Global Meeting on Migration and the 2030 Agenda: Cities as Drivers for Sustainable Development

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes both migration and urbanisation as critical factors for sustainable development. The preeminent role of cities in fostering inclusion, social cohesion and shared economic prosperity in the spirit of the 'leave no one behind' principle is increasingly being recognized. Furthermore, linkages between rural and urban areas lead to interrelated dynamics contributing to an integrated territorial approach.

SDC is engaged in strengthening the role of cities and local actors both from the perspective of fostering the linkages between rural, peri-urban and urban areas as well as promoting sustainable, resilient and inclusive urban development across different contexts of migration including displacement.

In September 2019, the SDC Network on Migration and Development will bring together key stakeholders from local and national governments, civil society, the private sector, international organizations, research institutes and think tanks working towards sustainable development from a local development perspective along with territorial perspectives of urban – rural linkages. During the meeting, participants will:

Discuss how cities address migration and sustainable development with a multi-sectoral lens.

Identify practical and durable solutions that can be applied in different migration contexts, including displacement.

Share experiences of actors at various levels to better link local realities and global frameworks.

Building on past events organized by the Network, this Global Meeting will capitalize on concrete operational and policy experiences and provide lessons for future initiatives. Past events include the 2017 meeting with Cities Alliance on the role of cities in global agendas as well as the 2017 workshop in Jordan on protection and decent work in a mixed migration context.

The Global Meeting on Migration and the 2030 Agenda, hosted by the SDC Network on Migration and Development, will take place on 11-12 September 2019 in Zurich, Switzerland. The full agenda and further details can be found at: https://www.shareweb.ch/site/Migration/activities-from-the-network/2019-global-meeting-switzerland/agenda 

For any other questions or additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Yvonne Diallo-Sahli at sdcmigrationnetwork@eda.admin.ch.