First International Forum on Migration and Peace in the American Continent.

January 26, 2009, Antigua, Guatemala         

During the First International Forum on Migration and Peace, which will be held in Antigua, Guatemala, on January 29th and 30th, 2009, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, representatives of international organizations, church leaders, migration experts, politicians and members of the civil society will discuss the needs of promoting a culture of peaceful coexistence between migrants and local communities, focusing on the American continent.

The Forum, organized by the Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN - www.simn-cs.net), will bring together an international assembly of more than 170 institutions, working in different fields, and will provide them with the opportunity to share their thoughts and their experiences in the world of people on the move.  

History shows that migratory movements will never be stopped by walls or restrictive procedures. In the ever more interconnected global village, migration is one of the main topics of the international agenda. The number of international migrants (those living outside the country in which they were born) has more than doubled in the past 30 years. Today their number is close to 200 million people. Despite restrictive policies, tighter border patrol and the increased number of deportations, factors like poverty, unemployment, natural disasters and civil, political and economic conflicts continue to force millions of people to move in search of a better life and/or better possibilities.  

In this context, the First International Forum on Migration and Peace aims at facilitating a high level debate on the relationship between the migratory processes and the construction of a peaceful international coexistence.

The two-day forum will include panel discussions and workshops on topics as diverse as the connection between migration policies and reconciliation processes in the Americas; the role of the Church in promoting peace between migrants and local communities; and migrants as builders of peace through work, culture and family values.

For a full program, please visit http://www.forummigracionypaz.org/English/Programa.html (for the Spanish version see: http://www.forummigracionypaz.org/Spanish/Programa.html)
The Forum organizers hope to expand the discussion about the relationship between international migration and the construction of peaceful coexistence, while encouraging governments in the Americas to implement comprehensive migration policies that respect and protect the human rights of all migrants.

The Forum, organized by the Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN), is cosponsored by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Trocaire, Fundación Soros, Guatemala, Pastoral de la Mobilidad Humana (CEG), Fondazione Cassamarca, Parlamento Centroamericano, Gobierno de Álvaro Colom Ministero de Relaciones Exteriores de Guatemala.

Form more information about the Forum see: http://www.forummigracionypaz.org.
The Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN) connects over 270 organizations scattered in over 30 countries in the five continents, and networks with several hundred volunteers and 700 Scalabrinian priests and religious. Its mission is to safeguard the dignity and the rights of migrants, refugees, seafarers, itinerants and people on the move.