The International Recommendations on Refugee, IDP and Statelessness
Statistics(e-Learning course)
1 April-24 May 2024
GuidelineI.

OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE

The numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) have increased rapidly inrecent years, with UNHCR estimating over 108.4 million forcibly displaced persons in 2022.
Similarly, the issue of statelessness continues to persist in society, with 4.4 million people
currently estimated to be stateless. With the growing prominence of displacement andstatelessness, there is increasing interest at national, regional and international levels instatistics on refugees, IDPs and stateless persons including complete, accurate, timely andinternationally comparable estimates on the numbers of people impacted, their well-being
and vulnerabilities. Good-quality statistics are a requirement for developing, implementing
and monitoring national, regional and international policies and agreements concerning
refugees, IDPs and stateless persons.
Following the success of a similar course conducted in 2023, with over 430 individuals
enrolled and participants emphasizing its usefulness, this iteration expands upon its
predecessor by including a new module on statelessness statistics and updates to reflect thelatest methodological developments and statistical practices in the compilation of statistics
on refugees, IDPs and statelessness. More specifically, this course introduces the“International Recommendations on Refugee Statistics” (IRRS), the “InternationalRecommendations on IDP Statistics” (IRIS) and the “International Recommendations onStatelessness Statistics” (IROSS). These sets of recommendations were endorsed by theUnited Nations Statistical Commission in 2018 (IRRS), 2020 (IRIS) and 2023 (IROSS),
respectively. The course is spread over six substantive modules and provides details on thestatistical framework for compiling refugee, IDP and stateless persons statistics. It introduces
concepts, definitions, classifications and methodologies relevant to collecting, compiling,analyzing and disseminating data and indicators on refugees, IDPs and stateless persons,1including Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators. The course also includes
information on data sources, institutional mechanisms, and coordination.
II.

TARGET PARTICIPANTS

Target participants for the course are staff of national statistical offices, relevant line
ministries and other institutions working on issues related to refugees, IDPs and statelesspersons (including for example Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Immigration
Agencies, etc.). Others who would benefit from the course include those working on refugee,
IDP and statelessness issues in international organizations, regional organizations and NGOs.

III.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, participants will be expected to:
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IV.

Describe the importance of refugee, IDP and statelessness statistics, relevantinternational legal frameworks, and their relevance for operational and national
policy applications.
Discuss the role of the Expert Group on Refugee, IDP and Statelessness Statistics(EGRISS) and its outputs in providing the statistical framework for the compilationof official statistics in response to the various data needs.
Apply concepts and definitions and make use of the main data sources for refugee,
IDP and statelessness statistics according to internationally endorsedrecommendations.
Outline the challenges associated with the collection, compilation, anddissemination of statistics on refugees, IDPs, and stateless persons.
Appraise the importance of coordination of data on refugees, IDPs and statelesspersons to facilitate policy development and apply the recommendations in practice.
COURSE DESIGN AND CONTENT

The e-learning course is comprised of 6 interactive modules that are hosted on the SIAP
Learning Management System (LMS). Each of the 6 interactive modules consist of slides
with explanations. Avatars and interactive elements are used throughout the course toenhance participant engagement and additional resources are provided at the end of eachmodule. After all modules have been completed, participants who would like to receive acertificate, will be required to complete a final assessment that covers all modules and a shortcourse evaluation form. The online modules are expected to take about of 7 hours to complete.
Participants are also expected to attend weekly webinars that will provide an overview of thecourse topics and allow for participants to ask questions. These webinars also aim to provide
a space for practitioners to share their experiences of using the recommendations and offer
insights to support their implementation. More details will be provided at the beginning of
the course. Furthermore, participants are encouraged to actively participate in the online
discussion forum of the course. Topics for discussion will be posted on a regular basis and2

participants are invited to share their views/comments/questions. In total, it is estimated thatthe course will take about 26 hours (online modules, webinars, contributions to online
discussions and review of course reference materials).

Course Outline
Module1. Introduction to theInternational
Recommendations onRefugee, IDP andStatelessness Statistics

Coverage
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Why we need statistics on refugees, IDPs andstatelessness
Applications and challenges
Official statistics and operational data
EGRISS and its key achievementsDefining refugees, IDPs and statelessness instatistics
Data sources for refugees, IDP and statelessness
statistics
Coordination of refugee, IDP and statelessness
statistics

2. Refugee statistics:
measuring stocks, flows
and characteristics••••

Legal framework
Statistical framework
Stocks and flows
Measuring integration and satisfaction of ongoingneeds

3. IDP statistics: measuring
stocks, flows andcharacteristics••••

Legal and policy framework
Statistical framework
Stocks and flows
Durable solutions and key displacement-related
vulnerabilities
Variables and tabulations for IDP statistics•4. Statelessness statistics:
measuring stocks, flows
and characteristics••••

Policy and legal framework
Statistical framework
Stocks and flows
Measuring the characteristics of statelesspopulations3

5. Data sources, analysis and ••dissemination
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6. National, regional andinternational statisticalcoordination

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V.

Population and housing censuses
Sample surveys
Administrative data
Alternative data sources
Operational data
Confidentiality and data sharing
Evaluation and quality assessment
Analysis and dissemination
Principles of statistical coordination
Statistical coordination at the national level
Coordination amongst regional and international
partners
Recommendations to improve the coordination of
refugee, IDP and statelessness statistics

EVALUATION

Participants’ understanding of the material will be reinforced through integrated miniassessments in each interactive module as well as a final assessment upon completion of all
modules.
Participants will be given 60 minutes to complete the final assessment. They may take theexam up to five times and retain their best score. Participants may not work together on theassessment. The course facilitator reserves the right to deny course certificates to participantssuspected of cheating.
Participants will be eligible to receive certificates of completion upon (i) attaining a minimum
grade of 70% in the final assessment; and (ii) completing the course evaluation questionnaire.

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