Global Cities Fund announces major city grants to help migrant children
Six cities have been selected to receive sizeable grants from the Global Cities Fund to help migrant and displaced children.
Amman (Jordan), Dunaivtsi (Ukraine), Guayaquil (Ecuador), Milan (Italy), Montevideo (Uruguay), and Ramallah (Palestine) will all receive US$1.2 million and technical resources from the Mayors Migration Council, plus tailored support from the Bernard van Leer Foundation and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
The Bernard van Leer Foundation said that this new chapter of the fund was designed to direct financial and technical resources to city governments delivering solutions for migrant or displaced children and their families.These six cities span six nations across three continents and collectively represent nearly 10 million residents. Common themes of the awarded projects focus on early childhood health and development, child-friendly urban design, and climate action.
‘Invest in children’s health’
Many also include a gender-equality lens and holistic access to services for caregivers. All projects will be designed and/or delivered in partnership with affected communities.
The selected projects include:
- Amman Children’s Climate Academy and Park (Amman, Jordan)
- A Home Away From Harm (Dunaivtsi, Ukraine)
- Ciudadanos Integrados Guayaquil (Guayaquil, Ecuador)
- First Steps in Milan (Milan, Italy)
- Resound (Montevideo, Uruguay)
- Durable Qaddura (Ramallah, Palestine)
Michael Feigelson, Chief Executive Officer of the Bernard van Leer Foundation, said: “There is no better way to lay the foundation for inclusive and prosperous urban communities than to invest in children’s physical and mental health, well-being, and learning capacity. We join the Mayors Migration Council and mayors worldwide in investing in migrant and displaced children as future innovators and entrepreneurs that will make their cities thrive.”
The winners were selected from among 200 city governments based on key criteria, including anticipated impact, engagement of affected communities, commitment from city leadership, and likelihood of institutionalisation or replication.
‘Commitment from city leadership’
Chaired by Vittoria Zanuso, MMC Executive Director, the Selection Committee included former mayors, subject-matter experts, and youth representatives, including Sana Ali Mustafa, CEO, Asylum Access; Nisreen Elsaim, Chair of UN Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change; Patti Miller, CEO, Too Small to Fail; Jennifer Musisi, former Executive Director, Kampala Capital City Authority; and Maria Teresa Saenz Surita, former Mayor of Boa Vista, Brazil.
The announcement is also part of the lead-up towards the 2023 UN Global Refugee Forum taking place on December 12-15 in Geneva (Switzerland), where the MMC and its partners will announce new city pledges to the UN Global Compact on Refugees.
Vittoria Zanuso, Executive Director of the Mayors Migration Council, said: “With city leadership and commitment to accelerating global action on migration and displacement, comes a call to the international community to invest in cities. We invite more donors to join the GCF marketplace and fund more cities directly in support of the world’s migrants and refugees, especially the youngest among them.”
Click here for more on the Global Cities Fund.
