Migrants and Refugees in Urban Areas: Lessons from the Global South and North

Worldwide, people displaced by disaster or conflict as well as other migrant groups seek protection, passage and social and economic perspectives in urban areas. They frequently reside in informal urban settlements, whereas the proportion of refugees or displaced people living in camps tends to be low in many countries.Large refugee or migrant influxes are putting immense pressure on cities to establish the necessary infrastructure and services to receive and integrate newcomers. Cities also need to find ways to ensure that the different population groups co-exist peacefully, a challenging task in contexts strived by conflict and violence, but also in others
characterized by social inequality and vulnerability. While it is widely acknowledged that cities are first points of arrival, transit hubs and ultimate destinations, cities lack crucial input when it comes to policy.As a rule, local authorities are at the forefront in the daily management of migration and/or other forms of mobility. Given that
refugee flows often translate in protracted displacement shaping cities for the longer term, providing developmental and integration options beyond humanitarian aid becomes a requirement. This should be in ways that enhances contributions of newcomers to the socioeconomic development of cities and sensitive to local needs and language.The side event, which will be conducted in form of a moderated panel discussion followed by an interactive talk with the audience builds on a previous workshop at the German Habitat Forum (Berlin, 1/2 June 2016). It was co-organised by the Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik / German Development Institute (DIE), one of the leading think tanks for global development and international cooperation, and UN Habitat. The objective of the side event is to elaborate on the previous workshop and define concrete planning and policy responses based on lessons drawn from local migration management in the global South and North.