Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, whose country has taken in some two million Syrian refugees, will address the meeting attended by some 70 countries.
With European countries deeply divided over the migrant issue, it remains unclear whether the meeting at the United Nations will yield results.
"There is long way to go still to come to a more comprehensive long term policy instead of addressing the short term needs," William Swing, the head of the International Organization for Migration told AFP.
Countries need to "come to an understanding that migration is a mega-trend of our century and depoliticize it," he said.
"It is important to try to do this in a more organized fashion.