From this Monday to January 26, under the presidency of the United Arab Emirates, the XIII Summit of the World Forum on Migration and Development will be held electronically and will cover a series of activities focused on various topics related to the challenges in this area amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The opening ceremony of the Summit featured speeches from key political and institutional leaders from around the world, reflecting the 2020 Presidency’s focus on regional perspectives on migration and development, representing this edition an opportunity to reflect on the challenges that lie ahead and the plans that are necessary to put the recovery into action in the face of the health emergency.
For the first time, the entire Summit is open to all stakeholders of the World Forum on Migration and Development, with various side events in which Venezuela has broad participation, within a program that will focus particularly on labor migration, the performance of companies and local authorities, regional perspectives and dialogue; all this considering the impact of the coronavirus and post-pandemic challenges.
Luis Damiani stressed that Venezuela has been concerned with guaranteeing the fundamental rights of migrants “in strict adherence to the principle of equality and non-discrimination, enshrined in the Bolivarian Constitution”, for which he indicated that “foreign persons living in the country benefit from the public policies implemented by the Venezuelan State”, highlighting the right to free and quality health, work, education “and even the right to decent housing.”
During this activity framed in the Summit, the actors shared practices of recovery measures that address the needs and vulnerabilities of migrants and their communities, but also based on their skills, knowledge and experience, being Venezuela a sobering example, even with the economic blockade and the multiple attacks of which it has been a victim in recent years.