Local Action, Global Impact: The MMC 2020-2022 Impact Report

More than ever before migrants and refugees are looking to cities for safety and opportunity. One in every five international migrants lives in just 20 cities, and 70 percent of the world’s displaced people seek refuge in urban areas. As the climate crisis and unresolved conflicts continue to push more people from their homes, this trend is only going to increase. While national governments deal with borders and visa regimes, it’s at the city level that the most immediate needs of migrants are met—whether that’s housing, healthcare, or jobs. And it’s at the city level that social inclusion is built.  

Despite leading by doing, mayors have historically been excluded from national and international policymaking. In 2018, while national governments met to adopt the Global Compacts for Migration and on Refugees, our mayors had to self-organize on the sidelines to have their voices heard. Cities across the world also face systemic barriers to financial and other resources that limit their ability to deliver solutions at scale. In 2020, only three percent of all international humanitarian funding reached local actors, including cities—the target was 25 percent.

The Mayors Migration Council was founded by mayors for mayors as a direct response to these two challenges—to help mayors get a seat at the global policy table as equal decision-making partners and to unlock financial and other resources so mayors can accelerate and scale local solutions. Together, these actions will turn the Global Compacts from aspiration to reality and make a tangible difference in the lives of urban migrants, displaced people, and receiving communities. 

This report presents key highlights of our work and accomplishments from 2020–2022. Over the past three years, the seed planted by our 10 founding mayors has created a movement of over 200 cities and 25 partners worldwide. This movement has influenced more than 60 global policy positions at the international and national levels, made 70 pledges to the Global Compacts through the Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees, and unlocked over US$23 million in international funding for cities, both by influencing international funds and by creating our own, the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees. Started as an experiment, the Global Cities Fund is now directing funding to 28 city governments improving the lives of thousands of migrants, displaced people, and marginalized communities worldwide. Throughout this work, our mayors have positioned themselves as influential players in emerging policy frontiers—from climate migration to inclusive pandemic response.

While ongoing conflict and our changing climate are growing crises, the displacement and migration they cause don’t need to be. As urban migration becomes the new normal in the years ahead, so too must cities’ access to international decision-making and municipal finance. While we recognize this type of systemic change doesn’t happen overnight, we have proven it is possible. We now call on you to help us scale our work by consulting cities, partnering with cities, and investing in cities.

I would like to thank our partners and donors for helping our small organization achieve outsized impact,our staff for their passion and dedication to our mission in uncertain circumstances, and, most importantly, our Leadership Board and other mayors who continue to welcome migrants and refugees in their own cities while showing how the rest of the world can do the same.

We look forward to working with you as we grow our movement.

Vittoria Zanuso
Executive Director, Mayors Migration Council