Ville de Montréal
Contribution to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
From December 4th to 6th in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, was held the stocktaking meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference to adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
The definition of this pact is part of the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants (Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 19 September 2016 (A / 71 / L.1), and is expected to be adopted 2018. Negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations, it will intend to improve coordination on international migration while providing a framework for global international cooperation on migration and human mobility.
It was during this stocktaking meeting that Ms. Valérie Plante, the new Mayor of Montréal, presented a position paper submitted by Metropolis to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact for Refugees, also included in the New York Declaration. The Metropolis position paper had previously been sent to Mrs. Louise Arbor, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration, to Mr. Filippo Grandi, 11th United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as well as to the Secretary General of the United Nations.
Metropolis’ position paper, was backed up by the 136 members of the network, and aims to recognize and highlight the key role played by cities in terms of migration, diversity management and inclusion and it will take steps to implement the SDGs and the New Urban Agenda, as well as to contribute to developing the Compacts. The aim is to ensure the Compact processes take into account the unique, frontline role cities play in migration, and to use city experiences to inform the Compacts while asserting local leaders’ roles and responsibilities in this area.
Thus, in the context of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees, Metropolis commits to the following:
- Furthering issue area knowledge and contributing to the coordination of multilateral actions by cities and their networks in order to support collective action and strengthen intercity and network bonds;
- Contributing to the debate and search for global, joint solutions and encouraging the establishment of common priorities, as well as concerted actions to increased cooperation between cities;
- Taking action on several fronts: urban diplomacy, identifying and sharing good practices, strengthening the capacity of Metropolis and its members; supporting the implementation of joint projects, providing opportunities for experimentation so that innovative solutions can emerge, and putting a peer review system in place;
- Sharing experience gained through action in order to better define global policies, standards, and norms; and
- Measuring cities’ progress on migration issues, while feeding this into the monitoring mechanisms used to implement the SDGs and the NUA.
The Metropolis’ position paper received the support of the following cities, non-members of Metropolis:
New-York, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Sacramento, Madison, Buffalo, Milwaukee, St. Louis City, Richmond, San José, Montgomery County.
