UNDP pleased to announce the latest publication of the inter-agency EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative (JMDI). The handbook 'Migration for Development: A Bottom-Up Approach' builds on the experiences and lessons learned of the over 50 civil society projects that have been supported by the JMDI over the last two years. Please find more information on the handbook below, and please feel free to circulate it to your partners and networks.

The handbook is also available in French under the following link:

http://www.migration4development.org/sites/m4d.emakina-eu.net/files/icmd_manuel_migration_et_development_aout_2011.pdf

Please contact Sarah Rosengaertner ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or the JMDI programme manager Cecile Riallant ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) directly if you have any questions regarding the handbook.

‘Migration for Development: A Bottom-up Approach’

Governments, donors and civil society organizations are increasingly interested in undertaking studies and designing appropriate methodologies to generate a solid evidence base for better planning and management of migration interventions. They have recognized the importance of improving their capacities to assess their practices in order to know what works, under what conditions, in which transnational spaces, and why. This kind of knowledge is essential to be able to support the positive interlinkages between migration and development more effectively, while mitigating potential negative interactions between the two. The handbook developed by the Joint Migration and Development Initiative represents an important contribution to these efforts.

The handbook is the result of an encompassing codification exercise by the JMDI to compare and draw lessons from over fifty Migration and Development (M&D) projects funded by the JMDI which were carried out by civil society actors in sixteen countries, together with their counterparts in the European Union. The aims of the handbook are to understand: 

·         The methodologies and strategies by which civil society actors implement M&D actions,

·         The kind of opportunities they create for their beneficiaries,

·         The kind of stakeholders they involve,

·         The ways in which transnational partnerships established in M&D projects function.

These lessons are of interest both to small-scale actors themselves as well as to policymakers engaged in the fields of migration and development planning, with the handbook providing straightforward recommendations throughout. The handbook has been designed as a “toolbox” for practitioners and policymakers alike. Each chapter illustrates alternative or complementary options that actors can choose from when setting up their own migration and development projects.

The handbook is posted on the www.migration4development.org website. It will be presented at forthcoming regional events of the GFMD (the first occasion will be on 20-22 September in Morocco) as well as during national events to be organized by our Focal Points in the JMDI target countries.