Roundtable: Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) in Central Asia and the Russian Federation

On 31 March, an international roundtable on the results of the implementation of the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) in the countries of Central Asia and the Russian Federation took place online and offline.

The event was a part of the "Mitigating the socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrants and communities in Central Asia and the Russian Federation" project of IOM, which started in August 2020 with the generous support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Participants included international consultants and representatives from SDC, IOM offices, governments, and migration services in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The participants shared their experience in protecting migrants in the conditions of pandemic and insights on the importance of reliable data and DTM methodology to provide better supports for migrants and their families. On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, Moensho Makhmadbekzoda, the Director of the Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment, presented findings of the research conducted under the DTM in Tajikistan under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) is a system that regularly captures, processes, and disseminates multi-layered information on the mobility, locations, vulnerabilities and needs of displaced and moving populations throughout a crisis. It assists governments and humanitarian actors to respond to needs in a timely manner by providing information on the location and composition of the affected population. DTM has also proven to be highly effective as a preparedness tool for a crisis, as well as in support of the recovery and transition phase in the context of return and reintegration processes.