Switzerland - IOM took part in the 5th World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders, which closes today in Bogotá, Colombia. It highlighted the importance of migration management in cities and why mobility is key to the New Urban Agenda, the document which will set global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development.

It was the first time that migration has been included in the agenda of the three-day event, which gathered over 3,000 representatives of towns, cities, metropolises and regions, civil society, the business world and academia.

Organized by the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the summit is the largest, most influential conference for local and regional leaders from across the world and a global gathering of mayors, councilors, and local government officials.

It is especially significant this year, as it takes place ahead of the Habitat III Conference to be held in Quito, Ecuador, next week.

IOM's Regional Director for Central America, North America and the Caribbean, Marcelo Pisani, represented the Director General at a workshop on Migration and Mobility. He explained that migration is one of the key governance areas that require policy coherence and coordination mechanisms at central, local and regional levels, to manage diversity for social cohesion and sustainable urban development.

"Mayors and local authorities have a crucial role in developing inclusive policies that facilitate the integration of migrants into the cities. In order to facilitate central and local governments strategic planning processes assuring protection of migrants human rights, IOM has developed tools such as MiGOF and the MiGOF urban version." said Mr. Pisani during his presentation last Wednesday.

Separately, IOM presented its Migration Governance Framework (MIGOF), a key consultation document based on international agreement to strengthen consensus and coherence in governing migration for the benefit of migrants and societies.

The urban MiGOF will be presented next week at the Habitat III Conference as the key implementation document for states and cities in relation to the migration provisions of the New Urban Agenda.

For further information please contact Ioana Popp at IOM Geneva, Email ipopp@iom.int.