IOM organized an online workshop for national stakeholders on Gender responsive migration data for evidence-based planning

Objective of the workshop was to enhance evidence-based policymaking, with a focus on the nexus between migration-development and gender. A gender-responsive policy approach to migration promotes the production, analysis and use of migration data to enhance the gender-responsiveness of policies and governance. Producing and collecting quality sex- and gender-disaggregated migration data which represent migrants of all genders and using such data to inform and improve migration policies, will not only enhance gender-responsiveness in migration data and policy (including legislative) processes, but also enable policy makers to capitalise on both genders for development. Such a dynamic relationship between gender-sensitive migration data and policy contribute to and accelerates positive development outcomes for all the concerned stakeholders. This objective would be achieved through supporting the government of Turkmenistan with enhanced gender-sensitive and responsive migration data collection and increased analysis capacity, while ensuring data security and upholding data protection principles.

The workshop brought together representatives from Ministries and departments of the Government of Turkmenistan which are collecting data on migration, including State Migration Service, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, State Committee on Statistics, Ministry of Education, Institute of State, Law and Democracy, and Parliament (Mejlis). The seminar featured presentations by Head of IOM mission in Ashgabat - Azat Atajanov, IOM Consultants on Gender and Migration -  Margarita Khegai and Dmitry Poletayev; IOM Regional Office in Vienna – Van Asch Lauranne Simon; IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC), Migration Data and Policy Officer - Elisa Mosler Vidal and Data Analyst – Guallar Arino Estefania; and IOM Migration Research Division (RES) - Rojas Coppari Pablo.

During the seminar the participants touched upon such topics as global key migration trends, data disaggregation and the sustainable development, discussed the aspects of gender and migration data, learned a guideline for evidence-based, gender responsive migration governance and IOM gender framework matrix, as well as studied gender and migration aspects in the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) and the 2030 Agenda. National stakeholders stressed the importance of this workshop and commented that gained knowledge and skills would be applied in migration policies to achieve national priorities and to fulfil international commitments including the 2030 Agenda and the GCM reporting. IOM Consultant -Margarita Khegai concluded that such kind of workshops could help to strengthen a national capacity to collect and analyse indicators and develop national strategies for migration in Turkmenistan, integrating gender sensitive and responsive migration data in development plans.