The meeting arises from a joint effort between the municipalities of Montevideo, Canelones and the Congress of Mayorsaimed at facilitating the insertion of migrants in the metropolitan area.
It was the first of three seminars in which the role of subnational governments in the care and facilitation of the insertion of migrants will be considered. The following will be in Rocha and Rivera. This activity is supported by the European Union (EU) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Along with the mayor Carolina Cosse, the mayor of Canelones, Yamandú Orsi, also participated in the opening that took place on Thursday, September 8; the EU representative in Uruguay, Paolo Berizzi, and the regional director of the IOM in South America, Marcelo Pisani.
Officials and public officials, representatives of organizations, civil society leaders, relevant actors from the academy and other areas that work on the subject attended.
In this instance, the community leader thanked the work of those present, and expressed that “the history of humanity is the history of migration.”
“America is the product of a history of open veins, which it continues to be in the 21st century. When there is a migration, for whatever reason -economic, political-, there is always hope behind. The migrants who are in our country, those who move around the world, carry their pain on their backs. When they settle in a place, comes the pain they bring but also hope. And, in a way, they renew the hope of the place where they arrive,” said Cosse.
The Mayor referred to coexistence with migrants and the need to work on actions that promote fairer and more integrated societies.
«We all meet migrants in Uruguay who are looking for consolation, a better life; They want to start over. Work, right to dignity and happiness we need all humans. A humane policy around migration is not the same as an immediate solution. It is necessary to work on a cultural change, for a true coexistence. Feminism, anti-racism, the movement for diversity converge in this: we are all seeking to treat ourselves better as a society.
Subsequently, a presentation was made on data and statistics related to the migrant population, by experts who explained how Uruguay is in this matter.
Uruguay has been making progress in the creation and unification of data criteria, but it needs more investment to obtain more concrete results, from which to improve public migration policy.
The challenges for the insertion of the migrant population in the metropolitan area were also analyzed, in particular aspects related to housing and work.
Montevideo with open arms
The commune, through its Secretariat of Racial Ethnic Equity and Migrant Populationscarries out various initiatives to improve the quality of life of the migrant population residing in Montevideo.
From the year 2020, in agreement with the House of Women of the Union and UNHCRtraining courses were organized with labor intermediation aimed at the refugee or migrant population who were willing to enter the labor market in the area of care.
132 people participated in these training instances. The courses offered were dependency care, customer care, sales and logistics. Those who participated in these trainings received a certification authorized by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC).
A new edition of the courses is planned for this year, with the participation of 60 people.
In turn, in June signed a cooperation agreement with the IOM to receive assistance and training for better attention to migrants. Cooperation implies the development of the following lines of work:
Implementation and joint execution of technical assistance programs, training, advice, projects and events at the local, regional and national levels
Also in June, training began for City Hall staff on “Tools for assisting the migrant population” and “Trafficking and smuggling of persons”; and in July a training on “Human rights in international migration and the international law of refugees.”
Another noteworthy initiative is the courses in Spanish as a foreign language and the conversation space for migrantswhose purpose is to create areas of reflection and learning for this population.
Through weekly meetings – where different topics are addressed in exercises that promote the expansion of vocabulary in the Spanish language and research on socio-cultural phenomena and processes in Uruguay – it is proposed to think and exchange about their adaptation to the country.
Among the topics raised in the program, in addition to the characteristics of the language, are art, sports, architecture, history, personalities and general culture. At the same time, those who participate are encouraged to propose content of interest.
“They are angry with TV Ciudad”
The mayor of Montevideo, Carolina Cosse, assured that TV Ciudad has “technical independence” and is protected by “freedom of the press.” She was interviewed on the program Informal Breakfasts, she said that Cosse assured that there is a “cruelty” against the official channel of the Montevideo Municipality. “They are angry with TV Ciudad and it can be seen that they do not look at it” because “they have made notes of all kinds and colors, even to people who believe that TV Ciudad should disappear,” he stated in response to those who affirm that the channel responds to the Front Large. “TV Ciudad has technical independence and is protected by freedom of the press, they are very serious technicians and professionals who work in a very good team led by Alejandra Casablanca,” she said.
