Shaping national and global agendas on climate migration

In 2021, the MMC joined forces with C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40 Cities) to launch the C40-MMC Global Mayors Task Force on Climate and Migration. Here are some advancements since:

• Guided by the Mayors of Barcelona, Bristol, Dakar, Dhaka North, Freetown, Houston, Los Angeles, Lima, and Milan, the C40-MMC Task Force released a mayor-led Action Agenda at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).
• During COP27, the C40-MMC Task Force announced the Mayors of Amman, São Paulo, and London as new members; influenced the IPCC’s Summary for Urban Policymakers to recognize the impact of the climate crisis on migration in cities; and unlocked new investments in the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees to address climate migration in African cities. 
• During COP 28, the MMC and C40 secured speaking engagements for the mayors of Amman, Bristol, Freetown, Dhaka, and Paris, who used this platform to advocate for policy change and urgent investments in cities.

In parallel, the MMC:

• Mobilized a coalition of 15 US mayors and city networks to draft an Open Letter to the US President, resulting in the acknowledgement of the urban dimension of climate migration in the White House Report on Climate and Migration and a US$5 million investment to support climate-affected migrants.
• Organized a closed-door roundtable discussion on climate migration at at the first-ever Cities Summit of the Americas (CSOA). Brining together representatives from the US Department of State, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and mayors from cities such as Barranquilla, La Palma, and Port of Spain. As a result of this engagement, USAID announced a $1 million investment to address climate migration in Latin American cities with the advisory support of the MMC.
• Brought city voices at the preparatory consultations for the Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD) chaired by the Government of France. As a result of this engagement, climate migration and multi-level governance were included as key themes for the 14th GFMD.

Generating practical evidence on climate migration in cities

In 2020, the MMC began a strategic partnership with C40 Cities to investigate how the climate crisis and migration intersect in cities. 

Following consultations with city officials and experts, they issued a detailed analysis, Cities, Climate and Migration: The Role of Cities at the Climate-Migration Nexus, which provides city officials with a clearer understanding of how climate migration plays out in cities and identifies promising practices around the globe. 

Building on this global overview, the MMC partnered with Columbia University to analyze and disseminate new quantitative data with the brief Climate Migration in Mexican and Central American Cities.

Similarly, the MMC served as the urban lead on the African Climate Mobility Initiative, bringing the voices of over 10 African mayors to inform the qualitative research and migration modeling scenarios produced by the Global Center for Climate Mobility. As a result, the Center launched an Africa Shifts Report with city-level climate migration data, and an Agenda for Action calling for more political agency, financing, and data for city-led responses to climate migration.

During COP 28, the MMC and C40 released the first-ever report on urban Loss and Damage, which contributed to the formal recognition of migration in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s funding arrangements for the landmark new UN Loss and Damage fund.

One year later at UNGA 79, the MMC and C40 launched a first-of-its-kind analysis of the projected impact of climate breakdown on internal migration and a policy brief that explores the intersection between the green transition and labor migration.

Through the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees projects focused on inclusive climate action, the MMC continues to create practical evidence on city-led responses and on-the-ground needs. Key action areas include green jobs, loss & damage, and more.