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Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) Mayors Mechanism and Activities on COVID-19

Today we face a global health crisis of unprecedented proportions, with serious social and economic implications for our societies. Mayors, governors, and local administrations are on the frontlines in managing the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and leaders across the world have acknowledged that the fight against COVID-19 cannot be won without including the most vulnerable in prevention, response, and recovery regardless of their status. Indeed, migrants, refugees and displaced persons share the same vulnerabilities as other residents, but they may also face a range of other challenges that put them at risk – such as limited access to health services, inadequate housing conditions, lack of information in their language, discrimination, and rising levels of xenophobia. In Chicago, US, Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued an executive order ensuring that migrants and refugees regardless of status have access to municipal response benefits and services. In Mogadishu, Somalia, the city installed portable sanitation stations for internally displaced persons. In Portugal, the government changed its policy to treat all migrants and asylum seekers as permanent residents. These are just a few of the bold; direct actions leaders are taking to ensure no one is left behind.