Migration and Cities

Cécile Riallant from IOM speaks on cities' role in responding to the needs of and empowering migrants at the SDC workshop, Migration and Cities, in 2017. This global forum discussed cities in global agendas, promoting the role of cities in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda. 

Migration is primarily an urban phenomenon as more than 50% of international migrants live in ten highly urbanised countries. Consequently, local government planning needs to acknowledge the extent to which migration defines the landscape of cities. To develop the necessary policies, Cécile stressed the importance of recognizing local authorities as policymakers in their own right, creating development and migration policy, including for example social cohesion practices. Cities should be provided with the necessary tools to face the challenges and harvest from the benefits related to migration. Ultimately, it is the local authorities’ reactions that will determine whether human mobility has a positive or negative effect on cities.