The regions are calling for a territorial management of migration in the UN

At the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) 2026, the key United Nations event to evaluate the Global Compact for Migration, regional governments have raised their voices to demand a paradigm shift. At a critical moment when the UN is reviewing its global policies, the prefect of Azuay Province (Ecuador), Juan Cristobal Lloret, and the president of Dagana Department (Senegal), Ababacar Kalifa Ndao, have presented a united front to defend that migration cannot be managed from the national level alone.

During his speech at the Forum, Prefect Lloret was decisive in pointing out that human mobility is a "structural reality" that spills over to states and directly affects territories such as Azuay, which is already the origin, transit and destination of migrants. He cited the record figures of 2023, when more than 210,000 Ecuadorians left the country, but also Azuay received 22,000 migrants. The prefect emphasized that the regional level is where people access –or not– services, protection and opportunities.

For his part, Ababacar Kalifa Ndao exposed the reality of Dagana as a strategic transit zone in northern Senegal. Due to the porosity of borders, the Department faces specific challenges where regional management is vital to protect human rights at each stage of the migration journey.

Both leaders presented concrete models of action that seek to transform the conditions that force them to emigrate. Prefect Lloret explained the strategy of Azuay and detailed the "Local Pact", which includes a pioneering provincial ordinance approved in 2024 for the comprehensive protection of rights. This model is based on rural social care centers called "Comunidades por la Vida" and programs for the productive use of remittances and dignified return.

President Ndao presented Dagana’s bet. He highlighted the transformation of transit zones into poles of opportunity through agroecology. The project of the pedagogical farm in Rosso seeks to generate decent employment and integration for young people, avoiding that travel is the only way out.

The shared conclusion at this UN review forum is clear: the impact of national policies is insufficient without effective coordination with subnational governments. “t is not about stopping people, but about transforming the conditions that force them to emigrate”, said Lloret.

With the support of ORU Fogar, both Azuay and Dagana have called on the international community to strengthen regional capacities and access direct financing for the territories. The fact that a similar approach exists in two realities as different as Latin America or Africa, only proves that the solution to the global migration crisis lies in empowering local and regional governments. that they are the first point of contact and the real hope of dignity for migrants.