The Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN) and the Chilean Catholic Institute of Migration (INCAMI for its Spanish acronym) held the XX Migration Conference in Santiago, Chile.

Santiago de Chile, May 11, 2018 – Under the theme “A New Chile: Towards a Migratory Culture: to Welcome, to Protect, to Promote and to Integrate the Migrant and Refugee Persons,” the XX Migration Conference was held on May 10, an initiative by the Chilean Catholic Institute of Migration (INCAMI), an institution of the Episcopal Conference of Chile and the Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN). The conference was carried out with the collaboration of the International Organization for Migration (IOM); the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, through the Directorate of Consular Policy – Sub directorate of International Migrations; the Ministry of Interior and Public Security of Chile through the Department of Immigration and Migration (DEM); the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation; and Telefónica Chile.

A “new Chile” is the understanding of a country open to the world, to migrations and to all forms of human mobility. It is the understanding of a country that is under construction and in which migrants are also transforming agents that enrich their culture and the country itself.

The conference’s main objective was to contribute, based on the recognition of the rights and duties of migrants and refugees, to the debate on the current migration situation in Chile, considering the recommendations of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the national discussion of immigration and migration laws, and the construction of a migratory culture.

“The conference brought together significant players in the Chilean community to discuss migration. The conversations were informative and impactful,” said Patrick Gage, Director of Development at SIMN.

About SIMN – SIMN is supporting more than 250 Scalabrini centers, shelters, and programs that are providing lodging, food, training, and employment programs; psychological and religious services; protection to victims of human trafficking; and support in the integration process to migrants, refugees and seafarers on five continents. In 2017, Scalabrini centers supported 136,319 migrants and refugees and 227,785 seafarers around the world. SIMN also supports a network of schools providing education, supplies, and food to thousands of vulnerable children. SIMN is an accredited Non-Governmental Organization at the United Nations, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Organization of American States (OAS), and from this perspective is providing research and support for regional and global policies to protect and promote the dignity and the rights of migrants and their families.