The newly found confidence of local governments also extends to the global level where cities are teaming up in networks to influence migration governance. Moritz Baumgärtel is joined by Colleen Thouez, the Director of the Welcoming and Inclusive Cities Division at the Open Society Foundations (OSF) to discuss the growing activism and recent accomplishments of local authorities on the international stage. They go through the reasons behind the proliferation of inter-city networks, the creation of the Mayors Migration Council by OSF and their partners, the difficult question of access to and representation in these networks, their relationship to international organizations such as the UNHCR, and the promise that inspirational mayoral leadership holds for the future.

For more information on the rise of global city networks, read:

• Colleen Thouez, "Cities as Emergent International Actors in the Field of Migration", Global Governance (2020): https://bit.ly/2ZdHsBs
• Barbara Oomen, "Decoupling and Teaming up" (open access), International Migration Review (2020): https://bit.ly/3ddCEUO
• Cities of Refuge, "Transnational City Networks and Migration Policy" (open access), policy report (2018): https://bit.ly/3daVDzu