3rd – 5th December
The African Union Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC) achieved a major milestone during the 19th annual session of the Committee of Directors General of National Statistical Offices, held from 3–5 December 2025 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The session marked the official launch of the African Union (AU) Guidelines on Migration and Displacement Statistics, which aims to strengthen data-driven migration policy across the continent and help create a harmonised approach to collecting, compiling, and analysing migration and displacement statistics throughout all AU Member States.
The Guidelines were developed through joint efforts by a technical team consisting of experts at AU-STATAFRIC, Statistics Sweden, the African Migration Observatory, and statisticians at regional economic community and national levels, with substantial in-depth contributions from the Expert Group on Refugee, Internally Displaced Persons, and Statelessness Statistics (EGRISS), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD).
By adapting global standards — including the International Recommendations on Refugee (IRRS), Internally Displaced Persons (IRIS), and the International Recommendations on Statelessness (IROSS) Statistics — to African realities, the Guidelines directly support the Strategy for the Harmonisation of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA 2).
Addressing the essential components of quality migration and displacement statistics, the Guidelines cover comprehensive topics including the definition of population categories, national data frameworks, integration of administrative data, policy evaluation mechanisms, data security protocols, and the harmonisation of statistics across countries. They also incorporate a recommended minimum set of indicators to be produced by Member States and emphasise capacity needs, practical tools, and concrete recommendations to improve migration data quality and policy effectiveness.
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