Local Migration Governance Indicators (Local MGI)

Summary

The Municipality of Coto Brus participated in the Local Migration Governance Indicators Process (Local MGI) from 2021-2022. The objective of this process is to gain a better understanding of the policies, programs and structures in place to manage migration, identify areas with good practices as well as areas that could be further developed and establish priorities based on these findings. One of the key benefits of embarking in this process, is that it contributes to the strengthening of local governments institutional capacities to manage migration by providing accurate and timely data to develop evidence-based policies and interventions. In Coto Brus, the Local MGI process is supporting the development of the Municipal Migration Policy, the first of its kind in Costa Rica.

Impact

The Municipality of Coto Brus will utilize the findings of the Local MGI assessments to inform the process of developing its Municipal Migration Policy. Through the assessment, the Municipality will be able to identify the good practices as well as areas with potential for further development, which will be essential to select the key priority areas that will structure the policy. Moreover, this exercise will allow us to establish a baseline of the migration governance capacities in Coto Brus, set strategic goals and objectives, and track the progress achieved over time.

Lessons learnt

The implementation of the Local MGI process in Coto Brus is ongoing, however we can already identify a few takeaways: 1) The exchange of knowledge between local authorities is key, by learning from one another’s successes and shortcomings we can be better prepared to tackle the challenges and harness the benefits of migration. 2) Local authorities must work together around common objectives, and coordinate with the national government to ensure better articulation around migration related issues. In Costa Rica, other four municipalities have embarked in the process (San José, Heredia, Desamparados and La Cruz), and we look forward to joining them in spaces for dialogue and knowledge exchange.