Peer learning #4
January 2026
Cities Strengthening Migrant Worker Welfare Services, from pre-departure to reintegration
On 21 January, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), as part of the Local Coalition for Migrants and Refugees (LCMR), convened an online City-to-City Peer Learning Event on how local and regional governments can strengthen services for migrant workers along the full migration journey, from pre-departure to reintegration. Co-organised with the City of Dubai, Quezon City, the Middle East Centre for Training and Development (MECTD), UCLG MEWA, and UCLG ASPAC, the session gathered around 70 participants from 33 local and regional governments, alongside civil society, international organisations, academia, and city networks.
Building on a joint study presented by Dubai’s Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs (PCLA) and the Quezon City Migration and Development Council (QC‑MD), participants explored how cross‑corridor collaboration between labour‑sending and receiving cities can improve migrant worker welfare. The exchanges highlighted city‑led measures such as pre‑departure and post‑arrival orientation, psychosocial support, legal redress, and reintegration programmes that help close information gaps and uphold rights at each stage of the migration journey.
Cities—Campillos (Spain), Córdoba (Argentina), Dhankuta (Nepal), and Nairobi City County shared concrete practices, including neighbourhood‑based hubs that combine legal and employment advice with language learning and cultural activities, as well as local policies on foreign employment, reintegration and small‑business support with particular attention to women and trafficking survivors. Participants also underlined efforts to ensure access to urban services regardless of status, promote green and creative jobs in informal settlements, and develop formal referral pathways with national authorities, UN agencies and civil society.
Common challenges raised included limited funding for psychosocial care, persistent stigma around mental health, documentation delays, skills mismatches, and the invisibility of workers in the informal sector, particularly domestic workers. To address these gaps, cities identified opportunities for further collaboration, such as co‑developing joint orientation packages, creating city‑pairing programmes, and developing joint funding proposals with international partners.
The insights from this peer learning will inform upcoming research, policy dialogues and advocacy towards global fora, including the 2026 International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) and UCLG policy processes.