The European Union supports the Ecuadorian Presidency of the Global Forum on Migration and Development 2019 (GFMD) through the MIgration EU eXpertise (MIEUX) Initiative, implemented by ICMPD. In this context, MIEUX together with UNDP and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, hosted a regional workshop on 16 and 17 October 2019 in Lima.
Entitled "Supporting host and arrival cities through policy coherence and multi-stakeholder partnerships", this workshop was the latest in a series of four regional workshops that will precede the Quito Summit next November and will bring together representatives from academia, national and local governments, international organisations and civil society to exchange experiences.
All participating institutions, under the auspices of the Forum, were seeking to exchange experiences and practices to explore which factors contribute to making some cities in Latin America and the Caribbean and the EU more welcoming and work as engines of inclusion and integration than others. They did so by taking into account factors such as migration crises, the levels of development of host countries and cities, as well as migration density. Border cities, which face specific integration challenges, were also represented.
The role of cities of arrival for migrants and refugees
Cities on every continent find themselves at the forefront of managing the impact of migration as well as the promotion of inclusive, safe and sustainable urban environments. The governance of migration or, indeed, the governance of societies more broadly, is changing in recognition of the rapidly growing importance of the world’s cities to the workings of societies and their economies.
The term "arrival cities" was coined to describe cities that function as places of opportunity and upward mobility for newcomers, creating conditions conducive to newcomers establishing, connecting and belonging. In the daily lives of refugees and migrants, municipal and local authorities tend to shape their experience and their relationship with the State. Some cities around the world have become successful arrival cities, offering newcomers opportunities to belong and move up in social mobility, while others struggle with the persistence of marginalised communities and segregation.
Interregional cooperation to improve the governance of international migration
Over the past few years, the European Union has substantially increased the funds allocated to the management of migratory flows both in the Latin American and Caribbean region and at the global level, in order to translate the needs of various actors into programmes on the ground. In relation to the Global Forum on Migration and Development, the workshop responded to one of Ecuador's strategic priorities to engage regional actors in a meaningful dialogue prior to the Quito Summit. A wide range of actors, including representatives of local and central governments, academia, civil society and international organizations, will come together to contribute, through these debates, to the elaboration of supporting documents for Roundtable 3.1. The roundtable is entitled "Supporting cities of arrival through policy coherence and multi-stakeholder partnerships", co-chaired by the governments of Egypt and Switzerland and forming part of the 2019 GFMD agenda.
As Mr. Oleg Chirita, Head of Global Initiatives Programmes at ICMPD stated, "Cities are playing an increasingly prominent role in decision-making on migration governance. Their experiences in welcoming newcomers and fostering inclusive participation should inspire policy-makers seeking new solutions to migration management."
MIEUX and the 2019 GFMD
In line with one of its main objectives, MIEUX is providing relevant European expertise and content support to the Government of Ecuador in relation to the GFMD 2019 process. Specifically, MIEUX is assisting Ecuador with organising a series of regional workshops that should not only contribute directly to the thematic round-tables of the Quito Summit and to the background papers but also function as standalone events that advance the global debate on migration and development. Targeting different stakeholders, such as local and central governments, academia, civil society, and regional stakeholders, this series of regional workshops aims at setting up a future-oriented regional model that could be utilised by future GFMD chairs in their respective regions.