PrintThe GFMD Mayors Mechanism
Following the growing emphasis on the need for a whole-of-government and whole-of society approach to migration and development issues, the GFMD has recognized the value of involving local and regional governments (LRGs) in GFMD discussions through the establishment of a 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.
The Mayors Mechanism formally links LRGs to the GFMD, alongside civil society, the private sector and youth. It creates an entry point for LRGs 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 solutions. The Mayors Mechanism also co-chairs the GFMD Ad-Hoc Working Group on Balancing Public Narratives on Migration, together with the governments of Canada and Ecuador. In 2021, the partnership scaled to also follow the Migration and Refugee Compacts.
The Mechanism is co-steered by:
- United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)
- The Mayors Migration Council (MMC)
- The International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees
In 2018, with the adoption of the Marrakech Mayors Declaration, LRGs pledged to implement the GCM and GCR in unison, as concrete pathways to achieve Agenda2030. To elevate this continued political commitment, Mayors Mechanism Steering Committee Members — in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), launched a Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees in 2022.
Acknowledged by the UN Secretary-General in his 2021 GCM Report, the Call to Local Action offers a concrete avenue for LRGs to localise the both Compacts and for LRGs to be recognized for meeting global goals.
Piloted in 2019 and launched in May 2022 at the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), the Call to Local Action mobilised 70 actions and pledges, an effort which will be scaled and elevated ahead of the 2023 Global Refugee Forum and GFMD 2024 Summit.
Recent GFMD Activities:
The Mayors Mechanism at the 2021 UAE GFMD Summit
GFMD local-national networking session: Enabling local solutions for inclusive COVID-19 response and recovery
6th Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development, January 2020, Quito
The establishment of the Mayors Mechanism led to the first-ever integration of the Mayoral Forum into the GFMD in January 2020, Quito and to the formal inclusion of invited local and regional governments (LRGs) in the government-led Roundtables and Common Space. Under the overarching theme ‘From Large Movements to the Global Compacts: Cities as First Responders’, LRGs discussed the implications of the Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees in their local and regional contexts, and discussed how to follow through on city commitments in the Marrakesh Mayors Declaration, adopted in 2018.
- 6th Mayoral Forum Concept note and Programme [EN]-[FR]-[ES]
- Press Release [EN]
- RT 3.1 Background Paper - Supporting arrival cities through policy coherence and multi-stakeholders partnerships [EN]-[FR]-[ES]
For further information on past activities, including past Mayoral Fora on Human Mobility, Migration and Development, please consult the Mayors Mechanism' website.
Please visit the Mayors Mechanism website: www.mayorsmechanism.org, or write [email protected] for more information.