Our Theory of Change

One in every five international migrants lives in just 20 cities, and 70 percent of the world’s displaced people seek refuge in urban areas. As the climate crisis and unresolved conflicts continue to push more people from their homes, this trend is only going to increase.

The Mayors Migration Council was founded by mayors for mayors as a direct response to help city leaders get an equal seat at the policy-making table and to unlock resources so they can accelerate and scale local solutions. Together, these actions will turn the UN Global Compacts for Migration and on Refugees from aspiration to reality and make a tangible difference in the lives of urban migrants, displaced people, and receiving communities.

Our Impact

In just five years, the seed planted by our 10 founding mayors has created a movement of over 250 mayors and 25 partners worldwide. Together, we have secured more direct and equal city access to diplomatic processes than ever before, influenced more than 70 global policy positions at the international and national level, and unlocked over US $33 million in international funding for cities, both by influencing external funds and by creating our own, the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees. Started as an experiment, the Global Cities Fund is now supporting 28 city governments improving the lives of thousands of migrants, displaced people, and marginalized communities worldwide. 90 percent of cities who benefited from the fund have used this as proof of concept to unlock millions of dollars in additional investments to continue or expand their projects, nearly doubling our initial investment. Throughout this work, our mayors have positioned themselves as influential players in emerging policy frontiers — from climate migration, to early childhood development, to economic inclusion, and more.