MED-HIMS: Surveys on Migration Committee for Coordination of Statistical Activities Luxembourg, 9 September 2011 Presentation by Rosemary Montgomery (Unit D-1, Eurostat)

Origin of the project The ‘Mediterranean Household International Migration Survey’ (MED-HIMS) is a regional programme of coordinated international migration surveys requested by the National Statistical Offices of 8 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The project originated in the European Commission’s MEDSTAT II Programme and benefited from the collaboration of the MED National Statistical Offices, EUROSTAT, the World Bank, UNHCR and more recently the UNFPA

Aim and Topics To study the recent trends, causes, determinants, dynamics and consequences of international migration, and the inter-linkages between migration and development; To explore scenarios for a closer cooperation in the area of migration and development between the MENA region and receiving countries out-migration, return migration, forced migration, intention to migrate, circular migration, migration of highly-skilled persons, irregular migration, type and use of remittances, behaviours, attitudes, perceptions and cultural values of people with regard to international migration, and the inter-linkages between migration and development, as well as relevant information on individuals and households, and the local communities involved.

Justification for the project Both the sending and destination countries need a comprehensive and balanced approach to migration. This requires policies and measures addressing a broad range of challenges and opportunities through dialogue and cooperation. Unfortunately, comprehensive, scientific data regarding the determinants, dynamics and consequences of international migration and the migration intentions of the rapidly increasing young people in the Arab countries are not available The Arab countries are not creating jobs fast enough to match the increase in the working-age population. The unemployment rates for youth just entering the work force - especially for young women - are extremely high. Recent studies indicate that Europe is the single largest destination of first-generation emigrants from countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and hosts a little under half of all such emigrants worldwide. The Arab oil countries, i.e. the Gulf States and Libya, constitute the second largest destination, with the rest of the world, mainly North America, ranking far behind In recent decades, migrants have sent home billions of dollars in remittances that support their families and add significantly to their country’s national income.

Methodology and Tools The strength of MED-HIMS is the use of a common set of Model Questionnaires (MQs), manuals and tools covering the different phases of survey implementation. The MED-HIMS are designed to collect data useful to understand the nature of MED-migration and the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of migrants The MED-HIMS are designed to develop specific methodologies for collecting and analyzing international migration data

M1: The Model Questionnaires MQ-1: The Household Questionnaire MQ-2: Individual Questionnaire for Out-migrant MQ-3: Individual Questionnaire for Return Migrant MQ-4: Individual Questionnaire for Non-migrant MQ-5: Individual Questionnaire for Forced Migrant MQ-6: The Household Socio-economic and Environmental Conditions Questionnaire MQ-7: The Community Characteristics Questionnaire M1 - Model Questionnaires MQ-1: The Household Questionnaire MQ-2: Individual Questionnaire for Out-migrant MQ-3: Individual Questionnaire for Return Migrant MQ-4: Individual Questionnaire for Non-migrant MQ-5: Individual Questionnaire for Forced Migrant MQ-6: The Household Socio-economic and Environmental Conditions Questionnaire MQ-7: The Community Characteristics Questionnaire

Manuals and other tools M2 - Survey Design and Organization Manual M3 - Instructions to Supervisors M4 - Instructions to Interviewers M5 - Manual on Sample Design M6 - Coding and Recode Specifications Manual M7 - Manual on Guidelines for Principal Country Report

Implementation Modalities The MED-HIMS will be organised and implemented in two phases with the first phase covering the surveys in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and one other country, and the second phase extending the programme to cover the remaining Medstat countries. An earlier version of the MQs developed in 2009 was successfully adapted to the local situation by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in its 2010 National Migration Survey. Preliminary estimates indicate that the international funding necessary for the MED-HIMS Phase One Project amounts to about 3,3 million Euro, or 4,7 million US$. In each participating country, the MED-HIMS will be implemented as part of its ‘National Strategy for Development of Statistics’ (NSDS), and the planning for project preparation and implementing project activities will be completely owned and managed by the National Statistical Organization. In order to maximise the quality and comparability of results, the project will be coordinated by a ‘Central Implementation Unit’ responsible for managing this complex initiative and for providing technical assistance.