The pandemic has had immediate and potentially long-term impacts on the attainment of many of the Sustainable Development Goals. The severe impacts on mobility dynamics, including restrictions on movement, stranded migrants and increased returns, reinforced the socio-economic impact of the pandemic and exposed many migrants and their families to new vulnerabilities, often affecting women especially severely.

Migrants play a significant role, not only as key COVID workers, but also beyond by bringing their skills, experience and innovative perspectives to our development efforts. Our ability to develop responses that mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic, protect people on the move and their families and harness the positive power of migration for recovering better – depends on a good understanding of the effects of the pandemic on human mobility and development.

This report includes an analysis of a nine country survey of the effects of the pandemic on migration and outlines a suggested path forward for integrated approaches to migration, COVID-19 and sustainable development that rests on collaboration between the UN, local and national governments, civil society organizations, diaspora and migrant associations, as well as many other essential partners.