Since 2020, PADF and the Organization of American States’ Department of Social Inclusion (OAS/DSI) forged a strategic partnership to promote the role of local actors in responding to migration and displacement across the Americas. In 2023, PADF and OAS/DSI partnered with IOM, UNHCR, and other stakeholders to release a landmark report titled “Enhancing Migrant and Refugee Integration in Cities Across the Americas.” Based on over 200 interviews across 109 localities in 25 countries, the report highlights the crucial role local actors—ranging from local government officials to civil society organizations and the private sector—play in effective migration governance. PADF and OAS/DSI also hosted a series of events at strategic fora, such as the Cities Summit of the Americas in May 2023 and the Global Refugee Forum in December 2023, bringing together mayors and civil society leaders from across the region to exchange best practices for the reception and integration of migrants and displaced persons in their communities. Through these initiatives, PADF has reinforced its leadership in localization, elevating its ongoing partnerships with more than 44 local organizations across its migration programs. PADF’s migration programming is made possible through the generous funding of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
“This report provides one of the first regional overviews on a continental scale of local migration and protection institutions and policies in the Americas. The novelty is that it covers an important variety of localities in a region that is profoundly diverse in terms of structures, institutions, and capacities.”
– Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian, OAS/DSI Director