Governments that treat migration as a temporary emergency rather than a permanent feature of urban life will fail to build cities that work, International Organisation for Migration official warned on the fifth day of the World Urban Forum in Baku.
"Migration is now shaping cities," IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels told Euronews. "Migration, when it is well managed, is part of the solution."
She said displaced people and migrants cannot be seen as a drain on cities. "There are lots of migrants who can contribute to recovery and to the growth and economic prosperity of cities," Daniels said.
Reconstruction from conflict dominated a Euronews-moderated panel that brought together UN-Habitat, UNHCR, the World Bank and officials from Azerbaijan, Syria and Ukraine.
"Housing must come first because housing restores dignity, stability, and trust," said Emin Huseynov, the Azerbaijani president's special representative in the Aghdam, Fuzuli and Khojavand districts.
