Cities Alliance links the local, national, regional, and global levels to ground global agendas in local realities. With a diverse range of expertise and perspectives, the Cities Alliance global membership and programme partners are well-positioned for this role.

Cities Alliance works towards giving local actors a stronger voice in global migration debates and agendas, such as the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, the New Urban Agenda, Global Migration Compacts, and the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). The partnership also ensures that the voices of local actors are heard at global events, such as the World Urban Forum (WUF) and Africities.

To lay the groundwork for participation in these major events, we participate in and organise many smaller, local workshops and dialogues on an ongoing basis. These smaller events build the capacity of our partner cities to participate and share their voices at the global level. Their participation provides much-needed insights into the needs and challenges of secondary cities and the role they play in local development agendas – a perspective that is critically important and often overlooked.

The GFMDs and Mayors Mechanism

Cities Alliance supports the Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees through the leadership of partner cities in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Uganda.

IGAD as a Strategic Regional Partner for Local Authorities

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is a regional intergovernmental organisation in Africa that includes governments from the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia); the Nile Valley (Sudan and South Sudan); and the African Great Lakes (Kenya and Uganda). The seven IGAD countries host 70% of Africa’s refugee population, with over 8 million IDPs and 4 million refugees and asylum seekers displaced from conflicts and climate change.

Inclusive Urban Development and Mobility