The International Organization for Migration (IOM) called for integration, empathy and respect for the almost three million Venezuelans who live in Colombia.
The campaign ‘Between ties: with rights and diversity we build community’ It seeks to change the perception of migration, showing it as an opportunity for Colombia, and eliminate the stigmas and discrimination that migrants live with.
According to data from Migration Colombia, the country is home to to 2.8 million migrants from Venezuela, thus hosting the largest number of the Venezuelan exodus in recent years.
“Colombia, being one of the countries that welcomes the largest migrant population in the region, has been able to identify the opportunities and benefits that migration brings”considers IOM in a statement.
Three years ago, the country launched a massive regularization of the situation of Venezuelan migrants and “has made significant progress in the regularization and social and economic integration of migrants, standing out for its ability to take advantage of their diversity as an engine of development,” according to the UN agency.
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Thus, according to the Study of the Fiscal Impact of Venezuelan Migration in Colombia, supported by the IOM, in 2022 migrants and Venezuelan refugees in Colombia generated an economic impact in the country of 529.1 million dollars.
With the new campaign, the IOM outlines a series of events, cultural exhibitions, entrepreneurship fairs, workshops and other activities in various cities of the country “where we seek to bring citizens closer to life stories that reflect resilience and the transformative capacity of integration.”
EFE
