Our Approach

Despite leading by doing, mayors have historically been excluded from national and international policymaking. In 2018, while national governments met to adopt the Global Compacts for Migration and on Refugees, our mayors had to self-organize on the sidelines to have their voices heard. The MMC was founded by mayors for mayors as a direct response to this challenge—to help mayors get a seat at the global policy table as equal decision-making partners. 

Our City Diplomacy programs support mayors to influence policy decisions at the national and international level to ensure they reflect and address the realities in cities–where most migrants live. We elevate mayors and their local actions to global stages, deliver joint city advocacy campaigns, and create bridges for cities to influence national and global change-makers.

Our Impact

To date, we mobilized 70 city pledges to implement the UN Global Compact for Migration (GCM) and Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) through the Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees; facilitated over 170 global dialogues to connect cities to policymakers; and coordinated nearly 50 city policy contributions, such as mayoral joint statements and political agendas, to influence national and international migration policy. 

As a result, mayors formally accessed 8 multilateral processes, including the first-ever International Review of the GCM, where city pledges were officially recognized by the President of the UN General Assembly, and influenced more than 60 global policy positions, including UN Secretary-General reports and US White House positions. 

Overall, 96% of our city partners reported an increased ability to engage in multilateral processes on migration and displacement as a result of the MMC’s support.

Our Initiatives

Explore our initiatives to secure formal city access, representation, and influence at diplomatic events and processes.