Human Mobility: City-Led Solutions Plenary Session at the Cities Summit of the Americas
April 25, 2023 – Cities throughout the Americas are playing a leading role in responding to historic levels of human mobility. To understand the opportunities and challenges present in a wide range of responses, Emerson Collective, Mayors Migration Council, Inter-American Dialogue, and CAF-Development Bank of Latin America are partnering to sponsor the closing plenary session of the Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver, Colorado on April 28, 2023 at 3:45 PM MT.
“We are so proud that the Cities Summit builds on the mayors’ workshops that we hosted with CAF at last year’s Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles,” said Rebecca Bill Chavez, President & CEO of the Inter-American Dialogue. “As we did in Los Angeles, we see the historic gathering of mayors in Denver as an opportunity to shine a light on the positive impact of migration in cities and towns, especially as local leaders and civil society have developed innovative policies to advance the integration and inclusion of migrants throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.”
The closing plenary of the Cities Summit will feature remarks from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Senator John Hickenlooper, Colorado; and Julie Chávez Rodriguez, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States; followed by a conversation moderated by CBS News’ Lilia Luciano including Mayor Jaime Pumarejo (Barranquilla, Colombia), Mayor Bruce Harrell (Seattle, U.S.), Mayor Claudia López (Bogotá, Colombia), Mayor Yamileth López Obregón (Upala, Costa Rica), Commissioner Brigid Shea (Travis County, U.S.), and Christian Asinelli, Corporate Vice President of Strategic Programming, CAF-Development Bank of Latin America.
“Too often we focus on migration as a border situation when really it’s an urban reality with 70% of refugees looking to cities for safety and opportunity,” said Vittoria Zanuso, Executive Director, Mayors Migration Council. “This session makes it clear, investing in city-led action for migrant inclusion will help national governments make their promise of regional solutions to migration in the Los Angeles Declaration a reality.”
“City-led solutions are a critical part of any sustainable effort to manage migration in a safe, legal, and orderly way throughout the entirety of the Americas, ”said Ana Macouzet, Director of Regional Migration at Emerson Collective. “As U.S. cities increasingly receive new migrant populations, we think there is a lot to be learned from the experience of Latin American and Caribbean cities as they have been on the frontlines of responding to historic levels of displacement for nearly a decade.”
At the 2022 Summit of the Americas, national governments committed in the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection to improve support for migrant hosting communities and to increase access to services for migrants and refugees. National governments must work with cities to achieve these goals given the urban dynamics of migration. Better understanding and learning from the role cities – small, medium, and large, at borders and in interiors – play when it comes to human mobility is central to fulfilling the economic and social potential of cities and countries across the hemisphere.
The closing plenary is scheduled to begin at 3:45 PM MT in the Mile High Ballroom of the Denver Convention Center. It will be open press with simultaneous interpretation provided. It will also be live streamed on the CSOA website: www.citiessummitoftheamericas.org.
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Emerson Collective is an organization designed to develop opportunities and solutions in education, environment, immigration, gun violence and health equity through philanthropy, creativity and investments. Established and led by Laurene Powell Jobs in 2011, Emerson Collective is working to create new possibilities for individuals, families, and communities.
For press inquiries contact: Celestine Maddy at celestine@emersoncollective.com
The Mayors Migration Council (MMC) is a mayor-led coalition that accelerates ambitious global action on migration and displacement. With most of the world’s migrants and displaced people living in cities, our mission is to use the power of city diplomacy and city practice to create a world where urban migrants, displaced people, and receiving communities can thrive. Created by mayors for mayors, we are a nimble team of political advisors and urban practitioners guided by a Leadership Board of global city leaders, including the Mayors of Amman, Bristol, Dhaka North, Freetown, Kampala, Milan, Montevideo, Montréal, and Zürich. As a Sponsored Project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, our work is made possible by philanthropic and government funders.
For press inquiries contact: Maggie Powers at mpowers@mayorsmigrationcouncil.org
The Inter-American Dialogue engages our network of global leaders to foster democratic governance, prosperity, and social equity in Latin America and the Caribbean. Together, we work to shape policy debate, devise solutions, and enhance cooperation within the Western Hemisphere.
For press inquiries contact: Gastón Ocampo at gocampo@thedialogue.org
CAF-Development Bank of Latin America has the mission of promoting sustainable development and regional integration, by financing projects in the public and private sectors, providing technical cooperation and other specialized services. Established in 1970 and currently made up of 21 countries – 19 from Latin America and the Caribbean, together with Spain and Portugal – and 14 private banks, it is one of the main sources of multilateral financing and an important generator of knowledge for the region.
For press inquiries contact: rvalls@caf.com
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