The Joint IDP Profiling Service (JIPS) and the Steering Committee members of the Expert Group on Refugee and IDP Statistics (EGRIS) are delighted to invite you to the jointly organised conference on "Capacity Building to Improve Statistics on Forced Displacement", taking place on 8 September 2020 at the Forum Genève, Geneva (Switzerland). 

Reliable statistics on forcibly displaced persons – refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and asylum seekers – are critical to inform adequate national policy responses and effective development plans that are inclusive and do not leave these vulnerable groups behind. They are necessary for measuring progress towards global commitments – including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Global Compacts, and the New Urban Agenda. The recently established International Recommendations on Refugee and IDP Statistics and the related operational guidance developed through the Expert Group mark an important step towards improved and streamlined official statistics on forced displacement in support of these global initiatives.

Drawing attention to these new statistical frameworks, this event will highlight the critical need to build adequate statistical capacities and strengthen data systems, in order to put these statistical frameworks into practice at global and country levels. It seeks to generate actionable input for the Expert Group's implementation plan as well as relevant global processes, including the work of the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement. 

The event will be held in English and combine a face-to-face meeting with virtual participation through interactive live streaming. It aims to bring together a diverse range of relevant decision makers and experts from the national, regional, and global levels: governments and statistical offices, humanitarian and development actors from the UN and civil society, academia, and more. 

We hope that you are able to join us for the event in person or remotely, and feel free to forward this invitation to relevant colleagues. Please find below the agenda and R.S.V.P. by 20 August 2020.