The destructive effects of climate change, natural disasters, wars, economic crises and many other problems are mostly seen on the vulnerable parts of our society. Therefore, the city’s resilience can manifest itself most in the strategies and policies adopted for the disadvantaged groups in that city. These strategies and policies will be more feasible and effective, especially when they are fed by local dynamics.

The Middle East and West Asia Region is frequently referred to when it comes to the subject of migration. Migration management and social cohesion are always of a priority in the region’s agenda, a region that is home to the biggest numbers of migrants.

The issue of social inclusion is of vital importance in terms of mitigating, eliminating or preventing negative effects in cities. The most critical aspect of ensuring social cohesion is that efforts to achieve this begin locally. The realization of change starting from the bottom up is a key element in reaching more permanent solutions in cities. By adopting this approach, the UCLG-MEWA Committee on Social Inclusion acts as a bridge between local and global levels to develop more coherent policies.

The working areas of the committee are as follows:

The Committee also operates within the scope of localizing framework documents in international migration legislation such as the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Global Compact for Safe, Systematic and Regular Migration (GCM). In this context, the committee carries out the secretariat role of the Global Task Force on Migration (GTFM), which is the follow-up mechanism of the Gaziantep Declaration which was opened for signature in 2019 to work as an experience sharing platform in the fields of migration and refugees.