Devex and Mayors Migration Council Launch New Partnership to Showcase Local Solutions to Major Global Development Challenges

The Mayors Migration Council (MMC) is proud to announce its collaboration with Devex in a new partnership called Roots of Change.

About the Partnership

There is a major focus right now on how to change the traditional aid paradigm and instead, deploy local-first solutions to big global development challenges. The Roots of Change series delves into the localization agenda, examining what works and what doesn’t, while elevating the voices of local leaders.

This partnership is part of the Mayors Migration Council’s continued commitment to reshaping global development and migration policy by empowering local leaders and communities.

The Local Case for Migration Solutions

As part of this series, on March 27th, Devex published a piece, The Local Case for Migration Solutions, which explores the impact of climate-induced migration on cities across the globe, and the local-first solutions mayors are putting in place. The piece features a conversation with Mayors Migration Council Executive Director Vittoria Zanuso and Beira, Mozambique Mayor Albano Carige who emphasize the need for increased investment in local governments to address global challenges.

Here are some key excerpts:

• Vittoria Zanuso discusses how the climate crisis is already impacting cities across the globe: “Climate migration is already the new normal. And this is true for cities like Maputo, Mozambique, which could grow by 1.5 million people just because of climate. But it’s also true for cities like Freetown in Sierra Leone, where the population might double in size within 10 years, partly because of internal migration due to climate. And this is true for cities like eThekwini in South Africa, where a lot of climate migrants are already moving to and within the city. And they’re settling in informal settlements that are already prone to climate risks.”
• Vittoria Zanuso discusses the resources cities need to respond to immense pressure from climate-related migration and displacement and the challenges they face in procuring those resources: “Only 10% of global climate finance is reaching cities. Cities are facing systemic barriers to accessing the finance they need … Many national governments are limiting local governments’ ability to access loans or other financing, and if they can, it’s often very restricted. And internationally, most multilateral banks and financing systems require sovereign level approvals.”
• Mayor Carige discusses Beira’s project funded by the Global Cities Fund after a March, 2019 cyclone severely damaged the city’s infrastructure: “I’m very deeply thankful for having received this contribution for my city of Beira. The first step was to rehabilitate the local market in Praia Nova which was destroyed by the cyclone…We are also going to relocate 100 families from Praia Nova to new homes in a safer area. In the current pilot phase, we are moving 15 families. They will receive new, safe homes with a piece of land to grow what they need. The Global Cities Fund showed us what is possible, but to move all 100 families we need more funding.”
  

What’s Next

Over the coming months, MMC and Devex are working together to showcase additional local-first solutions and inspiring stories of resilience and innovation from cities around the world.

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