The first “Dialogue on migration: the role of subnational governments” was held, organized by the Congress of Mayors. The Mayor of Canelones, Yamandu Orsi said that the migratory phenomenon is manifested especially in the metropolitan area and blurs the departmental borders between Montevideo and Canelones. “The metropolitan dimension forces us to think about the issue of migration in a different way from other issues because we have the obligation to have, not only the same discourse, but also the same answers”, “the Government of Montevideo and the Government of Canelones”, he assured.
For her part, the Mayor of Montevideo, Carolina Cosse, stated that “society is a complex fabric and the easiest thing is to fall into xenophobia and racism”, for which the work of subnational governments is, at its base, a I work to “treat ourselves better as a society”. She noted that it seeks to propose solutions to a complex problem “that we will not be able to solve in two days, not only from local governments, but although it is not our responsibility, it is our responsibility.”
The Political Counselor of the Mayor’s Congress, Pedro Apesteguía pointed out that “although Local Governments do not have direct powers in the matter, this phenomenon occurs every day in local realities and it is necessary for Local Governments to know the characteristics and agree on the common discourse. In the last ten years, more than one hundred thousand foreigners have chosen to live in Uruguay and it is expected that this migratory flow will continue and even increase, so “this type of meeting is necessary where local governments come into contact with this matter to continue building citizenship,” he said. In this sense, the participation of Canelones and Montevideo is essential since they are the two departments of the country that have the largest number of migrants.
