Migration data management and the electronic Readmission Case Management System as a source of statistical data: a training workshop at the Regional Training Centre on Migration on 15 February 2023

As part of the programme activities the electronic Readmission Case Management System (eRCMS, the System) is being developed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and deployed Azerbaijan in collaboration with the State Migration Service. The eRCMS will feature robust statistical functionalities and will allow for faster and more efficient processing of readmission cases exchanged between Azerbaijan and the European Union (EU) member states, but also for generating insightful statistical reports. The end-users of this System will be able to instantly compile various statistical datasets based on the anonymized data. Disaggregation and visualization of statistical data will support relevant state authorities and decision makers to improve analysis and its interpretation.

Access to accurate and versatile readmission related data facilitates budgetary and operational planning, staffing, policy development and legislative regulation, reintegration efforts at national level as well as meaningful and efficient dialogue with international partners, for example within the Azerbaijan-EU Joint Readmission Committee.

In practice readmission related statistics will often be analyzed in context of multiple migration processes, trends and fulfilment by the state authorities of broader range of migration management functions. With this in mind IOM Azerbaijan supported delivery of a training workshop on migration data management for the staff from several governmental agencies of Azerbaijan, including the State Migration Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Statistical Committee, State Committee on Work with Diaspora, State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, Office of the Ombudsperson, and Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population. Since the subject of migration data is of interest of wider audience, participants from the Migration School and the Migration Volunteer Public Union were welcomed at the workshop.

The event was hosted by the Regional Training Centre on Migration (RTCM), another joint initiative of the State Migration Service and IOM Azerbaijan. RTCM’s curriculum contains topics on migration data management and its significance for evidence-based policy development. Trainers from the RTCM put together and delivered presentations on data sources of international migration statistics, role of data in migration management, demand for migration data, migration data management in Azerbaijan, and statistical functionalities of the eRCMS.

The electronic Readmission Case Management System is developed by IOM under the EU Readmission Capacity Building Facility (EURCAP) funded by the European Union. Also, a bundle of related training modules was developed under the EURCAP Facility: for eRCMS end-users and administrators, on migration data management, on institutionalization of the eRCMS etc.

The Regional Training Centre on Migration is a training institution and knowledge hub for representatives of various stakeholders from Azerbaijan, its neighbouring countries, as well as countries from Central Asia, Middle East, Eastern Partnership and beyond. The RTCM has been established by the State Migration Service and IOM Azerbaijan with the financial assistance of the IOM Development Fund.