The Government of Uruguay has set up a multi-stakeholder and consultative approach to State migration policy, institutional responses and coordination in the care and protection of the rights of migrants arriving in cities. 

The National Migration Board, as an advisory and migration policy coordinating body chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, intensified dialogue and the definition of lines of action with departmental and municipal government authorities, as well as with local actors, including representatives of civil society, academia, the business sector and authorities of national public bodies. 

The topics covered were the national and local migration context and dynamics, the main challenges and opportunities for the country and the departments, the Uruguayan State’s migration policy, and institutional responses and coordination in the care and protection of the rights of migrants arriving in cities.

In 2018, the National Migration Board organized a round table on migration, local government and development at the Twelfth Hemispheric Summit of Mayors and Local Governments. For a general reference on this subject, please refer to the following link: http://www.jnm.gub.uy/noticias/67-national-migration-organization-organi...

The departmental governments have been incorporating migration issues into their work agendas and have developed specific lines of action. 

Examples of Uruguay’s good practices in this area include the following:

• Holding of workshops in the main reception cities, including border cities, for migrants and addressing the issue of labour rights, education, health and access to documentation.
• Coordination of the National Migration Board with departmental governments, mainly in areas with a higher concentration of migrants. The recent establishment of the Departmental Migration Observatory in the department of Rivera, which is supported by the National Migration Board in training and technical support, is a notable example. The Observatory has also signed a cooperation agreement with IOM Uruguay. In this context, a survey has recently been carried out to characterize the migrant population residing in the department, which will serve as an input for better decision-making. A similar study is also planned for the coming months in the border city of Chuy (bordering Brazil) and in Montevideo. 
• Coordination between the National Migration Board and local governments to respond to the critical bottlenecks of mainstreaming and integration in cities (e.g. access to housing and temporary accommodation for vulnerable recent migrants).
• Strengthening of the management of border Consulates and the National Directorate of Migration to facilitate access to migration regularization and identity and residence documentation.
• Training of departmental and municipal officials, as well as local representatives of national agencies, by the National Migration Board.