Author: KP Tripathi
UCLG is a partner of the project "Mediterranean City-to-City Migration Profiles and Dialogue", launched and led by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), and co-financed by the European Commission, with the involvement of UN-Habitat. The project's main objective is to contribute to and promote the integration of migrants at local level, especially on the southern shore of the Mediterranean, with a focus on access to human rights.
The management of migratory flows is not only a problem faced by national and international authorities, but also by local and regional authorities. Indeed, the direct impact of migration is felt by local governments, which have to manage cohabitation, as well as the inclusion and integration of migrants at both social and economic levels.
At Mediterranean level, southern shore countries are moving from the status of transit countries to host countries. Such a transformation creates new concerns for the mayors of south Mediterranean cities, who now have to deal with a new social and economic situation in their territories. In this context, it is necessary to adapt local policies, train municipal officials and coordinate with civil society organizations to address the new challenge efficiently, i.e. make migration an asset for local development.
In this framework, UCLG's mission consists in creating and facilitating a network of ten cities (5 European and 5 southern Mediterranean), as well as providing its expertise and methodological knowledge for peer learning activities. In addition, the global network will contribute to the definition and drafting of policy recommendations for the improvement of local public policies on the integration and inclusion of migrants, and the promotion, at national and international level, of local governments’ role in the management processes of the migratory effects.
For more info: ICMPD website