Briefing Paper 1: Key Indicators of Competence, Fairness, Integrity, and Inclusion
Research and publications
The Global Migration Lab conducts multi-country comparative research projects that involve National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, key partners and migrant representatives to gather, analyse and interpret large qualitative and quantitative datasets collected from the frontlines.
Research projects
Briefing Papers
Migrants’ Perspectives: Building Trust in Humanitarian Action
Migrants can face many vulnerabilities and risks throughout their journeys. It is therefore vital that migrants trust humanitarian organisations to provide humanitarian support when needed. These briefing papers discuss demographic and contextual factors that shape migrants’ trust in humanitarian actors such as disability, age, and legal status, and migrants’ histories of seeking and accessing humanitarian assistance and protection.
Drawing on survey data collected with migrants in vulnerable situations across 14 countries in the Americas, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Europe, these two briefing papers provide insights into the ways in which:
- key indicators of trust in humanitarian action – including migrants’ perspectives on competence, fairness, integrity, and inclusion – are influenced by their experiences of seeking or accessing humanitarian support, and demographic factors such as age and ability status; and
- legal status affects migrants’ ability to access humanitarian assistance and protection, and their trust in humanitarian organisations.
Migrants’ contrasting experiences of seeking and receiving support, and their varying perspectives on the competence, fairness, integrity, and inclusiveness of humanitarian action, not only offer important lessons on how humanitarian organisations can build and maintain trust, but also on how their work can adapt to better respond to migrants’ priorities, needs and vulnerabilities.
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Migrants’ Perspectives
Building Trust in Humanitarian Action
Trust is a foundation of humanitarian action. Yet, little is known about who migrants trust, and why, and how this impacts their ability and willingness to seek humanitarian assistance and protection.
To address this knowledge gap and inform strategies to increase the effectiveness of humanitarian interventions, the Global Migration Lab – in collaboration with the Movement – conducted research with over 16,000 migrants across the Americas, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Europe.
This report provides key insights into migrants’ perspectives of, and trust, in various forms of humanitarian assistance and protection. The findings presented in this report highlight that trust cannot be assumed: it is only by placing migrants at the centre of humanitarian action related to migration and by being accountable to their needs, recommendations, and concerns that their trust can be built and maintained.
Locked down and left out?
Why access to basic services for migrants is critical to our COVID-19 response and recovery.
This flagship report of the Global Migration Lab focuses on how COVID-19 and related policy measures have affected access to basic services for migrants and impacted on a range of migrant groups across countries of origin, transit, destination and upon return.
Working with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, migrants and partners across the world, the report shows how and why migrants have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and related policy measures.
Over 3,250 migrants - including people seeking asylum and refugees, undocumented migrants, migrants on temporary visas, returned migrants, migrants in transit countries and those stranded due to the pandemic were surveyed or interviewed, as well as over 150 key stakeholders.
Drawing on the direct experiences of migrants and data from across eight countries and additional regions, the report argues that it is in everyone’s interest to address barriers to basic services for migrants now and in future public health emergencies.
Additional case studies and research from report countries
Sight Unseen
A vision for effective access to COVID-19 vaccines for migrants.
This addendum builds on the findings from the Locked down and left out? Why access to basic services for migrants is critical to our COVID-19 response and recovery report. It aims to take stock of the current global trends with respect to COVID-19 vaccines access for migrants. It draws on publicly available data from a range of sources, including research organisations, governments, the United Nations, media and civil society organisations, complemented by insights and case studies from a survey of 52 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (National Societies) working directly with migrants and host communities around the globe.
