IMRF Daily Briefing: 18 May
Dear colleagues and friends,
The Mayors Mechanism – co-steered by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the Mayors Migration Council (MMC), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – is pleased to share the daily updates with regards to its activities at the International Migration Review Forum, taking place in New York City from May 16 to May 20.
This daily briefing recaps the activities and announcements of the day and lets you know what's coming up to ensure you are kept fully up to date on all IMRF discussions.
Happy reading!
You can also follow our activities on social media:
Main accounts: @GFMDmayors, @uclg_org, @MayorsMigration, @UNMigration
Formal hashtag IMRF: #Migration2022
Hashtag for local government activities at the IMRF: #CitiesIMRF
Hashtag for the Call to Local Action on Migrants and Refugees: #Call2Action
Full overview of all our daily briefings at the IMRF: Monday 16 - Tuesday 17
Day 3 – Wednesday, 18 May
What happened today?
IMRF Side Event: Facilitating safe and regular migration pathways in a changing climate: lessons from GCM implementation: 8.30 – 9.30 EDT.
(programme)
Co-hosted by the C40-MMC Global Mayors Task Force on Climate and Migration, the Platform on Disaster Displacement, and IOM.
Md Atiqul Islam, Mayor, Dhaka North, Bangladesh spoke as a panelist.
IMRF Roundtable 3: 10 – 1pm EDT.
(Programme)
Roundtable covered objectives (14) Consular protection, (15) Access to basic services, (16) Inclusion and social cohesion, (19) Migrant and diaspora contributions, (20) Remittances, and (22) Social protection.
Ms. Emilia Sáiz, Secretary General of UCLG delivered a keynote
Ms. Elizabeth Sackey, Mayor of Accra, Ghana spoke as a panelist.
IMRF Roundtable 4: 10 – 1pm EDT.
(programme)
Roundtable 4 covered objectives (1) Data, (3) Information provision, (7) Reduce vulnerabilities, (17) Eliminate discrimination and (23) International cooperation.
Ms. Fabiana Goyeneche, Director of International Affairs, Montevideo, Uruguay spoke from the floor.
IMRF Side-Event: From Marrakech to New York - Localizing the Global Compacts with a Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees: 1.30 – 2.30 EDT.
(Programme)
Organized by the MM in partnership with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and UNHCR. This event publicly launched the Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees. Speakers included:
Ms. Emilia Sáiz, Secretary General of UCLG
Mr. Antonio Vitorino, Coordinator of the UN Network and Director General of IOM
Ms. Vittoria Zanuso, Executive Director of the MMC 1.40 - 2.20pm Panel conversation
Ms. Fabiana Goyenche, Director of International Affairs, City of Montevideo, Uruguay
Mr. Erias Lukwago, Lord Mayor, Kampala Capital City Authority, Uganda
Mr. Philippe Rio, Mayor of Grigny, France
Ms. Stefanie Scharf, Head of the Division for policy issues of displacement and migration, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
Ms. Ottilie Bälz. Senior Vice President, Robert Bosch Stiftung
IMRF Policy Debate: 3 – 6pm EDT.
(Programme)
The Director General of IOM facilitated e a policy debate on challenges in the implementation of the GCM, including links to the SDGs, and emerging issues related to migration
Ms. Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone spoke in the panel.
What did Local and Regional Governments say?
Md Atiqul Islam, Mayor of Dhaka North, IMRF Side Event - Facilitating safe and regular migration pathways in a changing climate
As a city where an estimated 40% of residents live in informal settlements - with limited access to public health, education, and adequate housing - and where 70% of informal settlers experienced some type of environmental shocks in their life, every resident is potentially exposed to climate impacts.
This shows that:
Cities and urban areas are unequivocally at the frontline of climate and migration challenges;
Migrants moving into cities because of climate hazards often end up trading one set of risks for others.
We need increased investment in urban climate adaptation and resilient infrastructure, in both climate vulnerable regions and major urban areas of destination, to avert displacement in the first place, alleviate demographic pressure in fast-urbanising urban areas and break continuous cycles of destruction and forced displacement.
Elizabeth Sackey, Mayor of Accra, Thematic Roundtable 3
Emilia Saiz, Secretary General UCLG, Thematic Roundtable 3
The urban era that we are living in is based on inequality. We still do not acknowledge that most of the labor is informal. Most people, migrants included, earn their livelihoods on the informal market. To talk about migration, we should speak about informality, inequality, dignity, and multilateralism. This is not something that one level of government can provide. We need to work together.
Ms. Fabiana Goyenche, Director of International Affairs, City of Montevideo, Thematic Roundtable 4
From Marrakech to New York - Localizing the Global Compacts with a Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees
Vitoria Zanuso, Executive Director, MMC, Side Event on Call to Local Action
We are launching the Call to action with 70 pledges from local governments. These will all have tangible impacts on lives of migrants and keep the world on track to meet GCM. 10 of these serve access to municipal services, 29 facilitate access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, 16 address climate action. Today we announce that a new chapter launched under the fund with support of Robert Bosch Foundation. Awarded to Accra, Ghana, Arua, Uganda, Mozambique, Monrovia, Liberia and Johannesburg.
Mr. Erias Lukwago, Lord Mayor, Kampala Capital City Authority, IMRF Side Event – Call to Local Action
Since the adoption of the Compact in 2018, we have faced tremendous pressure from the Covid-19 pandemic. Through a nationwide mandate, schools were closed for almost two years. But, in times of crisis, it’s up to mayors to ensure no one is left behind. In response, in Kampala, I have pledged to the Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees to identify at-risk refugee and Ugandan youth and provide them with direct cash assistance, school fees and entrepreneurship support to regain their livelihoods and their futures, and to improve coordination across government, civil society and international actors, we have revitalized the Kampala for All Forum, which is Kampala’s main coordination platform for humanitarian and development response within the city.
Mr. Philippe Rio, Mayor of Grigny, IMRF Side Event - Call to Local Action
For the future IMRF I have 3 wishes: action, action, action. Cities have the power to act, but they need the means to act. We need to reinvent new actions every day. The covid crisis has showed that we cannot make a difference in healthcare and service provision if people are deprived of their rights because of their status. We address this by going beyond our mandate. It takes political courage.
Ms. Stefanie Scharf, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, IMRF Side Event - Call to Local Action
The Call to Action shows the strong leadership of cities. Germany believes that the participation of local governments in global migration governance is essential. Local governments are the ones confronted with realities of migration but also have knowledge and access to migrant populations.
Ms. Ottilie Bälz. Senior Vice President, Robert Bosch Stiftung IMRF Side Event – Call to Local Action
We recognize the importance of local leadership in implementing the GCM and we call on others to invest in local leadership and approaches.
DG Vitorino, IMRF Side Event - Call to Local Action
The pledges received today are are far from symbolic. They reveal 70 concrete, measurable solutions at the community level, led by and called for by local leaders, putting migrants and refugees at the heart of our quest for equality, prosperity and justice that leaves no one behind. While this is a staggering display of joint commitment to locally driven innovative responses to migration governance, I am not at all surprised. Indeed, local governments have been central players in the development of the GCM and are essential partners in migration management, making the global compact a real reality on the ground.
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown – IMRF Policy Debate
States make policies, but when people arrive in cities, it is Mayors that they find. Our role is not just to welcome, but to give hope. We need a space at the table to leave no one behind.
Coming up: Day 4 – Thursday, 19 May
Below you can find an overview of the official IMRF programme and where local governments will be speaking, as well as other (side) events with a specific local government focus. The list is not exhaustive of all events in which local governments might participate and speak.
For the full overview of all IMRF side-events, you can click here.
IMRF Plenary: 10am – 6pm EDT
(Programme, livestreaming)
Tomorrow will be the first day of the IMRF Plenary. In this session, Ms. Elana Wong will speak, representing a migrant voice and Mr. Colin Rajah, Coordinator of the Civil Society Action Committee, will present a summary of the Multistakeholder Hearing, which took place on Monday. Local governments are not scheduled to intervene during this section of the programme.
F Side Event: Migration Multi Partner Trust Fund: 1.15 – 2.30 EDT. (Programme)
Building on the recommendations of the United Nations Secretary-General in his 2022 report on the implementation of the GCM, the Migration MPTF side event aims to highlight key gaps and challenges in migration governance that would benefit from targeted support.
Ms. Vittoria Zanuso, Executive Director of MMC will moderate this session
IMRF Side Event: Inclusive Cities: The Role of Urban Centers in the Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees: 6.30 – 7.30pm EDT.
(Pending information on programme and livestreaming)