Cities #WithRefugees
Update on Cities #WithRefugees during the COVID-19 crisis
The novel coronavirus pandemic is the greatest challenge the world has faced in over a century. And while everyone is at risk of contracting the virus, some people are more vulnerable. People living on the margins of society, stateless and forcibly displaced people are particularly exposed because they often live in overcrowded settings with sub-optimal access to hygiene and sanitation facilities, soap and other means to protect themselves.
Cities around the world are stepping up to address the economic, health and social impact of COVID-19 and to protect their most vulnerable residents, including migrants and refugees.
Initiatives include providing free access to health care and direct cash assistance, placing moratoriums on evictions and rent hikes and ensuring that all public outreach materials on prevention of COVID-19 are multilingual. For more information on how to enhance local efforts to address the coronavirus pandemic see this tool.
UNHCR’s #WithRefugees campaign invites cities and local authorities all over the world who are working to promote inclusion, support refugees and bring communities together to sign a statement of solidarity #WithRefugees. Please join us today.
A growing number of cities around the world are embracing refugees. This series looks at how cities are helping the displaced to help themselves. Learn more about how they are standing #WithRefugees.
Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Adana, Mediterranean Region, Turkey
Aix-les-Bains, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Alba, Provincia di Cuneo, Italy
Albuquerque, NM, USA
Albury City, New South Wales, Australia
Altena, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
Anchorage, AK, USA
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Annemasse, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Arauca, Colombia
Arica, Arica y Parinacota Region, Chile
Athens, Attica, Greece
Atlanta, GA, USA
Baku, Azerbaijan
Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Batouri, East Region, Cameroon
Berbera, Sahil, Somaliland/Somalia
Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy
Berlin, Germany
Bern, Switzerland
Bertoua, East Region, Cameroon
Biograd na Moru, Croatia
Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Bosaso District, Bari, Somalia
Bradford, Yorkshire and the Humber, UK
Braga, Norte Region, Portugal
Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
Brighton, South East England, UK
Bristol, South West England, UK
Bruges, Flemish Region, Belgium
Brussels, Belgium
Bucharest, Romania
Buenos Aires City, Argentina
Buffalo, NY, USA
Bunkyō, Japan
Bursa, Marmara, Turkey
Byron, New South Wales, Australia
Cachoeirinha, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Cainta, Rizal, Philippines
Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
Canelones, Uruguay
Canterbury Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia
Cardinia, Victoria, Australia
Casino, New South Wales, Australia
Chicago, IL, USA
Chula Vista, CA, USA
Clarkston, GA, USA
Crescent City, CA, USA
Curridabat, San José, Costa Rica
Dallas, TX, USA
Darebin, Victoria, Australia
Del Norte County, CA, USA
Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Desamparados, San José, Costa Rica
Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
Djohong, Adamawa Region, Cameroon
Douala, Littoral Region, Cameroon
Drummondville, Quebec, Canada
Dublin, Leinster, Ireland
Dudelange, Luxembourg
Duhok Governorate, Iraq
Durham, NC, USA
East Region, Cameroon
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Erbil, Iraq
Escazú, San José, Costa Rica
Esteio, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Evanston, IL, USA
Fongo-Tongo, Cameroon
Fribourg, Switzerland
Galway, Connacht, Ireland
Ganja, Azerbaijan
Garoua-Boulai, East Region, Cameroon
Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
Gaziantep, Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey
Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Gananoque, Ontario, Canada
Ghent, Flemish Region, Belgium
Government of the province of Salta, Argentina
Grande-Synthe, Hauts-de-France, France
Greater Dandenong, Victoria, Australia
Guarulhos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Guiuan Eastern Samar, Philippines
Gyumri, Shirak, Armenia
Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada
Hangu District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Hargeisa, Somaliland
Haripur, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Hiroshima, Japan (President City of Mayors for Peace)
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Houston, TX, USA
Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, UK
Innsbruck, Austria
Imus, Philippines
Ioannina, Greece
Jackson, WY, USA
Jacksonville, FL, USA
Joliette, Quebec, Canada
Jonava District Municipality, Lithuania
Kabul, Afghanistan
Kalumbila town Council, Zambia
Kampala, Central Region, Uganda
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Kelowna, BC, Canada
Kentzou, East Region, Cameroon
Kette, East Region, Cameroon
Kigali, Rwanda
Kilis, Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Konya, Central Anatolia, Turkey
Kortrijk, Flemish Region, Belgium
La Louvière, Wallonia, Belgium
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Lakki Marwat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Lane Cove, New South Wales, Australia
Larissa, Greece
Lausanne, canton of Vaud, Switzerland
Leicester, East Midlands, UK
Leuven, Flemish region, Belgium
Liège, Wallonia, Belgium
Livadia, Boeotia, Greece
Ljubljana, Slovenia
London, UK
Los Angeles County, USA
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Los Chiles, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Louisville, KY, USA
Lower Dir District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
Madison, WI, USA
Madrid, Spain
Maicao, La Guajira, Colombia
Malakand District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Malevizi, Greece
Manchester, North West England, UK
Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Marinka, Donetsk, Ukraine
Mariupol, Donetsk, Ukraine
Marrakech, Morocco
Matosinhos, Norte Region, Portugal
Mechelen, Flemish Region, Belgium
Medenine, Tunisia
Meiganga, Adamawa Region, Cameroon
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Metropolis, IL, USA
Mexico City, Mexico
Milan, Lombardie, Italy
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Mingachevir, Azerbaijan
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Missoula, MT, USA
Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia
Mogadishu, Benaadir, Somalia
Mons, Hainaut, Belgium
Montes de Oca, San José, Costa Rica
Montevideo, Uruguay
Montgomery County, MD, USA
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Naintré, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Namur, Wallonia, Belgium
Naples, Campania, Italy
Nashville, TN, USA
Neapoli, Greece
New York, NY, USA
Ngaoui, Adamawa Region, Cameroon
Niamey, Niger
Nicosia, Cyprus
Niederanven, Luxemburg
Ogoja, Cross River State, Nigeria
Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand
Paris, Île-de-France, France
Paterson, NJ, USA
Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Pessat-Villeneuve, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
“Podgorica, Montenegro”
Port Moody, BC, Canada
Prince Albert, SK, Canada
Providence, RI, USA
Puerto Asís, Putumayo, Colombia
Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia
Quibdó, Chocó Department, Colombia
Quilicura, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile
Quito, Pichincha Province, Ecuador
Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
Renens, Vaud, Switzerland
Reykjanesbær, Iceland
Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
Richmond, VA, USA
Rimouski, QC, Canada
Rochester, NY, USA
Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
Saint-Genis-Pouilly, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, Canada
Salt Lake County, UT, USA
Saltillo, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico
San Antonio, TX, USA
San Fernando, La Union, Philippines
San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines
San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, Philippines
San José, Alajuela, Costa Rica
San Luis Province, Argentina
Şanlıurfa, Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey
Santa Ana, Pampanga, Philippines
Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines
Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines
São Paulo, Brazil
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Sauverny, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Schuttrange, Luxemburg
Sergy, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Sfax, Tunisia
Sheffield, Yorkshire and the Humber, UK
Shibuya, Japan
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
South Orange, NJ, USA
St. Cloud, MN, USA
St. Louis, MO, USA
St. Paul, MN, USA
State of Cross Rivers, Nigeria
Strasbourg, Alsace, France
Summerland, British Columbia, Canada
Sumqayit, Azerbaijan
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Tbilisi, Georgia
Tokyo, Japan
Thessaloniki, Greece
Tilos, Greece
Torino, Piedmont, Italy
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Trikala, Greece
Touboro, North Region, Cameroon
Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Union City, CA, USA
Upala, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Valencia, Spain
Valle del Guamez, Putumayo, Colombia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada
Vienna, Austria
Vigan City, Ilocos Region, Philippines
Villa Alemana, Valparaíso Region, Chile
Warsaw, Mazovia Province, Poland
Whittlesea, Victoria, Australia
Wiltz, Luxembourg
Winooski, VT, USA
Yerevan, Armenia
Yokadouma, East Region, Cameroon
Zamboanga City, Philippines
We, mayors and local authorities from around the world, stand #WithRefugees. The role of towns, cities, counties and provinces in creating inclusive communities and promoting hope has never been as important.
Today, over 25 million people worldwide are living outside their countries to escape violence and persecution. Refugees leave nearly everything behind to seek safety: their homes, their jobs, and sometimes even their families. Despite the unimaginable sacrifices refugees make to find safety, many keep their hopes and dreams for the future. Refugees’ will to survive and their drive to help their families and communities prosper are not easily extinguished by adversity.
When refugees arrive to a new country, nearly two out of three settles in an urban area. As cities, we are undeniably at the forefront of refugee crises, and our communities benefit from their tenacity and courage. Welcoming refugees creates opportunities for economic, civic and social growth. The diversity of experiences and ideas refugees bring spurs creativity and innovation. For example, both Albert Einstein and Sergey Brin were refugees. Their contributions did not just change our communities; they changed the course of human history.
As cities, we are constantly working to improve our infrastructure, services, and administrative systems in order to meet governance challenges, such as incorporating large inflows of new residents. This work is critical to our shared future. As leaders, we have a responsibility to receive and include new residents with care in order for our cities to become stronger and more resilient to change. Ultimately, those among us who rise to this call for leadership will reap the benefits of societies that are the most productive, the most modern, and the most filled with promise.
As local authorities, we shoulder the enormous responsibility of providing access to housing, health care, education, skills training, and employment opportunities for newcomers and long-term residents alike. Solutions to refugee crises start at the local level and require that everyone plays a part: every city, every neighbourhood, and every individual can contribute. As leaders, we must create spaces where everyone can live in safety, become self-reliant, and contribute to and participate in their local community.
The vital work that cities do can be a model for others, forging a path forward as national governments created and adopted a Global Compact on Refugees to strengthen international crisis response. Our work as mayors and city authorities is primarily local, but when we are united in purpose with each other and our refugee residents, the impact of our solidarity will be global.
Join us and stand #WithRefugees. Together we can make a world of difference.