Mayors Mechanism and Migration Children and Youth Platform Launch Guide on “Meaningful Engagement of Youth to Localise Global Migration and Forced Displacement Goals”
(6 November 2023)
Local and regional governments (LRGs) lead the way in welcoming and supporting migrants and refugees. Many of them do so by meaningfully engaging young migrants and refugees and other young members of the community so they can co-shape the local policies and programmes that affect them now, and in the future.
Building onto this experience, the Mayors Mechanism (MM) and Migration Youth and Children Platform (MYCP) have joined forces and collectively call on LRGs; as well as on youth organizations that work directly with LRGs, to join the Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees and to submit concrete pledges that foster meaningful youth engagement in local migration governance and forced displacement protection.
To that end, they developed the Guide: “Meaningful Engagement of Youth to Localise Global Migration and Forced Displacement Goals”, which highlights the importance of involving youth in migration governance, provides an overview of existing local government partnerships with youth organizations, and gives practical information about the Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees.
The Guide was launched today at the 22nd International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD) in a dedicated session: "Leveraging the Participation of (Young) Migrants and Refugees to Co-design Inclusive Local Policies and Reshape Public Narratives on Human Mobility”, which was hosted by Mayors Mechanism, The City of Rio de Janeiro, Migration Youth and Children Platform, United Cities and Local Governments and the International Organization for Migration.
Outcomes of this event will form an integral part of the upcoming Peer learning on Local Responses to Address Discrimination and Foster Participation for Migrants and Refugees, taking place from 14 to 15 November. Further info here.
The Guide is available in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.