The second Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development will be held in Quito on 12 and 13 November 2015 with the aim of sharing experiences on the role of local governments in addressing the migration phenomenon and the significance of a global phenomenon such as human mobility.
The event aims to "share experiences and concrete recommendations on how to advance using the development results generated by increasing migration and mobility, launch new initiatives that have impacts both within and between cities, and to agree on parameters for these initiatives, incorporating technical assistance from international organizations, deadlines, monitoring and evaluation. Further, the purpose of this meeting will be to bridge the gap between the macro and micro levels of governance, sharing information and knowledge with a view to the next conferences of global importance."
The Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development underlines the central role that cities play in assuming governance of migration and harnessing its potential for development. In the first Mayoral Forum, held in Barcelona in June 2014, Mauricio Rodas, Mayor of Quito and Co-President of UCLG said:
Cities are the principal actors in migration policies, as they put into practice all the principles that national governments implement. Cities must be proactive in order to incorporate the link between increased mobility and development; including in the context of the negotiations towards the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda."
The "Call of Barcelona", the outcome of the first Forum, stressed the need to strengthen the voice of cities in global discussions, and afford greater access and inclusion for local decision makers on issues related to migration.
On this occasion, the Joint Migration and Development Initiative (JMDI) has launched an E‑discussion to contribute to the Final Outcome Document of the Forum of Quito. The final document will be developed using this online discussion and the experience of professionals in the area of migration and development as well as the debates taking place during the Forum.
The Quito Forum becomes even more relevant given the current situation and the strong migratory wave that is impacting several world regions. This emergency situation has already been denounced by UCLG and various local governments, especially in Europe.
UCLG's work in the field of migration and human mobility includes the project "Migration Profiles and City-to-City Dialogue in the Mediterranean", which the organization is implementing jointly with the ICMPD and UN-Habitat. The aim of the project is to provide experiences and knowledge to local governments, especially those in the southern Mediterranean, to help contribute to and promote the integration of migrants at the local level, with a particular focus on the defence of human rights.
Further information:
- Visit the UCLG web page on migration.
- Read the Call of Barcelona.
- Read the key ideas of the Mayoral Forum on Mobility, Migration and Development.
- Concept note (available in Spanish)
- Programme of the 2nd Forum (available in Spanish)