Harare – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, supported the Government of Zimbabwe to compile and produce the Zimbabwe Migration Profile 2010 – 2016. The profile was launched on 20 November in Harare at a ceremony which attracted various stakeholders including government officials, academics, diplomats and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

The Zimbabwe Migration Profile 2010 -2016 is a policy making tool which presents migration-related data, analysis of current migration trends (both immigration and emigration) and their impact on the labour market and remittance flows, and a discussion of the role of the diaspora in the development of the home country, among other related matters.

The Director General for the Zimbabwe National Statistics (ZIMSTAT), Mr Mutasa Dzinotizei, commented IOM for the support it rendered to the Agency. “We are very grateful to the financial and technical assistance provided by IOM to compile data for the Migration Profile. Our government will use it as a tool for informed and coherent migration policy development in Zimbabwe.” He said.

Lily Sanya, IOM Zimbabwe Chief of Mission emphasized the need to have regularly updated Migration Profiles, “to remain as an effective tool for policy making, the Migration Profiles need to be updated regularly.” Ms Sanya also pointed to the need for increased focus on the developmental implications of human migration and respect of migrants’ rights, “policymakers and analysts in origin and destination countries now require more multifactorial insights into migrant characteristics, such as why people move, how long they remain abroad, and their sociodemographic and economic background. They also need to know whether migrants’ rights and freedoms are safeguarded.”  

Stakeholders at the Migration Profile launch recommended the Government of Zimbabwe to mainstream migration into development, putting in place policies and initiatives that nurture circular migration. This includes encouraging participation of the diaspora in social and economic initiatives and increasing government involvement in facilitating more affordable remittance transmission channels. Academics stressed the importance of improving migration statistics and overall evidence base through systematic and effective system of collecting, organizing, storing and sharing migration data.

The Zimbabwe Migration Profile is a product of the Promotion of Migration Governance in Zimbabwe (PMGZ) Project that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is implementing with support from the European Union. The PMGZ Project seeks to support the establishment of a migration governance framework (policy, institutional and legislative) in Zimbabwe.

For more information please contact Varaidzo Mudombi at IOM Zimbabwe – telephone +263242704285 email: vmudombi@iom.int