The International Organization for Migration (IOM) held the workshop on the Mobility Tracking Matrix and IOM’s Human Mobility Data Toolbox for the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan on 29 February – 1 March 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Supported by the European Union (EU) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), MTM project aims at providing critical human mobility information to and enhancing the effectiveness of decision-makers and other relevant actors for humanitarian and development planning and to further enhance policy planning within the area of migration.

To enhance the use of timely, accurate and usable information on human mobility and the related needs and vulnerabilities in humanitarian and development response and program development, IOM has developed a training curriculum for national authorities and relevant implementing partners comprised of various modules largely focusing on the IOM toolbox which is made up of various tools and methods, that can be quickly and easily adapted or combined to fit country specific needs.

The training curriculum introduced various methods and tools to enhance the effectiveness of implementing partners’ interventions and responses. Over 100 countries have adapted and deployed the IOM Human Mobility Data Toolbox in a few different contexts including, but not limited to: i) natural disaster induced displacement, ii) climate and environmental mobility iii) natural disaster preparedness, iii) mobile population monitoring, iv) health monitoring of mobile population groups v) labour mobility and its drivers, vi) understanding socio-economic needs and vulnerabilities in highly mobile communities.

Building on the organization’s successful adaption of the toolbox in over 100 countries globally and its experience in training authorities and relevant partners on human mobility data collection exercises IOM held an introductory workshop for relevant government counterparts to 1) provide an introduction to its Human Mobility Data training curriculum, and 2) introducing its Human Mobility Data Toolbox, including practical exercises and examples of best practices from other countries.

Participants of the workshop included the relevant partners among state agencies, such as the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and other state entities.

The participants dedicated their efforts to discussing and conceptualizing innovative ideas for potential future implementation. The overarching objective was to explore IOM strategies to track the population mobility in Kazakhstan. Special attention was given to the crucial role of governmental partners in facilitating the Mobility Tracking Matrix study and collecting information on mobility and migration in the country.

Themes addressed included the migration data in Kazakhstan, current practice and plans for the future, data management and reporting, and introduction to IOM’s migration data and statistics tools in practice in different countries, and interactive discussions.