Our History

The Mayors Mechanism was established in 2018 to formally link local governments to the State-led Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), alongside civil society, the private sector and youth.  The Mechanism creates opportunities for local and regional governments to influence the GFMD discussions and provides them with opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and exchange. It establishes a platform to interact with States, civil society and the private sector and provides avenues to bolster innovative partnerships. Prior to its establishment, local governments were invited to the GFMD on an ad-hoc basis:

• In the 2017 GFMD Summit in Berlin, local governments who participated in the Fourth Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development in Berlin, were invited to share their perspectives in the Summit. This marked an important ‘rapprochement’ between local governments and the GFMD.

• In 2018, following a growing emphasis on the need for a whole-of-government and whole-of society approach to migration governance issues, the GFMD formally recognised the value of involving local government authorities in GFMD discussions through the establishment of the Mayors Mechanism in 2018. First presented at the GFMD Preparatory Meetings in September 2018, the Mechanism was launched officially on 8 December 2018 in Marrakesh at the Fifth Mayoral Forum Meeting, held just after the close of the Marrakesh GFMD Summit.

More info?

• You can find more information about previous Mayoral Fora and Mechanism activities on our ‘Resources’ section.

• For further background and context to the launch of the Mayors Mechanism, read the 2018 non-paper for a Mayors Mechanism in the GFMD here.