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Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Global Migration Institute

Nelson Mandela Walk on TMU campus

At the Global Migration Institute, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are foundational to our approach to research excellence.

We are committed to fostering an environment that actively addresses systemic inequities within migration scholarship, policy, and practice. 

We recognize that long-standing structural barriers within academia and research institutions have historically hindered the full participation, access, representation, and leadership opportunities of individuals from underrepresented groups. Our vision is to cultivate a research ecosystem where innovation is driven by a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences.

Our approach to EDI is guided by these foundational principles:

  • Co-creation and collaborative research practices

We ensure that research focuses on the rights and needs of marginalized and vulnerable migrant populations, acknowledging how race, gender, sexual orientation, class, age, ability, citizenship, and migration status intersect to shape these experiences.  We prioritize co-creation with all stakeholders, including students, early-career researchers, and more experienced academics, while also engaging policymakers, community partners, and research participants, as valued contributors to knowledge creation.

  • An intersectional perspective

We apply an intersectional lens to all work, recognizing how race, gender, class, age, sexual orientation, citizenship and legal status, geography, ability, and other social factors intersect to shape migration experiences and the production of knowledge. This approach allows us to address diverse experiences of discrimination and systemic racism.

  • Accountability

We prioritize respectful and safe collaboration with migrant and precarious communities and remain attentive to power dynamics in research design and implementation. Research outputs, tools, and digital platforms developed by the Institute are freely accessible to all, especially to research participants and organizational partners.

  • Diverse membership

We actively promote the full participation of  underrepresented groups, ensuring  an intersectional diversity within our research teams and stakeholders. We are committed to improving recruitment and retention rates for HQP and early-career researchers, and enhancing work satisfaction for all researchers and staff.

  • Ethical technology

We advocate for the ethical use of technology, ensuring digital solutions do not further marginalize vulnerable migrant populations. 

  • Continuous learning and institutional reflection

We commit to regularly re-visiting and strengthening our policies, practices, and partnerships through dialogue, feedback, ongoing reflexivity, and transparency. We recognize that EDI work requires commitment, continual reassessment and improvement, in order to create lasting change in academia and research ecosystems

While EDI is integral to our migration research, the team at the Global Migration Institute appreciates that these principles must also be embedded across our institutional practices, including recruitment, governance, leadership development, research processes, and knowledge mobilization. This work demands commitment to ongoing learning and accountability.