The Forum was founded and is co-organized by UNITAR, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Bank, and others, with the support of the Government of Switzerland. The 5th Mayoral Forum welcomed over 250 participants from around the globe, among them more than 85 mayors and local government representatives from all continents. it focused on three main policy themes: addressing special needs and reducing vulnerabilities; providing access to basic services; and empowering migrants, refugees, and societies to realize full inclusion and social cohesion, including through employment and skills mobility.

In 2018, this important dialogue amongst local authorities was timed to coincide with the historic UN Migration Week in Marrakech. The day-long Mayoral Forum followed on the heels of the 11th Summit Meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), held from 5-7 December; and it served as a prelude to the historic adoption of the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) in Marrakech a few days later, concluding a two-year process.

The GCM is an unprecedented multilateral achievement, as the first global negotiated agreement on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions. The Compact emphasizes the principle of shared responsibility between countries of origin, transit, and destination, and provides a roadmap for improved governance of international migration. It was adopted by UN Member States on 10-11 December in Marrakech, and officially voted by the UN General Assembly on 19 December.

The 5th Mayoral Forum weighed in directly on this historic international undertaking, and culminated in the adoption of the Marrakech Mayors Declaration. This outcome document, entitled “Cities Working Together for Migrants and Refugees”, was officially presented at the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the GCM on 10-11 December. The Declaration affirms the role of local authorities in the implementation, follow-up and review of the Compacts, and makes the critical observation that Cities, and not only national governments, are a force for change. It also calls for a structured dialogue with local governments on migration issues at national and international levels, and states that such a dialogue is fundamental to ensure adequate responses and to guarantee the implementation of the GCM and GCR. And, it served as a testimony to the international community gathered at the Conference that, in the coming implementation of the Global Compact, national leadership will be key, but city and local leadership will remain equally indispensable.

This edition of the Mayoral Forum also served as the launchpad for a new and more sweeping proposal, to establish an official Mayors Mechanism in the GFMD proper. The Mechanism will more formally integrate the voices of mayors and local authorities into the existing architecture of the GFMD. It will further amplify the role for cities in the implementation of the Compacts and in international migration policy-making and execution at large. Looking forward, UNITAR and the other organizers and participants of the Global Mayoral Forum anticipate an even deeper and richer engagement on these issues in 2019, through the 6th Mayoral Forum, the new GFMD Mayors Mechanism, and beyond.