Local Authorities and Protracted Refugee Crises: Sharing Key Lessons Learnt and Recommendations

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Faced with massive displacement as a result of conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere, municipalities and other local authorities are at the forefront of responding to the needs of the displaced. Playing a key role as first responders to provide immediate assistance and support to those affected, local authorities are often tasked with helping them to navigate the new reality in their host community, but also to foster their inclusion in local society and economy as their presence becomes more protracted.

Join us for an online event on 12 December focusing on the theme of inclusion, sharing clear, tangible recommendations from municipalities on the frontline of receiving displaced populations and committed to creating inclusive communities. These recommendations will include considerations on immediate emergency response and steps which can be taken early on to facilitate community recovery and longer-term local development. We will also have a look at how existing tools can help local authorities, such as the Effective Toolkit for Refugees, GTFM Reports, and the Lampedusa Charter.

The discussion will be the fifth meeting of the Global Task Force on Migration (GTFM). The GTFM was created following the Gaziantep International Municipal Forum on Local Solutions to Migration and Displacement held in 2019 ahead of the first Global Refugee Forum. The meeting will build directly on the 2021 GCR Stocktaking Event, the April peer learning exchange on Local and Regional Government (LRG) actions towards Migration and Displacement in crisis contexts, and the Adana Municipal Coordination Meeting in May 2022. The event will seek to highlight new pledges made through the Call to Local Action launched at the May 2022 International Migration Review Forum and the efforts cities are making ahead of the 2023 Global Refugee Forum.

Simultaneous interpretation will be available in Arabic, English, French, Italian, and Turkish.

Resources

During the event, panelists and participants shared information about initiatives and resources in the chat - please find these below.

Call to Local Action

Local and regional governments have contributed pledges and good practices to the Global Compact on Refugees through the GFMD Mayors Mechanism's Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refguees, steered by UCLG, MMC and IOM – an effort supported by UNHCR. To learn more about the Call to Local Action please go to http://localaction.mayorsmechanism.org/
The Call to Local Action is based on the global commitment made by Mayors in 2018 to realise the Global Compact for Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees at the same time. Read the Mayors Marrakech Declaration at http://localaction.mayorsmechanism.org/marrakech-mayors-declaration
Local and Regional Governments have contributed pledges and good practices to the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact on Migration through the GFMD Mayors Mechanism’s Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees, steered by UCLG, MMC and IOM – an effort supported by UNHCR. Presented at the first International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), the Call to Local Action, this effort has gathered 70 actions that help take stock of local leadership. Read more at http://localaction.mayorsmechanism.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/Localizing%20the%20Global%20Compacts_2022%20Report_0.pdf

Lampedusa and Lampedusa Charter

Read the UCLG Municipalist Lampedusa Charter to ensure territorial solidarity for dignified human mobility of all people at https://www.uclg.org/sites/default/files/lampedusa-_carta-eng.pdf
Lampedusa has been a global leader in human-centred migration and refugee governance. The Lampedusa Charter showcases that local leadership can shift the narrative on human displacement and mobility and be catalyst of change. Check the actions Lampedusa submitted to the Call to Local Action:
- http://localaction.mayorsmechanism.org/actions/inauguration-walk-peace
- http://localaction.mayorsmechanism.org/actions/former-military-base-becomes-international-centre-peace-studies

UNHCR Municipalities Toolkit

UNHCR’s municipalities toolkit Effective inclusion of refugees: Participatory approaches for practitioners at the local level. Handbook in 19 multiple languages: https://www.unhcr.org/628de4094 (Translated versions of Handbook in Spanish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, Icelandic will be available on website in early 2023).
A brief video introducing the initiative is available at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FlAZv3DDX4o
Landing page with the complete municipalities toolkit: https://www.unhcr.org/municipalities-toolkit

GTFM Resources

Gaziantep Declaration: https://www.municipalforums.org/gaziantep-declaration-documents/
Outcome Report – Cities and their contribution to the Global Compact on Refugees: https://globalcompactrefugees.org/outcome-report-cities-and-their-contribution-global-compact-refugees
Database of good practices: https://www.unhcr.org/withrefugees/good-practices/
Read more about the GTFM at https://www.gtfm.uclg-mewa.org/

Online Course on Human Mobility

How can Local authorities learn, connect & share to build capacities to support sustainable humanitarian to development responses to protracted displacement crises? Via the UCLG-Mayors Mechanism online course on Human Mobility. Learn more at https://youtu.be/hWm6fcYHWRk and pre-register at https://learningwith.uclg.org/p/humanmobility