GLOBAL REFUGEE FORUM
Learn how the Mayors Migration Council is delivering critical momentum to make the UN Global Compact on Refugees a reality.
CREDIT: Bryan Anselm/Redux for Open Society Foundations
Background
In 2018, UN member states adopted a Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and Global Compact for Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration (GCM) to set international standards and a pathway forward to achieving common goals on migration and refugee protection. Reviewed every four years, they serve as the roadmap for the years to come.
The MMC was founded in 2018 to help mayors influence the negotiations of both Compacts and ensure that the final drafts of these foundational UN agreements reflected the priorities of cities and their vital role going forward.
It is through this successful city diplomacy that local authorities are now recognized as key stakeholders in the implementation, follow up, and review of the Compacts.
Upon the adoption of the Compacts, MMC mayors further demonstrated their commitment and endorsed the Marrakech Mayors Declaration —pledging to advance the principles and objectives of the Compacts, to continue to participate internationally, and to take direct action within their communities to improve the lives of migrants and refugees. Critically, mayors agreed it was essential to advance both Compacts in unison rather than addressing migrants and refugees as fundamentally separate populations.
Corine Mauch, Mayor of Zürich, SwitzerlandIt is very important that cities get a seat in spaces like the GRF—to ensure they aren’t viewed just as implementers of global goals but key partners in defining and reporting on
those goals
Our Progress
In December 2019, the MMC secured city access to the Global Refugee Forum (GRF), the first-ever global review of the GCR.
In partnership with the Government of Switzerland and the refugee-led G-100 Network, the MMC hosted a session on “Realizing Refugee Inclusion with City and Refugee Leaders.” This session was the sole entry point for a small group of cites to access the GRF, including our Leadership Board members from Amman, Athens, and São Paulo, who called for greater city access to the GRF in recognition of their proactive role in refugee inclusion.
Building on this momentum, in October 2021, the MMC and partners co-hosted a discussion with 200 city representatives from around the world to take stock of local GCR implementation.
As a result, UNHCR now increasingly recognizes cities as valued partners, including within their GCR Digital Platform, and has granted cities with formal access to the next Global Refugee Forum in December 2023, where the MMC mobilized 15 global mayors, including Amman, Bristol, San Antonio, and Zürich, to participate in the official GRF program in Geneva, Switzerland.
Joining national governments, refugee leaders, and the private sector, mayors assessed their progress towards the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and delivered local commitments to action, including new humanitarian aid and reception support, refugee jobs and livelihood programs, and inclusive climate action in refugee hosting areas.
Speaking on behalf of all mayors at the GRF plenary, the Mayor of Bristol announced more than 100 city pledges and $80 million in financial commitments for cities collected through the Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees (CTA), the official pathway for cities to commit to the Global Compacts. This participation marked an historical advancement for local governments.
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