ABOUT US
The Mayors Migration Council (MMC) is a mayor-led coalition that accelerates ambitious global action on migration and displacement to create a world where urban migrants, displaced people, and receiving communities can thrive.
Our Mission
With most of the world’s migrants and displaced people living in cities, our mission is to help mayors get a seat at the global policy table and unlock resources to accelerate and scale local solutions. Together, these actions will make a tangible difference in the lives of urban migrants, displaced people, and receiving communities worldwide.
Erias Lukwago, Lord Mayor of Kampala, UgandaWhile national governments deal with borders and visa regimes, it is at the city level that the most important needs of migrants and refugees are met, from housing to healthcare to employment.
What We Do
To fulfill our mission, we help mayors and the cities they lead influence policy decisions at the national and international level; unlock financial and technical resources to implement local solutions; raise awareness on city leadership among global audiences; generate and share evidence on urban migration and displacement; build a coalition of local and global champions.
Local Action, Global Impact
Learn how the MMC is improving the lives of migrants and displaced people worldwide.
- Amman
- Bristol
- Freetown
- Kampala
- Kuala Lumpur
- Milan
- Montevideo
- Montréal
- Zürich
Who We Are
Guided by mayors for mayors, we are a coalition of more than 275 city leaders from all over the world. We are guided by a Leadership Board of global city leaders and supported by a nimble team of political advisors and urban practitioners. As a Sponsored Project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, our work is made possible by philanthropic and government funders.
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Our History
Our History
We were launched in 2018 during the adoption of the UN Global Compacts for Migration and on Refugees to ensure cities had a voice in global policy decisions. Founded by Colleen Thouez at the Open Society Foundations (OSF) in collaboration with mayors from Athens, Amman, Bristol, Freetown, Kampala, Los Angeles, Milan, Montréal, São Paulo, and Zürich, the MMC was created to get mayors a seat at the policymaking table and mobilize resources to turn local solutions into global impact.
By December 2019, we transitioned from an OSF-incubated initiative into an independent organization under the fiscal sponsorship of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. With early institutional funding from OSF, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the Robert Bosch Stiftung, and under the leadership of Vittoria Zanuso (Executive Director), Maggie Powers (Director of Policy and Advocacy), and Samer Saliba (Director of City Practice), between 2020 and 2024 we rapidly scaled from a startup to a global organization—shaping policy, unlocking funding, and driving action where it’s needed most: in cities.
With a strong foundation in place, we are now moving into our next phase of growth and institutionalization for 2025 to 2030 and beyond, ensuring that mayors continue to lead bold, practical solutions for migration and displacement worldwide.
