About Us

The International Metropolis Project is the largest cross-sectoral international network of researchers, policy makers, and community groups engaged in identifying, understanding, and responding to developments in migration, integration / inclusion, and diversity. Through our efforts, we encourage the production and effective communication of policy-relevant knowledge amongst decision-makers, thought leaders, and practitioners. Our network includes partners from across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific and is growing in Africa and the Middle East.

We recognize that the name of Metropolis is used by others, including in, but not limited to, the field of migration. While we aim to collaborate whenever possible in complementary areas, we also highlight the unique Metropolis International profile and history.

Founded in 1996, the International Metropolis Project (now Metropolis International) was launched by Citizenship and Immigration Canada in partnership with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council as a network of experts and practitioners from universities, governments, and international and non-governmental organizations with an interest in international migration and its effects on societies, including a research program carried out by five Metropolis Centres of Excellence (i.e. partnerships of 20 Canadian universities).

Our mission is to provide an international platform for critical and constructive dialogue and dissemination of knowledge across the policy, research, civil society, and private sectors on matters of migration, integration / inclusion, and diversity, in order to encourage cross-sectoral collaboration for:

1. Socially-meaningful, evidence-based, and policy-relevant research practices;
2. Informed and effective policy & business decision-making and their fair implementation;
3. Best approaches to addressing the current and future challenges in migration, integration / inclusion, and diversity.

We work to enhance cross-sectoral capacity in this field by:

• Providing a global network for policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and business leaders to connect, engage in an open dialogue, and learn from comparative perspectives and shared experiences on a wide range of migration, integration / inclusion, and diversity issues with local, national, regional and global impact.
• Facilitating the development and use of socially-meaningful, evidence-based, and policy-relevant research practices, insights, and lessons learnt by governments, non-governmental organizations, communities, and businesses.
• Ensuring a positive, neutral, open environment for the mobilization of expertise and resources among different international stakeholders.

Metropolis International strongly asserts the importance of evidence-based practices in decision-making across all sectors. We promote this principle in our own activities but also in the interests of societies, communities, and businesses that experience migration and diversity, many of which are our partners.

Metropolis International, through its International Steering Committee and its constituent partners, affirms the right to freedom of expression and open debate on matters of migration, integration / inclusion, and diversity, provided that engagement is respectful and contributes positively to intellectual, policy, and practice dialogue in this field.

Metropolis International is an apolitical organization, committed to cooperation in the field of migration, integration / inclusion, and diversity. While it does not advocate specific views or approaches in relation to any given society or situation, it supports the perspective that migration, integration / inclusion, and diversity need to be governed by societies for the mutual well-being of all citizens, migrants, and their minority communities.

Metropolis International encourages societal recognition of diversity in all its manifest forms and is committed to contributing meaningful conversation between diverse people(s).