Kampala Lord Mayor Lukwago,Global City Mayors Discuss Global Compact on Refugees in Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland (December, 2023): The Lord Mayor of Uganda’s Capital Kampala, His Worship Erias Lukwago has joined Mayors and leaders from across the globe in Geneva, Switzerland, for the United Nations 2023 Global Refugee Forum (GRF), from December 13-15, 2023 to assess the progress they have made to achieved after five years from the adoption of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and to advance joint action towards refugee protection and inclusion.
Held at the Palexpo Convention Center in Geneva, Switzerland, Cities had a key opportunity to showcase their leadership in welcoming and including refugees and displaced populations, provided recommendations for more efficient solutions, and gained visibility by meeting with high-level UN, government, and donor representatives.
The Mayors Migration Council (MMC) which was created by mayors for mayors, and guided by a Leadership Board of global city leaders, including the mayors of Amman, Bristol, Dhaka North, Freetown, Kampala, Milan, Montevideo, Montréal, and Zürich, but work with a coalition of more than 200 cities worldwide mobilized a delegation of local government leaders to participate in GRF activities and elevate city pledges through the Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees.
Lukwago, who is a Founding Leadership Board member of the Mayors Migration Council that was launched in New York in 2018 to, inter-alia, position City Mayors at the Global Policy table as equal decision-making partners under the rubrics of the 2018 Marrakech Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees and to unlock municipal financing to scale up local action earlier had high level Mayoral Bilateral Meeting together with other colleague Mayors of Amman Jordan and Trenton city New Jersey, with IOM Chief Staff, Mr. Mohammed Abdiker Mohamud, aimed at directly raising Cities’ priorities for subsequent advice to the Director General of IOM.
In its 5-year journey, this Global platform has immensely amplified City Mayors voices at the UN and other Global networks and unlocked over US£23 million in international funding for cities, Kampala inclusive.
The Mayors Migration Council whose mission is to create a world where urban migrants and displaced people can thrive, is a mayor-led coalition that accelerates ambitious global action on migration and displacement to create a world where urban migrants, displaced people, and receiving communities can thrive.
To fulfill their mission, they help mayors and the cities they lead; Influence policy decisions on migration and displacement at the national and international level, Unlock financial and technical resources to implement local solutions for migrants and displaced people, Raise awareness on city leadership among global audiences, Generate and share evidence on urban migration and displacement; and Build a coalition of local and global champions.
According to officials, the role of cities in the refugee response is critical. First, as hosts, most refugees and displaced people end up in cities rather than camps.
‘’This is good, especially when they can access education, health, and employment services. Many cities worldwide are rising to this challenge and welcoming and supporting refugees who need protection and inclusion until more lasting solutions to their displacement are found’’
On a rather very embarrassing note, Uganda suffered an ugly diplomatic glitch as a country after the Prime Minister, Hon. Nabbanja staging a protest against the Lord Mayor’s participation in the plenary of the Global Refugee Forum where he was expected to join colleagues to present the Kampala City pledges.
Mayors at the platform have expressed disappointment and displeasure with the unconventional behavior and have undertaken to address it on the plenary.