Background paper12

Theme 3: Addressing human mobility as part of urban

and rural development strategies

Roundtable Session 3.1:

Supporting Arrival Cities through Policy Coherence and
Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships

Introduction
Global trends of rapid urbanization are reshaping the world. Today, 55% of the world’s population lives in
urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050i. 95% of global urban expansion will
take place in developing countries, mostly in Africa and Asia.ii Nearly all migrants and displaced persons,
whether international or internal, are destined for citiesiii. Increasing mobility, manifest in more mixed
migration flows, is multiplying the presence of ‘arrival cities’ as cities of origin also become places of
transit and destination.
Migrants and displaced persons move to cities because that is where their human capital is most rewarded.iv
Migratory flows turn cities into hubs of diversity and innovationv and make local authorities the first
responders to the needs of migrants and displaced persons.vi Cities on every continent find themselves at
the forefront of managing the positive and negative impacts of migration in their territories as well as the
promotion of inclusive, safe and sustainable urban environments.vii The governance of migration or, indeed,
the governance of societies more broadly, is changing in recognition of the rapidly growing importance of
the world’s cities to the workings of societies and their economies.viii
The term ‘arrival cities’ was coined to describe cities that function as places of opportunity and upward
mobility for newcomers, that create enabling conditions for new arrivals to settle, connect, and belong.ix
Yet, beneficial outcomes from migration into cities are not guaranteed. Much depends on urban policy
choices as well as the capacity of cities to set and implement their own policies. Levels of decentralization
and devolution vary across countries and shape cities’ ability to respond and adapt services. Migration and

1 The background paper has been prepared by the Mayors Mechanism, under the guidance of the RT 3.1 Co-Chairs Egypt and
Switzerland, and with valuable inputs from RT Team members during and between the Roundtable Consultations. Though all
attempts have been made to make sure that the information provided is accurate, the authors do not accept any liability or give any
guarantee for the validity, accuracy and completeness of the information in this paper, which is intended to solely inform and
stimulate discussion of Roundtable session 3.1 during the GFMD Summit meeting in January 2020. It is not exhaustive in its
treatment of the session 3.1 theme and does not necessarily reflect the views of the authors, the GFMD organizers or the
governments or international organizations involved in the GFMD process.
2
The Mayors Mechanism is steered by UCLG, the Mayors Migration Council, and IOM with inputs from ICMPD and Cities
Alliance and the LIAT coalition (Local Inclusion Action Tool) composed of the OECD, Council of Europe, Migration Policy Group
and Welcoming International.

1
displacement to urban areas manifest differently between the North and South, between megacities and
small urban areas of secondary cities or rural areas that are becoming urbanized. While local authorities
often serve as the implementing arm of national policies and priorities or are empowered to act through a
transfer of competencies, their ability to act can be compromised by a lack of consultation, support, human
and financial resources or capacity development from the national and global levels.
Over the past decades, cities have started to organize themselves to mobilize political and financial support,
shape global agendas and disseminate good practice and innovation. Today, there are an estimated 200 to
300 city networks around the world, some of which focus on migration. City mobilization, with support
from some national governments and international organizations, led to the creation of the Global Mayoral
Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development (“Mayoral Forum”) in 2013, and of the GFMD
Mayors’ Mechanism (MM) in 2018 which is steered jointly by United Cities and Local Governments
(UCLG), the Mayors Migration Council (MMC)x and IOM. Consequently, and for the first time, the 2019
Mayoral Forum will be organized as an integral part of the GFMD Summit in Quito with a view to bringing
the voices and experiences of local and regional authorities to the GFMD and strengthening the dialogue
between national and local levels of government on a continuous basis. Echoing and further strengthening
this inclusion of cities and local authorities, this GFMD also features two Round Table discussions (RT 3.1
and RT 3.2) around the theme of ‘Addressing human mobility as part of urban and rural development
strategies’ to which this background paper contributes. A small delegation representing the Mayoral Forum
is expected to participate in the Round Table discussion 3.1 in Quito.
Cities’ and local authorities’ role has been formally recognized in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly
and Regular Migration (GCM) and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). Both call on governments and
international organizations to apply a whole-of-government approach to the governance of migration to
ensure horizontal and vertical policy coherencexi across all sectors and all levels of government. Both
Compacts also specify the necessity to involve and support local authorities.xii
Policy coherence in migration and development can be defined as policies that pursue synergies to advance
shared objectives, actively seek to minimize or eliminate negative side effects of policies and prevent
policies from detracting from one another or from the achievement of the agreed-upon goal. Policy
coherence can occur vertically between local and national governments and horizontally across governance
sectors at all levels of governance. The purpose of RT 3.1 entitled “Supporting Arrival Cities through Policy
Coherence and Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships” is to explore how local authorities and other local actors,
national governments and international organizations can coordinate their efforts and work together to
achieve policy coherence in order to ensure that the arrival and inclusion of migrants contribute to broader
policies to build safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities for all, as called for in the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda (NUA).
To this end, the background paper highlights the expertise and experiences that local authorities can bring
as well as the challenges and opportunities cities face in responding to migration. It includes examples of
how cities are already supporting migrants’ inclusion, drawing on cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder
partnerships. It further makes the case for pursuing areas of common ground and creating dialogue
mechanisms to address potentially diverging priorities between national and local governments on
migration. The paper ends with formulating a series of ideas for action for local, national and international
stakeholders and a set of guiding questions to frame the discussions during the Round Table.
Key issues: Challenges and how cities are responding
Challenges faced by migrants
That migrants and displaced persons often face barriers is well known. These can be aggravated when they
arrive and settle in urban areas that experience high levels of poverty and/or population growth, and are
overstretched in their ability to provide land, housing, utilities and services to all residents. Where cities

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are exposed to climate impacts, environmental hazards and disaster risk, it is often the poorest residents and
recent arrivals, who settle in the most vulnerable areas and are at greatest risk to lose their homes, lives and
livelihoods.xiii
Recent studies show that migrants and displaced persons are disproportionately represented among the
urban poor, particularly in many informal settlements.xiv Urban migrants and displaced persons tend to lack
opportunities and resources to enjoy the benefits of urban life and have limited access to basic necessities
including decent housing, education and health care.xv They face precarious housing conditions and land
insecurity, with the frequent threat of eviction; poor urban health conditions; a lack of secure work
opportunities, where the skills and experience that migrants bring are not adequately recognized; as well as
experiences of discrimination in both institutional contexts and in everyday urban life. They also may face
a range of implicit or explicit social, cultural and linguistic barriers in the access to basic services, with
undocumented migrants often experiencing additional barriers that exacerbate exclusion.
In certain cases, migrants and refugees residing in informal settlements may remain invisible from existing
governance structures, thus accentuating their vulnerability.xvi Moreover, migrants and displaced persons
tend to concentrate in the more affordable suburbs or outer-ring districts or settlements that have low
population densities and sparse public spaces. These neighbourhoods often come with various spatial and
policy barriers that isolate migrant residents from local infrastructure, services or public spaces. For
example, zoning restrictions can prevent migrants from opening small legal businesses, barriers to property
markets discourage migrants and other vulnerable populations living in these areas from investing in home
improvements and limited transit options cut newcomers off from employment opportunities and
centralized services.xvii
Challenges faced by city administrations
Migration is part of the DNA of cities. The most dynamic and thriving cities are those that attract people.
Thus, while migration into cities can present city leadership and administrations with a variety of
challenges, it is important to note that cities generally do not consider migration as a problem, but rather as
an integral part of what it means to be and manage a city.
The kind of challenges that migration raises, depend to a great degree on the scope and speed of movements
– whether cities are dealing with a sudden large influx or gradual growth –, on the profile of the migrants
(in terms of age, gender, health, skills level), and on the pattern of movement, i.e. whether it is short-term
or transitory, or results in more long-term settlement. Challenges and the necessary policy interventions
also depend on the nature of the city and the conditions under which it operates, including the level of
development in the country.
Cities in the Global South are often faced with acute problems that increasing immigration may exacerbate,
ranging from unemployment and food insecurity to health and environmental risks. The level of
decentralization and autonomy cities may or may not have and the human and financial resources available
at city level also play an important role. The size of the city may also bring various challenges. For example,
the fastest urban growth is happening in secondary cities thanks to a complex blend of international and
rural-to-urban internal movements, as well as the reclassification of rural areas to urban. However, in such
cities local capacities and approaches to manage or leverage migration are often non-existent or under-
developed. Thus, fast growing and small cities are often heavily dependent on support from partners,
including the UN, international NGOs, foundations and local CSOs, which can pose challenges in terms of
the sustainability, ownership and scale of interventions.
From the perspective of city administrations and local authorities, the challenges facing migrants in cities
are often reflective of – and have the potential to aggravate – existing threats to social cohesion such as
spatial segregation, marginalization of certain groups, as well as social and economic disparities including
the inequal distribution of wealth. A lack of awareness and understanding of migration among city officials

3
also limits their ability to respond adequately. Even with such an understanding, political priorities and
focus may be elsewhere. Negative public perception and political discourse may also have an impact on
cities’ willingness or capacity to provide support for migrants which, if it is provided, can further fuel social
tensions, perceptions of favouritism and discrimination. Furthermore, city administrations and local
authorities may not have the competency or legal authority to act in certain cases. For example, a recent
study showed that out of a sample of EU cities of different sizes, 90% experienced communication gaps
with the other levels of government as the biggest challenge to successful migrant and refugee inclusion. xviii
Where cities are able and willing to support migrants, the latter can be particularly hard to reach oftentimes
due to a lack of trust in authorities or a lack of information on the availability of services or the inability to
take advantage of the same due to conflicting schedules or lack of child care options. Reaching and
supporting undocumented migrants presents a particular challenge in this regard. Resources, whether
human or financial, are always a challenge in sub-national governments and a siloed work culture or
difficulties coordinating across governance sectors can arise caused by spatial disaggregation of
departments and a lack of incentives or opportunities to engage and work in a cross-cutting manner.
All of these challenges can either be the result of or aggravated by horizontal policy incoherence. For
example, a given city may have policies to ensure equal opportunities to access decent work, yet transport
and urban planning policies may not consider the difficulties migrants face accessing job opportunities and
centralized services. Breaking down these silos is extremely difficult without sufficient awareness,
understanding and data on migration in urban settings. Thus, it is crucial to have data on migration
disaggregated at the local level in order to understand the unique and diverse migratory dynamics that occur
even within the same country.
However, cities also face many challenges accessing data at the local level. This is particularly relevant for
irregular migration given its inherently clandestine nature. Migration dynamics can also be difficult to
understand with data being pooled from various sources and oftentimes incomparable and of low quality.
Scattered or poorly disseminated information can also distort public debate on migration and fuel social
tensions.xix A lack of data limits cities’ capacity to respond adequately to migration or displacement and to
steer and anticipate demographic dynamics, including those related to migration, as an integral part of urban
planning. Data and understanding on rural-urban migration, and how it affects or is affected by urban
development, also tends to receive little attention, yet rural-urban migration is an important contributor to
urbanization and population growth in cities.
How cities are responding
There are many ways in which cities respond to the challenges and seize the opportunities of migration.
The scope of their work includes offering welcoming services; ensuring access, coordination or provision
of basic services; supporting social, economic, spatial, financial and civic integration of migrants and
refugees; encouraging initiatives that protect the rights and reduce vulnerabilities and favor inclusion (anti-
discrimination measures, action against incidences of intolerance, racism, xenophobia and to help shape a
better-informed narrative on migration).
Better understanding of and collection of data on migration:
While it may be difficult to collect, understand or compare, cities often hold a plethora of local level data
on migration that could be disaggregated by migratory status and tapped by making feasible changes to
existing data collection methods and capacity building, e.g. among local health clinics, schools and local
social security offices. In the region of Sedhiou in Senegal, a method to develop territorial migration data
profiles was established and carried out in order to enhance six municipalities’ understanding of the
migratory dynamics in their territories and respond accordingly.xx In Gaziantep, Turkey, the city has
developed a geographical database system in order to share data among municipal departments on
vulnerable groups including migrants.xxi In the region of Calabarzon, the regional government established

4
a mixed-model approach to collecting migration data from across various sources and developed a guide to
support local government units in applying the same.xxii
Targeted responses to ensure access to services and opportunities for migrants:
As cities receive migrants and displaced persons, many provide welcoming services to ensure a smooth
transition towards integration. Such services include language classes, orientation and legal support,
information and referral to specialized services. In Morocco, various municipalities in the region of Souss-
Massa have established Migration Reception and Orientation Offices for returning Moroccans in order to
support them with the administrative procedures related to their social rights acquired during their stays
abroad, for example to gain access to their pensions.xxiii In Castelfiorentino (Italy) under the Castello Alto
Project, local residents and civic organizations participate in the reception of new arrivals, which has led to
improved social cohesion in the multicultural neighbourhood around the old city centre.xxiv São Paulo
developed a Referral and Assistance Centre for Immigrants, a specialized public service that provides,
among other, guidance on the regularization of documental status, legal counseling, social assistance, as
well as referral to Portuguese classes in public schools, job intermediation services, and short-term shelter.
The City of Lisbon’s One Stop Shop that brings together under one roof and streamlines services to
immigrants and ensures open access to everyone (regardless of status) has been an inspiration for other
cities.
A critical element of successful settlement in cities is support for the economic integration of migrants
and displaced persons. For example, the Province of Pichincha, Ecuador, has put in place a prize for
inclusion and social responsibility to incentivize businesses to hire migrants and refugees. The region of
Souss-Massa in Morocco is facilitating labour market insertion in key sectors where many migrants tend to
work, such as agriculture, by making it unnecessary to have specific documents, only some form of
identification. In the city of Puebla, Mexico, fast tracking of certification of skills for returnees is taking
place in order to facilitate re-entry into the labour market. The Recycle Beirut initiative aims at “merging
two problems into a solution”: the project contributes to solving the country’s waste crisis while offering
work opportunities for vulnerable Syrian refugees in the country.xxv
Cities are often best placed to understand and mitigate the exploitation of particularly vulnerable
migrants such as children or undocumented migrants and victims of trafficking. The City of Chicago
(USA) has developed public-private partnerships to create a local protection fund whereby civil society
organisations can work with immigration lawyers so that all migrants know exactly which services they
can and cannot access depending on their status.xxvi Cities also have to make sure existing services are
accessible for migrants and displaced persons. The City of Malaga in Spain ensures that identification
pieces are not required when accessing services thus limiting discrimination and reassuring migrants that
their migratory status will not be in question when reaching out for services.
Mainstreaming migration into local and urban policy planning:
Mainstreaming migration into policy planning in other sectors is an established good practice that fosters
policy coherence. It is achieved by integrating migration factors into local policy planning to ensure that
the effects of migration and needs of migrants are embedded in the broader development context of a given
territory.xxvii This means looking into how migration affects and is affected by other sectoral policies like
health, education, employment, law enforcement and security, urban planning etc. and adjusting these or
developing new policies or programmes to be inclusive of migrants’ needs. For around fifteen years the
city of Lisbon has worked on opening up the peripheral neighbourhoods of the city, in particular Flamenga
and Armador in the district of Marvilla (north-east Lisbon). Apart from the renovation of public spaces,
carried out with the participation of neighbourhood organisations, Lisbon City Council improved access to
the neighbourhood with better infrastructure, services and cultural events.

5
Cities have also seen the added value of integrating diversity considerations within law enforcement
and community policing. This can include expanding migrant and other minority recruitment in police
services both to provide secure jobs for migrants as well as to make law enforcement more representative
of the community they serve and apt at peaceably interacting with migrants and other minorities. In Lyon,
the Agence Lyon Tranquilité et Médiation (ALTM), an agency of mediation promoted by the municipality,
helped to decrease social tension in Gabriel Péri square, which plays a central role for migrant populations
in the city. This initiative deploys uniformed mediators to promote long-term social cohesion in a specific
and ‘problematic’ area of the city. This state-led intervention exemplifies how social cohesion can be
strengthened through a collective, holistic approach that aims at building bridges rather than promoting
exclusionary security measures.xxviii
Cities also have a historic role in the promotion of culture. Social inclusion of disadvantaged groups,
particularly in the redevelopment of urban areas and urban spaces can be facilitated through wider
recognition of their cultural identity. Cultural infrastructures such as museums can offer civic spaces for
intercultural dialogue and knowledge sharing and contribute to social cohesion and mutual understanding.
Investing in cultural infrastructure and industries, and promoting social participation through culture can
help cities to build more inclusive societies and coherent urban territories, as illustrated by the example of
Medellin, Colombia.xxix Over the last decade, the city’s plans have carefully repurposed public spaces
including libraries and parks to become cultural centers that encourage citizen exchange and promote
cultural cohesion as a foundation for shared meaning in the community.3
Applying a multi-stakeholder approach:
Cities are consistently developing innovative and targeted partnerships with a variety of local actors.
Civil society organizations (CSOs), in particular, have acquired years of experience and know-how in
facilitating integration and social cohesion, as recognized in the 2017 GFMD Background Paper 3.2 entitled
Strengthening cooperation: Enabling civil society contributions in migrant integration. CSOs often occupy
a position of trust and act as mediators and facilitators between migrants, their communities, and other
residents and the relevant local authorities, promoting an effective response to migrants’ needs. They can
also bring migrants and nationals together in activities to promote awareness, understanding and social
cohesion. xxx In Amman, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) manages the activities of the Hashmy
Janoubi community centre, which serves the local community living on the outskirts of the city through
projects addressed to migrants and local inhabitants alike. In Tangier, Morocco, the municipality is working
closely with civil society initiatives to promote social cohesion and access to services for migrants given
the lack of deconcentrated services of the ministry in charge of migration.xxxi
The extent to which other local actors can support local authorities in fostering social cohesion and inclusion
depends on the type of engagement established by the local authority and the purpose of that engagement.
The below scale, adapted from the aforementioned Background Paper 3.2, highlights the various degrees
to which governments can engage with other local actors.
Inform Consult Involve Collaborate Empower
Cities provide Cities seek advice Cities work directly Cities partner with Cities partner with
information to other from other local with other local local actors and local actors and
local actors on their actors and provide actors throughout ensure their ensure their
priorities in relation feedback on how the process to participation in all participation/
to social cohesion this has influenced, ensure their areas of planning, coordinate all
or not, the decisions concerns and implementation and actions and
made aspirations are M&E of social empower them by

3 The municipality of Nador, Morocco, and the Association Thissaghnasse pour la Culture et le Développement (ASTICUDE)
worked together to promote Nador as an inclusive and multicultural city through the organization of the Intercultural Exhibition
showing how migrants contributed to the local culture. The latest edition of the exhibition included 10 African countries and became
a landmark event for the city. (MC2CM P2P Sfax, June 2019)

6
 consistently inclusion related providing financial
understood efforts or support by and technical
coordinating all support
efforts

The type of actors and support they can bring vary in each context and according to their capacities. The
below table is a non-exhaustive list which outlines example actors and possible areas of collaboration:
Private sector Technical assistance and training for new entrepreneurs; mobilizing investments as well
for projects related to social cohesion; public-private partnerships for service provision or
more inclusive workforce.
Universities Tailoring research to fill data and knowledge gaps on migration and social cohesion,
monitoring and evaluating social cohesion efforts, supporting knowledge management
efforts to learn and build on good practices.
Schools Bringing parents of locals and newcomers together in buddy systems; promotion of social
cohesion and diversity in curricula, physical spaces for cultural exchange.
Civil society Wide range of abilities to deliver services, awareness raising, providing access to hard to
reach migrants.
Diaspora, migrants’ Brings understanding of languages and cultural specificities, knowledge of territory of
associations origin, bridge building across territories for enhanced trade and knowledge transfer
beneficial for both territories, provision of services such as welcoming and integration
services, bringing the voice of migrants to policy making
Media Framing migration and diversity in a more positive light to build a positive public image of
migration. Promote the humanization of migration and influence employers, policy makers,
politicians and the general public
*Adapted from My JMDI Toolbox Module 2 on Establishing partnerships, cooperation and dialogue on M&D at local level available here:
http://migration4development.org/sites/default/files/module_2_eng.pdf

Examples of multi-stakeholder partnerships in cities include the Welcome Network of civil society actors
in the city of Barcelona, which helps reach out to migrants that are hard to contact. The Greater Amman
Municipality, the French Agency for Development, the French Red Cross and the Jordanian Red Crescent
launched a joint strategy to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations, improving living conditions,
expanding social communication between refugees and the local community, and establishing community-
based activities and opportunities for capacity building in the Badr Nazzal district.xxxii
Many cities are moving away from the idea of ‘integration’ of migrants towards ‘inclusion’ of migrants or
a general concept of ‘social inclusion’ allowing for an approach of a city coming together to embrace
all of its diversity, making it an endeavor for all. This has meant implementing social cohesion policies that
integrate migrants and displaced persons and their needs into a whole-of-community approach and help
raise awareness and understanding among local populations. For example, the city of Mannheim in
Germany is developing a ‘living together in diversity’ alliance across over 300 local actors including
schools, cultural centres, sports centres, etc. with a view to jointly deciding, with all including migrants,
how society would like to ‘live together’. Several cities have developed mechanisms for including
migrants and displaced persons in local policy making and implementation at the local level. In the City
of São Paulo, the "Municipal Council of Immigrants" allows immigrant residents to participate in the
formulation, implementation and monitoring of the city's policies. The city of Taoyuan, Taiwan has
introduced an award-winning Participatory Budgeting for Migrant Workers.xxxiii
Welcoming International, a civil society organization, has developed a ‘Welcoming Network’ which
provides tools, resources, technical assistance, and a global network to help nonprofit and local and national
government partners transform communities into more welcoming places.xxxiv International organizations
and donors have been working to support national authorities to better equip their local counterparts to
manage social cohesion and inclusion through a combination of knowledge exchange, capacity building
and technical support to pilot or implement concrete initiatives. Support from a variety of actors is leading

7
to increasing experience and lessons learnt and the consolidation of this knowledge into training tools and
guidance accessible to all.xxxv
The Government of Uruguay has set up a multi-stakeholder and consultative approach to State migration
policy, institutional responses and coordination in the care and protection of the rights of migrants arriving
in cities. Drive by the National Migration Board which is chaired by the Ministry of Foreign affairs,
coordination and the establishment of lines of action has been set up together with department and municipal
authorities as well as representatives of civil society, academia, the private sector and other public
authorities. This has involved a series of actions including capacity development for department and
municipal officials, data collection and studies at the departmental level and enhanced coordination between
the National Migration Board and local governments to respond to critical bottlenecks occurring in service
provision e.g. with the provision of temporary housing.
Main controversies
In many countries, the success of cities anchors the national economy and will prove critical to addressing
societal challenges such as mitigating and adapting to climate change, creating economic opportunities for
growing populations, managing the risks and opportunities of digitalization and maintaining peaceful
coexistence. The decisions that cities take have ripple effects beyond their jurisdiction, just as their ability
to act is constrained by policies adopted at the national and international levels. City governments and
national governments must work hand in hand, even in the face of political differences.
When mayors committed to implementing the GCM and GCR in unison in the Marrakech Declaration of
December 2018, they readily acknowledged the immigration policy prerogative of states, but asked to be
consulted in the elaboration of policies that affect their cities. As outlined by the Honorable Mayor of
Bristol, Marvis Rees, during the Global Mayoral Forum in Marrakesh: “There is no delivery of a GCM if
cities do not deliver”. Yet, while cities have contributed to and shaped global agreements, the nation state-
based multilateral system continues to exclude local authorities from formal decision-making bodies and
processes. National governments often resist cities’ inclusion in policy deliberations, particularly on issues
as politicized as migration.
On migration, when local policies diverge from those of national governments, there is a risk of political
confrontation. Local and national authorities need to find and often strike a delicate balance between
respecting the sovereign prerogative of the state to determine entries and stay, while ensuring national
policies and frameworks adequately and efficiently respond to the needs of cities and realities of migration
at the local level. A growing trend towards devolution, by which decision-making power is transferred from
national to sub-national levels of government, is not always accompanied by a commensurate allocation of
resources from national budgets or the authority to raise own revenue at the local level, leaving local
authorities with more responsibilities but inadequate means to deliver.
Varying degrees of political and fiscal decentralization across countries combined with unique migratory
and development contexts mean that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to finding the right balance and
structuring cooperation between levels of government. Yet, no matter their formal competencies, cities on
every continent are assuming important responsibilities in managing the impact and seizing the
opportunities of migration. Innovative solutions at the local level can and often do inform and enrich policy
and decision-making at higher levels of governance.4

4 For example, in the Philippines, several regions such as Calabarzon, Bicol and Western Visayas feature a multi-stakeholder and
multi-level group called a Committee on Migration and Development (CMD) that is involved in implementing migration and
development programming and initiatives across sectors. The CMDs are comprised of regional and local government offices as
well as representatives from private companies, academia, civil society and migrants’ organisations. Within each region, provinces,
cities and municipalities also have their corresponding CMD. Vertical coordination is therefore ensured via the key coordination
of the regional CMDs which support municipal CMDs localize national priorities and take local needs up to national level policy

8
Ideas for action
Cities’ successes in integration – in giving newcomers a chance at social and economic inclusion – are
states’ successes in immigration that can create political space for policy experimentation. National
governments and international partners have an interest to invest in cities as motors of development, while
ensuring linkages with and an extension of development benefits to countries at large. Coordination across
levels of government is needed, including to arrive at a pragmatic and coherent approach to governing
informality in cities, in line with the NUA’s commitment to realize a “right to the city” for all.
Specific recommendations are outlined below:
To support and empower cities in their capacity to build inclusive cities with shared prosperity for all in
line with the NUA and the SDGs:
Ensure horizontal policy coherence in cities:
- Cities could set up multi-stakeholder consultation and coordination mechanisms with all other
relevant actors including migrants, migrants’ associations and representatives of displaced
persons, diaspora etc. and other sectors for a whole-of-society approach to migration
governancexxxvi that ensures greater coordination of services
- Cities could set up internal institutional bodies in charge of coordinating mainstreaming processes
for policy coherence and which should receive due human and financial resourcesxxxvii
- Cities, with the support of national and international agencies, could actively seek to improve data
collection, including through surveys to capture the perception of migrants and host communities,
and measurement of progress and collection of lessons learnt across all relevant sectors
- National authorities could ensure the integration of migration and displacement considerations in
capacity development of national and local civil servants
Strengthen city agency:
National authorities could consider revising allocation of competencies to cities – in accordance
with national law and political structure – to empower them in their efforts to ensure social
cohesion and accompany this with the necessary financial and human resources
- National authorities, multi-lateral development banks and international organizations could use
funding pools, including the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for GCM implementation, to incentivize
and reward cities that are progressing in achieving social cohesion
Streamline support for cities:
- In the Marrakech Mayors Declaration of 2018, cities committed to advance the principles and
objectives of both, the GCM and the GCR in unison, which calls for integrated and coherent
support by international organizations involved in the implementation of both Compacts
- International Organizations could ensure Mayors and city administrations are not overburdened
with different approaches and ways of working by bringing together their tools and expertise and
pursuing the commitments made under the NUA to support cities within an overarching matrix of
actions to orient cities, building on tools such as the OECD Checklist, Intercultural City index,
Welcoming International Certification, Migration Governance Indicators and an inventory of
practices from over 400 cities developed by the LIAT coalition
- IOM, as coordinator of the UN Network on Migration, has a key role in promoting concerted UN
support to cities’ involvement in the implementation of the GCM, including access to capacity
development support within the efforts of the capacity building mechanism

making. (UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative, Guidelines on Mainstreaming Migration into Local Policy Development
Planning, Brussels, 2016)

9
To ensure that cities’ responses to the arrival and inclusion of migrants inform national and global
policymaking as well as the review of the global commitments in the GCM, SDGs and the NUA:
Foster vertical policy coherence across levels of government:
- National authorities could consider developing a national urban policy together with cities to
reinforce existing urban policies and align national activities with global prioritiesxxxviii
- National authorities could acknowledge the role and support needed by cities and create specific
coordination and consultation mechanisms to allow for joint policymaking, planning and
implementation
- National authorities and city networks could work to ensure cities understand and are able to
connect their policies and programmes to achieving global agendas
Include diverse city voices in policymaking processes:
- City associations and networks could be proactive in surfacing the needs and interests of smaller
cities and in supporting organizing efforts among those cities to enable them to actively
participate in national and global policy dialogues on migration and development and in
processes for the national implementation and review of the NUA, the SDGs and the GCM
Learn from cities about policy solutions:
- National authorities and the international community could recognise and learn from the vast
experience of cities that are already making much progress in building resilient and inclusive
communities for all by supporting, and participating in, knowledge sharing including through the
GFMD and the inclusion of cities in formal review processes, such as the IMRF and the HLPF
Partner with cities to drive the implementation of global commitments:
- International organizations, national governments, business and civil society organizations could
partner with cities through join action pledges to help realize the commitments made in the
Marrakesh Mayors Declaration towards the implementation of the GCM and the GCR
Work together to improve global understanding of the role of cities on migration:
- International organizations and city networks could ensure the increasing plethora of events,
dialogues and conferences on migration and cities are coherent and feed off one another to
continue to further global understanding
- International organizations could adopt an integrated monitoring platform for SDG indicators
related to sustainable urbanization and integrate migration and displacement in it

Guiding questions for discussion:

- How can existing networks and initiatives support policy coherence for arrival cities?
- What does pursuing vertical policy coherence on migration and development look like in States
with high levels of decentralization compared to States with more centralized governance
frameworks?
- How can national authorities and international organizations ensure cities have access to funding
pools, including the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for GCM implementation?
- How can the formal inclusion of local authorities within the GFMD, through the Mayors
Mechanism, facilitate ongoing dialogue on shared concerns and lead to joint action and initiatives
by different levels of government?

10
 - What, if any, policies have national governments adopted to steer and direct migration flows
within their territories? To what extend are those coordinated with local authorities?
- What good practices exist whereby national authorities are actively supporting and empowering
arrival cities for a more coherent approach to migration governance that contributes to sustainable
development outcomes?

i
UN DESA, World Urbanisation Prospects, 2018 edition
ii UN DESA, World Urbanisation Prospects, 2014 edition
iii
Most people can agree that cities are places where large numbers of people live and work; they are hubs of government,
commerce and transportation. But how best to define the geographical limits of a city is a matter of some debate. So far, no
standardized international criteria exist for determining the boundaries of a city and often multiple different boundary
definitions are available for any given city. One type of definition, sometimes referred to as the “city proper”, describes a city
according to an administrative boundary. A second approach, termed the “urban agglomeration”, considers the extent of the
contiguous urban area, or built-up area, to delineate the city’s boundaries. A third concept of the city, the “metropolitan area”,
defines its boundaries according to the degree of economic and social interconnectedness of nearby areas, identified by
interlinked commerce or commuting patterns, for example. See: UNDESA, The World’s Cities in 2016, Data Booklet,
https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/urbanization/the_worlds_cities_in_2016_data_bookl
et.pdf; See also: https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/events/pdf/expert/27/papers/II/paper-Moreno-
final.pdf
iv IOM, World Migration Report, Geneva, 2018
v UN HABITAT, Access to adequate housing: The Pathway to Migrants’ Inclusion in Cities, Policy Brief within the context of the

5th Global Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development in Marrakesh, 2018.
vi UNGA, Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (A/Res/71/1),

New York, 2016 (Available here https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/71/1)

vii Marrakesh Mayors Declaration: Cities working together for migrants and refugees, adopted at the 5 th Mayoral Forum on

Human Mobility, Migration and Development

viii IOM, World Migration Report, Geneva, 2018
ix Saunders, Doug. Arrival City: How the Largest Migration in History Is Reshaping Our World. New York: Vintage Books, 2012.
x The MMC was launched in December 2018 as a mayor-led initiative guided by a leadership board of mayors from 10 cities

including Amman, Athens, Bristol, Freetown, Kampala, Los Angeles, Milan, Montreal, Sao Paulo and Zurich. The Council’s
mission is to facilitate cities’ access to and influence in international fora related to migration and refugee policy and to unlock
resources for cities to contribute to the implementation of international agreements at local level.
xi Policy coherence in migration and development can be defined as policies that pursue synergies to advance shared objectives,

actively seek to minimize or eliminate negative side effects of policies and prevent policies from detracting from one another or
from the achievement of the agreed-upon goal (JMDI, Mainstreaming Migration into Local Policy Planning, Brussels, 2016).
xii UNGA, Outcome text of the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular

Migration (A/CONF.231/3), 2018 (Available here https://undocs.org/en/A/CONF.231/3)

xivUNGA, Policy Paper 10: Housing policies, Developed by the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on
Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) A/CONF.226/PC.3/23, Surabaya, Indonesia, 2016.
xv UNGA, Policy Paper 1: Right to the city and cities for all, Developed by the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations

Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) A/CONF.226/PC.3/14, Surabaya, Indonesia, 2016.

xvii
Saunders, Doug. Arrival City: How the Largest Migration in History Is Reshaping Our World. New York: Vintage Books, 2012.
xviii OECD, Working Together for Local Integration of Migrations and Refugees, 2018 https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-
migration-health/working-together-for-local-integration-of-migrants-andrefugees_
9789264085350-en#page1
xix IOM, Migration and the 2030 Agenda: Guide for practitioners, Geneva, 2018
xx UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative, Success Stories: A collection of good practices and lessons learnt by local
actors harnessing the development potential of migration, Brussels, 2016
xxi
MC2CM Peer-Learning Event: How to build knowledge on urban migration: innovative tools and practices to face data
challenges, 19-20 March 2019, Al Hussein Cultural Centre, Amman
xxii UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative, Success Stories: A collection of good practices and lessons learnt by local

actors harnessing the development potential of migration, Brussels, 2016

xxiii UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative, Success Stories: A collection of good practices and lessons learnt by local

actors harnessing the development potential of migration, Brussels, 2016

11
xxiv Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments: “Towards the localization of SDGs”, 2019.
https://www.gold.uclg.org/sites/default/files/Localization2019_EN.pdf
xxv
Reference to be provided.
xxvi Example shared by the City of Chicago during the 5th Global Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and

Development, Marrakesh, 2018.

xxvii UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative, Guidelines on Mainstreaming Migration into Local Policy Development

Planning, Brussels, 2016

xxviii MC2CM Case study:

https://www.icmpd.org/fileadmin/1_2018/MC2CM/MC2M_case_studies/EN/EN_CaseStudies_Lyon_Online.pdf
xxix UNESCO, OHCHR; UN DESA; UN Habitat, Urban Culture and Heritage, Issue Paper 4, Habitat III Issue Papers
xxx GMFD Background Paper for Round Table Discussion 3.2, Strengthening Cooperation – Enabling Civil Society Contributions in

Migrant Integration, Germany, 2017 (Available here: https://gfmd.org/files/documents/gfmd_2017-

2018_rt_session_3.2_background_paper.pdf)
xxxi ICMPD UCLG and UN-Habitat within the framework of the MC2CM project, Case Study on Tangier, Available here:

https://www.icmpd.org/fileadmin/1_2018/MC2CM/MC2M_case_studies/EN/CaseStudies_Tangier_Print.pdf
xxxii MC2CM Case study:

https://www.icmpd.org/fileadmin/1_2018/MC2CM/MC2M_case_studies/EN/CaseStudies_Amman_Online.pdf
xxxiii Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments: “Towards the localization of SDGs”, 2019.

https://www.gold.uclg.org/sites/default/files/Localization2019_EN.pdf
xxxiv https://www.welcomingamerica.org/programs/welcoming-network

xxxv Various tools exist such as the UN Joint Migration and Development Initiatives’ ‘My JMDI Toolbox’, Eurocities, IOM’s Local
Migration Governance Indicators etc. which are being mapped by IOM and will be made available in an online repository.
xxxvi Berlin Declaration on Migrants and Refugees, “Meeting needs, protecting rights and fostering empowerment, July 2017
xxxvii UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative and IOM, White Paper on Mainstreaming Migration into Local Development

Planning and Beyond, Geneva, 2015

xxxviii UNGA, Policy Paper 3: National Urban Policy, Developed by the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference

on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) A/CONF.226/PC.3/16, Surabaya, Indonesia, 2016

12
ANNEX I
Further Resources

Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)

2018 GFMD Roundtable 2.2 Background Paper - Regional mobility and policy coherence to support
development

2017 GFMD Roundtable 3.2 Background Paper - Strengthening cooperation: Enabling Civil Society
Contributions in Migrant Integration

Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development (Mayoral Forum)

2018 5th Mayoral Forum
 Outcome Document, Marrakech Mayor’s Declaration
 Preparatory documents and background papers

2017 Mayoral Forum

 Outcome Document, Mayoral Declaration on Migrants and Refugees: Meeting Needs,
Protecting Rights and Fostering Empowerment
 Preparatory documents and background papers

2016 Mayoral Forum

 Outcome Document, Quezon City Commitment to Action
 Preparatory documents and background papers

2016 Mayoral Forum

 Outcome Document, The Quito Local Agenda on Migration and Development
 Preparatory documents and background papers

2014 Mayoral Forum

 Outcome Document, The Call of Barcelona
 Preparatory documents and background papers

13
ANNEX II
Additional Examples of Good Practices

Thanks to all partners involved in the preparation of this background paper, a robust list of good
practices and examples at the local level was compiled throughout the drafting process. While not all
the examples could be included in the paper given length constraints, the below list of additional
examples are offered for reference in association with Round Table discussion.

Better understanding of and collection of data on migration:

The program Management of municipal and regional migration challenges in Niger, funded by the
German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and European Union
(EU), supports selected regional and local level authorities to better understand social, economic
political and administrative Impact of migration on the ground and supports the implementation of
identified development measures. In Niger, 17 municipalities and 3 regions have set up local
observatories. They include mayors, senior community and regional councils, and local government,
central government, and civil society representatives. As an internal advisory tool, they consistently
assist municipalities and regions in gathering information and analyzing the effects of migration.
Based on this, they propose suitable development measures and options for action.

The city of Bilbao in Spain uses the local application of the Intercultural Cities Index to help assess
needs and guide migration policy and programmingxxxix.

Targeted responses to ensure access to services and opportunities for migrants:

To benefit from the knowledge and expertise of municipalities hosting refugees both in Germany and
in BMZ’s partner countries, BMZ established the “Municipal know-how for host communities in the
Middle East” programme. The network consists of 26 municipalities in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and
Germany that cooperate on subjects as diverse as waste management, vocational training, economic
development, and urban planning. For example, the Jordanian city of Deir Alla is home to some 60,000
inhabitants, one tenth of whom are Syrian refugees. The rapid population growth in Deir Alla entails
infrastructural challenges, such as waste disposal. In cooperation with the German municipality of Jena,
Deir Alla is currently drafting a comprehensive waste management and separation plan.

In Denmark, over 40 municipalities provide a buddying system whereby refugees are matched with a
community volunteer who provides practical guidance and supportxl.

In the region of Los Santos in Costa Rica, public servants are given lessons on the indigenous
language Ngäbe-Buglé in order to increase the access of indigenous trans-border communities to
public services in the areas of health, education and employment. Clearer communication between
immigrant groups and service providers can lead to a higher quality of services and a higher usage of
services provided to target populationsxli.

The Youth College is a free education, training and mentoring programme for young migrants
(mostly asylum-seekers) aged between 15 and 21 in Vienna. As part of the city’s broader “Start Wien”
integration initiative, the aim of the Youth College is to help young migrants lead an independent life
as quickly as possible by preparing them for further education, vocational training or the workplacexlii.

‘Cuidamos Centro’ (‘We Take Care of the Centro District’) is an employment training and
practice programme that targets groups at risk of exclusion and long term unemployment in Madrid.
The programme is coordinated by the Madrid Municipal Employment Agency and District Board. The
initiative provides training and paid employment opportunities for those deemed most excluded from
the city’s labour market. Whilst it does not exclusively target foreign-born migrants, the latter group
are over-represented among the project’s participants (also known as dynamizers)xliii.

Mainstreaming migration into local and urban policy planning:

14
Nearly half of Amman’s population are refugees. Amman’s newly launched City Resilience Strategy
places particular emphasis on diversity and has incorporated actions to make the city more inclusive for
refugees and vulnerable groups. To create more welcoming cities able to offer services for all, Amman
and other cities in Jordan have invested heavily in improving public infrastructure and servicesxliv.

Morocco has become increasingly popular in recent years a host country of migrants. In 2014
the national immigration and asylum strategy was adopted including concrete integration measures
which must be implemented at local level. In the city of Tangier, civil society groups in the city provide
services that aim to increase social cohesion and increase access to basic services and human rights for
migrantsxlv.

Integration is further supported within the framework of two migration projects RECOMIG and
RECOSA which on the one hand supports state structures at the national level and, on the other hand
strengthens selected local actors in the creation of integration measures in the social, economic and
cultural area for improvement social cohesion between migrants and the Moroccan populationxlvi. The
City of Oujda has created a Municipal Action Plan that includes migration and migrants as one of six
strategic axesxlvii.

The city of Montreal in Canada has a pro-active strategy to make the most of diversity through the
appointment of diversity managers who support initiatives to increase diversity in public services
notably in the police forces and municipal boards.

In order to absorb sudden influxes of refugees arriving to Lebanon, the city of Brital developed
coordination mechanisms with both local and international partners to establish reception and
ongoing support servicesxlviii.

Applying a multi-stakeholder approach:

The “Municipal know-how for host communities in the Middle East” programme is a network that
consists of 26 municipalities in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Germany that cooperate on subjects as
diverse as waste management, vocational training, economic development, and urban planning.
Several cities have developed mechanisms for including migrants and displaced persons in local
policy making.

German and Turkish local authorities and ministries are working together to exchange best practices
and knowledge about including refugees into public service provisionxlix.

The city of Atlanta in the USA has partnered with private company UBER to provide free
transportation to refugees for their legal and medical appointments as well as provide them with food
via their food delivery service.

The Bella Milano initiative in the city of Milan, Italy, has supported migrant volunteers to clean the
city and give back to the community, helping to establish a positive rapport in their neighbourhoods.
Milan has also organized the ‘Milano Mondo’ media campaign including annual neighborhood
festivals.

xxxix
Example provided by ICMPD
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ak9lt9o2nw83sei/Bilbao_Poster_Practice_EN.pdf?dl=0
xl
UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative, Global Civil Society Consultation on Migration and Local
Development, A Synthesis Report in the Context of the 3rd Global Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility,
Migration and Development, Brussels, 2016
xli
UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative, Mainstreaming Migration into Local Policy Development
Planning, Brussels, 2016

15
xlii
Example provided by ICMPD as part of the the MC2CM program,
https://www.icmpd.org/fileadmin/1_2018/MC2CM/MC2M_case_studies/EN/EN_CaseStudies_Vienna_Online.
pdf
xliii
Example provided by ICMPD as part of the the MC2CM program,
https://www.icmpd.org/fileadmin/1_2018/MC2CM/MC2M_case_studies/EN/EN_CaseStudies_Madrid_Online.
pdf
xliv
Supported by BMZ z.B. Waste to Positive Energy 2014.4066.8, oder Verbesserung grüner Infrastruktur in
Jordanien durch beschäftigungsintensive Maßnahmen (BO) 2017.4052.1
xlv
Example provided by ICMPD as part of the the MC2CM program,
https://www.icmpd.org/fileadmin/1_2018/MC2CM/MC2M_case_studies/EN/CaseStudies_Tangier_Print.pdf
xlvi
Programs supported by GIZ on behalf of the BMZ
xlvii
Example provided by ICMPD
https://www.dropbox.com/s/p12yn7o8hj3qu7p/Oujda_Poster_Practice_EN.pdf?dl=0
xlviii
Example provided by ICMPD as part of the the MC2CM program,
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cyl4gqd9p3sfagx/Brital_PracticePresentationSfax_EN.pdf?dl=0
xlix
Project supported by the Special Initiative on “Tackling the Root Causes of Forced Displacement –
(Re)Integrating Refugees” 2017.4057.0

16