September 19, 2024 September 24, 2024 Past

The Mayors Migration Council at the 79th  UN General Assembly

From left to right: Intendente Mauricio Emilio Zunino Canepa (Montevideo), Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán (Bogotá), Mayor Valérie Plante (Montréal), Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr (Freetown), and Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh (Amman).

As world leaders convene for the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, mayors from across the globe are gathering in New York City to advocate for urgent, coordinated action on migration and displacement. Organized by the Mayors Migration Council (MMC), the mayors’ coalition aims to place cities at the heart of global migration solutions.

At UNGA, the mayors are advocating for policies that allow urban migrants and their receiving communities to thrive in a world where human mobility is the new norm. Their message is clear: cities are not just passive stakeholders—they are indispensable partners in crafting the solutions needed to address today’s complex migration realities. But they need more than words; they need tangible support from the global community. 

Mayors in New York City during UNGA 79 include:

  • Yousef Shawarbeh, Mayor of Amman, Jordan  
  • Carlos Fernando Galán, Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia  
  • Brandon Johnson, Mayor of Chicago, United States  
  • Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone  
  • Talib Ahmed Bensouda, Mayor of Kanifing, Gambia  
  • Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, England  
  • Mauricio Zunino, Mayor of Montevideo, Uruguay  
  • Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montréal, Canada  
  • Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, France  

The mayors’ advocacy will center on the UN Summit of the Future, where global leaders adopted the Pact of the Future, a roadmap for future multilateral efforts. Mayors pushed for migration and displacement to be recognized as key priorities in this pact, emphasizing the crucial role cities play in addressing these issues. They also called for humanitarian and development investments to be localized to cities, which are essential in managing migration on a daily basis.

Event overview

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