Mayors Migration Council Statement on UCLG Congress

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We at the Mayors Migration Council are proud to partner with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) as a co-founder of the Mayors Mechanism and as the only member of the Global Task Force of Local and Regional Governments focused exclusively on migrants and refugees.

The powerful influence of UCLG’s broad network has been essential in securing more opportunities than ever for mayors to participate in international migration policy deliberations. Together with UCLG and our Mayors Mechanism partners, we mobilized mayors worldwide to join the first-ever UN International Migration Review Forum and deliver 70 local actions directly to the President of the General Assembly that make a tangible difference in the lives of migrants and refugees.

Local and regional governments’ approval of the Lampedusa Charter during the UCLG Congress marks yet another critical milestone for city leadership on migration. While national governments deal with questions of borders and visas, it’s at the city-level that the world must address the immediate needs of migrants and refugees – shelter, food, healthcare, education, and employment. The Lampedusa Charter offers new momentum to our movement of mayors leading the way for urban migrant and refugee inclusion at the forefront of global policy. Milestones like these prove city government actions can ensure human mobility benefits everyone in society through multilateral cooperation and innovation.

During the 2022 UCLG Congress, we call on city governments worldwide to join our Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees. Cities’ contributions will keep the world on track to meet commitments set out in the Global Compact for Migration and Global Compact on Refugees and strengthen our municipalist movement to make migration work for all.