with MPI’s Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan. They also look ahead to the challenges that will dominate immigration policymaking in the years ahead.

Expert Q&A, Audio
October 11, 2021

Revisiting the Role of COVID-19 Travel Restrictions in Light of Delta and Other Variants

In this episode of Moving Beyond Pandemic, host Meghan Benton speaks with Dr. Kelley Lee, head of the Pandemics and Borders initiative at Simon Fraser University in Canada, about what the future holds after COVID-19, and whether decisionmakers truly learn to adapt or instead pull out the playbook from the last crisis.

Reports
October 2021

Migración africana a través del continente americano: impulsores, rutas y respuestas normativas

La cantidad de migrantes africanos que viajan por América del Sur y Central con la esperanza de llegar a la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México para buscar asilo es pequeña, pero está aumentando. Este informe examina los factores que impulsan la migración africana a través de las Américas, las rutas y los desafíos comunes, y las respuestas de países de tránsito en América Latina.

Reports
October 2021

African Migration through the Americas: Drivers, Routes, and Policy Responses

The number of African migrants traveling through South and Central America in hopes of reaching the U.S.-Mexico border, many seeking asylum, is small but increasing. This report examines the factors driving African migration through the Americas, common routes and challenges, and how transit countries are responding.

Video, Audio, Webinars
September 14, 2021

How Will the Pandemic Reshape Public Health for Migrants?

With COVID-19 likely to significantly reshape health-care systems in Europe and worldwide, there is a window of opportunity to test new strategies to tackle longstanding migrant health disparities, and ensure that structural changes accommodate the complex needs of diverse populations.

Video, Audio, Webinars
September 13, 2021

Opening More Avenues for Protection for Refugees

This MPI Europe webinar marks the launch of a report that maps refugee resettlement and complementary pathway programs around the world and offers recommendations for how UNHCR, national governments, civil society, and others can most effectively support the growth of resettlement and complementary pathways.

Policy Briefs
September 2021

Migration Management and Border Security: Lessons Learned

What strategic lessons can be learned from the migration- and border-management challenges North America and Europe have faced in recent years? This reflection by a former high-ranking homeland security official explores a range of timely issues, including the need to rethink multilateralism and improve international cooperation, address migrant smuggling, and engage in advanced planning to avoid future crises.

Reports
September 2021

Refugee Resettlement and Complementary Pathways: Opportunities for Growth

The number of people who have been forcibly displaced has grown to unprecedented levels. While the global refugee protection regime has come under incredible strain as a result, states have also shown creativity in the design of resettlement programs and complementary pathways. This report takes stock of these programs worldwide, identifies opportunities to scale them up, and assesses barriers that have hindered growth.

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