Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD)


Migration is one of the 21st century’s defining features that significantly impacts economic and social development. It is thus crucial to ensure that the positive effects of migration on development are maximized, while the negative ones minimized. This is only possible if reliable evidence on migration and its interrelations with development is available. KNOMAD generates ground-breaking research and policy recommendations in the field of M&D. Switzerland has taken a lead in building-up KNOMAD as a pioneering knowledge initiative.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Global
Migration
Migration generally (development aspects and partnerships)
Labour migration
Diaspora for development
01.12.2018 - 31.08.2024
CHF  4’000’000
Background

Economic growth and structural transformations are invariably associated with movement of people from lagging sectors to growing ones and from sluggish economies to booming ones. Migration helps people escape poverty, and remittances sent back by migrants help reduce poverty of household members left behind.

The importance of migration on the international agenda has been increasing since the start of KNOMAD in 2013. So have the multiple linkages between migration and development and their importance for national and international policy-making. KNOMAD’s goal is in line with the commitment of the Global Compact on Migration (GCM) to strengthen the global evidence base on international migration and to ensure that this evidence guides coherent policy-making and well-informed public discourse.

Objectives KNOMAD aims to enhance and improve access to knowledge and information for evidence-based policies and decision-making in favor of maximizing the benefits of migration for development and minimizing its negative impacts. The ultimate beneficiaries are migrants, their families and communities back home, as well as employers and communities in the host countries.
Target groups Governments around the globe, UN Network on Migration member agencies, GFMD, regional development banks, migrants, host communities, private sector
Medium-term outcomes

Outcome 1 Stakeholders are better informed on migration and development, enabling more effective engagement in the governance of migration by having access to newly generated and synthesized knowledge.

Outcome 2: Use of a menu of policy choices by policy makers and stakeholders to formulate, implement, monitor and evaluate migration and development policies.

Outcome 3: Created a multiplier effect among important migration and development stakeholders and networks by continuously facilitating accessibility of knowledge.

Results

Expected results:  

  • Produce and make available new, useful and innovative findings on migration and development issues among policy makers, researchers, practitioners, institutions and individuals from sending, transit and receiving countries.

  • Bring out the policy implications of multidisciplinary and evidence-based knowledge in the area migration and development to actors in the policy market.

  • Continuously engage with important migration and development stakeholders.
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    Results from previous phases:  

    During its first phase (2013-2018), KNOMAD achieved major results on a global scale. KNOMAD, in collaboration with several agencies, successfully spearheaded the advocacy for three migration-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators: on recruitment costs, on remittance costs, and on volume of remittance flows. KNOMAD defined a role for the World Bank Group and other multilateral development banks in addressing migration and development. The respective paper was influential in G7 discussions and the GCM negotiations. Other noteworthy outputs of KNOMAD include improvements to the UN World Population projections, the incubation of the Mayoral Forum together with UNITAR and other partners as a peer-to-peer knowledge exchange forum for local governments, and creation of a network of more than 500 migration experts.

    KNOMAD’s umbrella coverage of M&D was appropriate in the first phase of the program. In the future, a smaller number of Thematic Working Groups (TWGs) will allow for more focus and better follow-up. A number of the TWG did good initial progress, but proved more difficult to sustain the progress as the program has evolved towards country-level follow-up and clarifying policy options. KNOMAD has to be more active in developing partnerships to sustain progress in the future.


    Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
    Credit area Development cooperation
    Project partners Contract partner
    International Financial Institution (IFI)
    • Other WB


    Other partners
    Governments, private sector, migrants’ organizations, civil society, academia
    Coordination with other projects and actors

    Projects: GPMD’s Programs in Middle East, South Asia, in West and North Africa; Global Programs on FAIR, IRIS, GCM, GFMD.

    Actors: SEM, AMS, other SDC entities; European Commission 

    Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    4’000’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    800’000
    Project phases Phase 2 01.12.2018 - 31.08.2024   (Current phase) Phase 1 01.05.2012 - 31.08.2019   (Completed)