Fueling smarter European immigration and asylum policies
The Italian National Commission for the Right of Asylum (NCRA), under the Ministry of Interior, handles requests for international protection. It also serves as Italy’s main contact with international asylum bodies like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). The EUAA helps member countries apply asylum laws, including by providing analysis on third countries considered safe for return.
To support these efforts, ACLED provides the NCRA with detailed, real-time information and analysis on political violence and protest trends around the world — offering critical context for evaluating the safety and stability of countries of origin and potential return.
Challenge
Migrants arriving by sea to Italy surged by over 50% in 2023, with more than 157,000 people crossing the Mediterranean — one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. Many flee escalating violence and instability in countries like Sudan, Libya, and Somalia, making Italy a frontline EU country for asylum processing.
As violence escalates and conditions shift rapidly, the NCRA must be able to accurately assess asylum claims, requiring access to reliable, real-time information on fast-evolving conflict dynamics in migrants’ countries of origin.
Solution
As an ACLED license holder for many years, the NCRA addresses this challenge by accessing ACLED’s real-time and historical conflict data. NCRA analysts regularly use ACLED data to inform Country of Origin Information (COI) reports — in-depth, regularly updated assessments that examine violence against civilians, fatality estimates, armed group activity, and more. These reports are a core resource for the NCRA’s security analysis and decision-making. A number of other European national migration offices also rely on ACLED data and tools to improve and inform their COI resources.
Why does NCRA choose ACLED data?
- ACLED’s efficient, systematic process for data collection is led by researchers who code information based on local sources, capturing around 375,000 events per year.
- ACLED is an independent non-profit conflict monitor that produces unbiased information about political violence and protest globally.
- The dataset provides geolocated data on political disruptions, violence, and armed conflict in every country.
- ACLED captures intelligence on key trends through our robust data platforms — showcasing data, analysis, and forecasting.
Beyond providing unlimited data access, ACLED partnered with the NCRA to pilot customized regional platforms — mapping political violence and protest events by region to easily visualize the data on the spot.
Impact
By integrating ACLED into COI workflows, agencies reduce reliance on fragmented or outdated sources — streamlining processes, improving accuracy, and enhancing legal defensibility. This translates into more efficient case handling, reduced appeals, and stronger public trust in the asylum system.
What is your key challenge?
Speak to one of our specialists and find out how ACLED can support your data needs.
