Accurate, disaggregated migration data is the backbone of evidence-based policymaking — yet the systems that produce it are under growing threat. As international funding shrinks, national censuses, regional observatories, and global data platforms are becoming increasingly under-resourced, risking a reversal of a decade of hard-won progress in migration data collection. This 75-minute side event, held on the margins of the 2nd International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) at UN Headquarters in New York, brings together a high-level group of Member States, UN entities, academia, civil society, and data actors to confront this challenge head-on.

Co-organised by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), and delivered in partnership with IOM, ILO, PDD, FCDO, and IGAD, the event will combine a policy paper presentation, a multi-stakeholder panel discussion, and an open Q&A session.

Discussions will focus on the scale of emerging data gaps, the risks they pose to GCM implementation — particularly under Objective 1 — and what structural changes are needed to sustain migration data systems in an era of fiscal pressure. Speakers will also explore pathways for strengthened collaboration between governments, UN agencies, and private actors to protect this critical global public good.

Agenda

Opening Remarks

• Hannah Conrad, Head of Division, Displacement and Migration — BMZ
• FCDO Representative (TBD) — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, UK

Policy Paper Presentation

• Dr. Anne Koch, Researcher — German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP)

Panel Discussion

• Atle Solberg (Moderator), Head of Secretariat — Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD)
• Muhammad Rizki, Director, Department of Data, Insight and Policy — IOM
• Paul Tacon, Labour Migration Specialist — ILO
• Dr. Maya Schmaljohann, Senior Policy Officer, Displacement and Migration — BMZ
• Charles Ogolla, Head of Statistics Unit — IGAD

Closing / Key Messages

• Atle Solberg, Head of Secretariat — Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD)