Migration Dynamics in Secondary Cities

With more than half of the world's population living in urgan areas, cities have become the primary destinations for migrants and forcibly displaced people. Secondary cities in low- and middle-income countries are growing fastest, often welcoming large numbers of people without the infrastructure, services, or governance capacity to keep pace. At the same time, global displacement has reached record levels, and climate impacts are pushing more people toward urban centres. These are not temporary shocks but structural transformations that will shape development trajectories for decades.

Cities have become de facto migration actors, managing service provision, social cohesion, and labour markets. Yet they have limited options to shape national or international governance processes or access funding. This persistent mismatch between where migration happens and where migration policy is decided has encouraged cities to engage in city diplomacy and increase their influence.

Main beneficiaries are MFD and members of vulnerable host communities in secondary cities.

Intermediate beneficiaries will be the (secondary) city stakeholders, local authorities and civil society reprensenting both host and migrant communities, and the private sector.

1. Enhance the economic benefits for MFD and host communities through inclusive, city-led systems that unlock decent work, financial inclusion, and sustainable local development.

2. Advance the rights of MFD and vulnerable host communities through equitable access to inclusive and gender-responsive services, public facilities, and local protection mechanisms.

3. Strengthen inclusive, multi-level governance systems that enable cities to pan for, manage, and represent migration and displacement within national, regional and global policy frameworks.

Expected results:  

- 8-10 locally led consortia co-desigh and deliver context-responsive initiatives for socio-economic inclusion of 200'000 MFD in cities

- 10 cross-border or regional learning and policy events, positioning cities to shape national and regional migration frameworks

- learnings shared via global, regional platforms ensure that city experiences inform global migration and displacement governance processes

Results from previous phases:  

- over 30'000 migrants, forcibly displaced people (MFD) and host community members secured new or better work

- over 150'000 MFD and host community members accessed inclusive basic services

- the "Local Coalition for Migrants and Refugees" institutionalises the city-UN collaboration, with IOM and UNHCR as formal partners

- 290 cities across 85 countries are engaged with the MMC, increasingly using their voice jointly and shaping narratives

- Urban Expansion Planning principles are included in Uganda's national regulatory framework and Ethiopia's revised urban planning law.

Phase 3 01.11.2026 - 31.12.2030   (Active)