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4th Global Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development
When : Jun 26-27, 2017 Venue : Berliner Rathaus (City Hall)Location : Berlin, Germany Applicable Countries: Germany

Event description:

The Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development is the annual gathering of mayors and city leaders serving to promote globally relevant policy dialogue, foster the exchange of experiences in governing migration and displacement, and strategize on how to work collectively. It seeks to support new and innovative approaches to urban governance in contexts of greater diversity, and to showcase city leadership in the implementation of migration and displacement policies for inclusive growth. Indeed, in a global context of increasing human mobility, decentralisation and urbanisation, cities are at the forefront of responding to the needs of urban dwellers, including those of migrants and refugees.

The key role of cities and other local and regional authorities as first responders to migration and displacement is duly recognised in the New Urban Agenda adopted at the UN Habitat III Conference in Quito last October 2016. Moreover, the positive contributions of migration to development are now enshrined in the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in which cities are at the centre of securing safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable living spaces. What is more, progressively, local and regional authorities are deemed strategic actors within inter-governmental deliberations on migration and refugee policy. This is true for the annual Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), whose 10th edition will take place in Berlin, Germany from 28 June to 1 July 2017. It is also the case for the consultative process underway to define a new agreement between States, known as the "Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration". After the adoption of the "New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants" at the UN on 19 September 2016, States have agreed to develop this Global Compact on Migration by 2018, in consultation with relevant parties including local authorities. In addition, States have agreed to a "Global Compact on Responsibility Sharing for Refugees", through a separate preparatory process, also culminating in 2018.

It is within this context that the 4th Mayoral Forum on Human Mobility, Migration and Development will take place in Berlin from 26 to 27 June 2017, on the margins of the annual GFMD with the Government of Germany as its Chair. The title of the 4th Mayoral Forum "Mayors as Humanitarian and Development Actors – Preparing, Welcoming, and Integrating" emphasises cities’ work in preparing for migration (inbound and outbound); welcoming migrants and refugees upon arrival (and in cases of return); and cities’ efforts to integrate them in their new communities, often, as they maintain links to their home communities also. Cities partaking in the 4th Mayoral Forum are asked to consider the values that guide their work, the actions that they take or will take, and what cities expect from their national governments and other stakeholders with regard to local-level implementation of "preparing, welcoming and integrating".

In the programme, Mayors and other participants are asked to consider:

  • Sharing their experiences in straddling the humanitarian imperatives of preparation and reception of large numbers of new arrivals whether from conflict, natural disaster or other phenomena.
  • Speaking on the subject of the longer-term challenges and opportunities of welcoming and integrating newcomers; how to govern diversity by buttressing the development potential of migration, while also acknowledging migration and displacement’s complexities and struggles.
  • Sharing progress in the context of inter-city partnerships, and exploring the value of city networks, within their country, between regions and beyond, to learn about new and promising policies and practices.

At the conclusion of the Berlin Mayoral Forum, a declaration will be presented. The draft declaration will be shared with participating cities in advance. Reflecting the subjects covered by the Berlin Mayoral Forum, and other areas of concern, the Mayors’ Declaration will offer a set of priorities for consideration during the 10th GFMD, and for inclusion in the preparatory process of the Global Migration Compact, and to the preparatory process of the Global Compact for Refugees.