Second Conference on Migrations, Refuge and Statelessness begins November 8

The second edition of the Conference on Migrations, Refuge, and Statelessness (COMIGRAR) will begin this Friday, November 8, at 6:30 PM. The opening ceremony will take place at the auditorium of the University of Brasilia’s Faculty Association (Associação dos Docentes da Universidade de Brasília / UnB), and the event will continue until Sunday (10). The three-day event is expected to draw over 700 attendees. Alongside the debates, the conference will offer a public program with cultural and children's activities, lectures, workshops, and various public services.

To promote discussions about public policies for migrants, refugees, and stateless people, the 2nd edition of COMIGRAR was divided into two stages: a national one, scheduled for this weekend, and the preparatory one, with free conferences held at the local, state, and national levels, with or without the election of delegates. The event is coordinated by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública / MJSP) through the National Justice Secretariat (Secretaria Nacional de Justiça /SENAJUS), in partnership with the University of Brasilia, governmental agencies, international organizations, and civil society. The first edition happened a decade ago.

The event opening will be broadcast live on the MJSP Youtube channel. The closing session will also be available through this platform on Sunday, starting at 8:30 AM. During the three days, participants will discuss public policy proposals collected at the 119 preparatory conferences, held between September 2023 and June 2024.

The free local, state, and national stages counted with the participation of around 14,000 people who had the opportunity to make suggestions to improve Brazilian policies on the issue. A total of 2,151 proposals were received and systematized into a proposals brochure. A total of 269 individuals were elected as delegates for the national stage.

This second edition of COMIGRAR will count with the attendance of authorities from the Federal Government, representatives from international organizations, researchers, and migrant, refugee, and stateless leaders.

Participation manual

Guidance regarding the location, accreditation, accessibility, accommodation, transportation, airfares, and food can be accessed in the participation manual.

With versions are available in Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French, the document provides information about the working groups, mini-plenaries, and final plenary, which constitute the spaces for discussing and deliberating proposals.

Proposals brochure and rules of procedure

The proposals brochure synthesizes the results of contributions collected during the preparatory conferences held from September 2023 to June 2024. During this stage, 2,151 suggestions were received and systematized into 180 proposals. This total will be discussed at the national stage, which will define 30 priorities that will guide the work of the Federal Government on the issue.

The proposals are distributed along six axes: equal treatment and access to public services; social and economic insertion and the promotion of decent work; interculturality and diversities; governance and social participation; migration and documentation regularization; and addressing human rights violations.

COMIGRAR's rules of procedure booklet provides guidance regarding the discussion and deliberation stages and defines the rules of conduct and participation to ensure a democratic and inclusive process throughout the event.

Program

To open the program on Friday, the SESC Roraima Youth Symphony Orchestra (Orquestra Sinfônica Jovem do SESC-RR), composed by refugee musicians, will perform at the University of Brasilia. On the occasion, a panel with authorities will be formed.

On Saturday, the delegates elected during the preparatory stage will debate the public policy proposals in an exclusive activity.

There will be activities open to the public during the weekend. The open program features cultural performances, lectures, discussion circles, workshops, film and documentary screenings, publication releases, fairs and project exhibitions, as well as activities geared towards children and adolescents.

The closing event on Sunday will begin at 8:30 AM.