E.g., 06/07/2026
E.g., 06/07/2026
International Governance

International Governance

_InternationalGovernance

Though there is no formal, multilateral institutional framework to govern the global flow of migrants, states increasingly are exploring how to work collectively to make migration a more legal, orderly, and mutually beneficial process. Cooperation on migration management has been growing steadily, as the research below explores, involving both state and nonstate actors via regional dialogues, bilateral agreements, and the creation of international initiatives such as the Global Forum on Migration and Development.

Recent Activity

Cover image for Reframing Return and Reintegration
Policy Briefs
October 2025
By  Bertrand Steiner, Adèle Appriou, Ravenna Sohst and Camille Le Coz
Cover image for How Can Labor Migration Policies Help Tackle Europe’s Looming Skills Crisis?
Reports
June 2025
By  Kate Hooper, Tesseltje de Lange and Jasmijn Slootjes
Cover image for Small Boats, Big Stakes
Policy Briefs
June 2025
By  Meghan Benton, Susan Fratzke and Nurbanu Hayır
Cover image for Facing New Migration Realities...
Policy Briefs
May 2025
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Doris Meissner and Andrew Selee
Cover image for Funding Climate Mobility Projects...
Policy Briefs
March 2025
By  Lawrence Huang and Samuel Davidoff-Gore
Cover image for Exploring Refugees’ Intentions to Return to Ukraine
Reports
December 2024
By  Ravenna Sohst, Tino Tirado, Lucía Salgado and Jasmijn Slootjes
Cover image for Engaging Local Communities for More Effective Climate Mobility Programming
Policy Briefs
October 2024
By  Lawrence Huang and Camille Le Coz
Cover image for The Role of Immigrant Workers in the Green Transition
Policy Briefs
September 2024
By  Kate Hooper and Lawrence Huang
The backs of two people on a motorbike; above them a sign notes the Guatemala border

Migration patterns from and through Central America are changing in fundamental ways amid rising immigration enforcement and a reduction in global humanitarian aid. These twin developments are putting new pressures on governments in the region and reshaping migrant experiences, as this article explores.

A crowd in Benin City, Nigeria. (Photo: IOM/Agara Barinedum)

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and one of its largest economies, sits at the crossroads of the continent’s migration landscape. As both a regional immigration hub and an origin for significant emigration, the country contends with a wide range of migration issues that have evolved over time. This country profile situates Nigeria's migration trends and policies.

People walk along an embankment in Bangladesh

While the term "climate refugee” is often used colloquially, people displaced by environmental factors are not actually eligible for refugee status on that basis. However, policymakers and advocates have begun to experiment with approaches to protection by other means. This article reviews the initiatives, including a novel visa in Australia and the ways that longstanding legal frameworks have been used to encompass people deeply affected by climate change.

Families from Venezuela in Trinidad and Tobago.

Many Venezuelan migrants in Trinidad and Tobago have found that their situation is more complex than expected as the Caribbean country has largely adopted an enforcement-first approach. Many Venezuelan migrants face stigma and precarity—issues complicated amid escalating tensions between Venezuela and the United States, as this article details. 

A woman and child at the Moldova-Ukraine border

One of Europe’s poorest countries, Moldova has hosted more displaced Ukrainians per capita than any other nation. More than one-quarter of the nearly 7 million Ukrainians who fled since Russia’s 2022 invasion have passed through Moldova. This article provides an overview of the little country shouldering a disproportionate burden even as it is pulled between Russia and the European Union.

Venezuelan migrants in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Short Reads
February 2026
By  Diego Chaves-González
Worker holds stack of paperwork
Short Reads
December 2025
By  Kate Hooper, Nurbanu Hayır and María Belén Zanzuchi
Equipment for a USAID project in Indonesia
Short Reads
April 2025
By  Lawrence Huang, Samuel Davidoff-Gore and Susan Fratzke
Montage of photos of Presidents Sheinbaum and Trump
Short Reads
February 2025
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Andrew Selee
Belén Zanzuchi speaking on Webinar
Video, Audio
February 26, 2026

This webinar explored labor migration pathways as a potential avenue for qualified refugees to access protection in Europe while helping meet destination countries’ skill needs. Speakers examined ways to make work visas more accessible to qualified refugees and how to remove barriers that prevent refugees from entering via the labor pathway. 

Person at airport looking at phone
Video, Audio
January 13, 2026

Featuring a study on the role that counselling and reintegration programs can play in shaping migrants' return decisions, this webinar examines how timing of such interventions, counselling approaches, and collaboration with trusted origin-country partners can help make these programs more effective.

World of Migration Episode 23
Expert Q&A, Audio
January 9, 2026

Foreign aid budgets have been slashed significantly by governments in the United States, Europe, and beyond, raising questions about what humanitarian assistance will look like in practice.

Healthcare workers helps patient
Video, Audio
December 11, 2025

Featuring discussion of a study that examines best practices for designing and managing labor migration corridors between EU Member States and partner countries, this webinar offers insights on how to connect employers and workers, promote skills development, protect migrant workers, and maximize benefits for both countries of origin and

Humanitarian Protection at a Crossroads: What Future for the Strained Refugee System?
Expert Q&A, Audio
September 19, 2025

The global humanitarian protection system is at a critical juncture. This episode of the World of Migration podcast features a discussion on the system's challenges and future, with Vincent Cochetel, a leading voice in the humanitarian protection world, and MPI's Meghan Benton.

Recent Activity

Articles

Migration patterns from and through Central America are changing in fundamental ways amid rising immigration enforcement and a reduction in global humanitarian aid. These twin developments are putting new pressures on governments in the region and reshaping migrant experiences, as this article explores.

Articles

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and one of its largest economies, sits at the crossroads of the continent’s migration landscape. As both a regional immigration hub and an origin for significant emigration, the country contends with a wide range of migration issues that have evolved over time. This country profile situates Nigeria's migration trends and policies.

Short Reads
March 2026

The Trump administration has signed deportation agreements with 27 countries, with outreach planned to dozens of others, to help facilitate its mass deportations agenda. Yet these third-country deportation arrangements account for a fraction of overall deportations—suggesting this policy is more about creating a climate of fear than facilitating large numbers of removals.

Video, Audio, Webinars
February 26, 2026

This webinar explored labor migration pathways as a potential avenue for qualified refugees to access protection in Europe while helping meet destination countries’ skill needs. Speakers examined ways to make work visas more accessible to qualified refugees and how to remove barriers that prevent refugees from entering via the labor pathway. 

Articles

While the term "climate refugee” is often used colloquially, people displaced by environmental factors are not actually eligible for refugee status on that basis. However, policymakers and advocates have begun to experiment with approaches to protection by other means. This article reviews the initiatives, including a novel visa in Australia and the ways that longstanding legal frameworks have been used to encompass people deeply affected by climate change.

Short Reads
February 2026

Facing a post-Maduro future for Venezuela, most of the nearly 8 million Venezuelans abroad are cautiously waiting, and many are likely to keep building lives in their host country. In this uncertain context, governments should prioritize sustained regularization and integration over returns, genuine regional coordination, and renewed financing, this short read argues.

Short Reads
February 2026

Ante un posible escenario pos-Maduro para Venezuela, la mayoría de los casi 8 millones de venezolanos que se encuentran en el extranjero esperan con cautela, y es probable que muchos continúen construyendo sus vidas en los países de acogida. En este contexto de incertidumbre, los gobiernos deberían priorizar la regularización y la integración sostenidas por encima de los retornos, avanzar hacia una coordinación regional genuina y reactivar la financiación, sostiene este foco analítico.

Video, Audio, Webinars
January 13, 2026

Featuring a study on the role that counselling and reintegration programs can play in shaping migrants' return decisions, this webinar examines how timing of such interventions, counselling approaches, and collaboration with trusted origin-country partners can help make these programs more effective.