New York - On 24 April, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) hosted representatives from the cities of Accra, Montreal, and Sao Paulo, as well as key experts on local migration to mark the conclusion of the pilot phase of Local Migration Governance Indicators (Local MGI) at the IOM Office to the United Nations in New York.

The Local MGI was launched by IOM in July 2018, and is an adaptation at the local level of the IOM’s Migration Governance Indicators, which has helped 50 countries take stock of their migration governance structures since 2015. It is a set of 87 indicators helping local authorities to assess the local migration strategies or initiatives they have in place and identify good practices as well as areas with potential for further development. The aim of the exercise is to foster the dialogue on migration between national governments and local authorities and enable local authorities to learn from one another by discussing common challenges and identify potential solutions. The tool was piloted in three cities: Accra, Montreal and Sao Paulo and the results of the assessments conducted in the three pilot cities will soon be accessible online and available on IOM’s Migration Data Portal.

The meeting was an opportunity for representatives from the pilot cities to present their results and to discuss with experts how to improve the Local MGI methodology in order to make it accessible to a larger number of cities.

“The main strength of the Local MGI is the dialogue it can create, not only between local and national authorities, but also between cities often times experiencing similar challenges with regards to migration management” said David Martineau, migration policy officer in IOM NY.

 In coming months, IOM will work on refining the methodology to rolling it the assessment in a larger number of cities.

For more information, please contact David Martineau at IOM NY. Email: dmartineau@iom.int