United States

At COP26, President Biden announced his Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE), which brings together the diplomatic, development, and technical expertise of the United States to help more than half a billion people in developing countries adapt to and manage the impacts of climate change by 2030. Co-led by USAID and the U.S. Department of State, PREPARE is the U.S.

This report provides an overview of climate change and its impact on migration that informs a proposal for how U.S. foreign assistance can better address the effects of climate change impacts on displacement and migration. It goes further to outline options for protection and resettlement of individuals displaced directly or indirectly from climate change and identifies opportunities for the United States to work with other stakeholders, including through multilateral engagement, to address migration resulting directly or indirectly from climate change. 

Los Angeles, US established a direct cash assistance programme for residents who fall below the poverty line, including undocumented immigrants and informal sector workers. Eligible families received no fee prepaid debit cards of $700-$1,500 based on their income and household size. The Mayor’s office and the non-profit Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles raised $25M from the private sector, philanthropies, and individuals for the programme to distribute directly to residents to meet their basic needs.

New York City, US launched a municipal program in 2019 to expand universal health care so that regardless of insurance, ability to pay, or immigration status all residents can seek services without fear of discrimination. Having established this program prior to COVID-19 was critical to the city’s ability to respond rapidly and inclusively when the pandemic hit

In 2019, Ghana successfully hosted The Year of Return, Ghana 2019, a year-long programme of activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first recorded enslaved Africans in the State of Virginia in the United States.

These activities included visits to heritage sites, healing ceremonies, theatre and musical performances, lectures, investment forums and relocation conferences. The aim was to promote Ghana as a tourist destination and investment opportunity as well as to encourage resettlement in the motherland for the Africans in the diaspora. 

The U.S. government is committed to ensuring high labor standards, bringing workers' voices to the decision-making table, and enforcing rules against unfair labor practices – not just at home, but around the world. That is why President Biden launched the Presidential Memorandum on Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor Standards Globally, the first whole-of-government approach to advance workers’ rights by directing departments and agencies to elevate labor rights in their work abroad.

The Presidential Memorandum on Global Labor Rights helps to:

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) has been campaigning for comprehensive immigration and labour law reform to ensure decent work and rights for all workers, regardless of immigration status, and has developed a series of tools and resources to facilitate migrants’ awareness of their rights. 

On 26 September 2023, the US President Biden announced the inaugural members of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States. The establishment of this Council was a significant commitment announced by Vice President Harris on behalf of the Biden-Harris Administration during the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, aimed at enhancing dialogue between United States officials and the African Diaspora.

Lancaster commits to institutionalize the “Welcoming Plan for the City of Lancaster” through policy, legislation, and programming.

The City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, became a Welcoming Certified City in 2019 through Welcoming America. The city boasts a 300-year-long history of hospitality and is recognized as "America’s refugee capital" in 2019 for resettling 20 times more refugees per capita than the rest of the nation.

The Welcoming Salt Lake Plan – drafted in 2016 – is a community-derived plan, which directs the County’s strategy to facilitate and accelerate immigrant inclusion in civic, economic, and social aspects of life and ensures New Americans are engaged, respected, and have opportunities to reach their fullest potential.