Event Summary
From 2 to 4 September 2025, Colombia hosted the XV Summit of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) in Riohacha, La Guajira. As president of the GFMD since 2024, the country promotes inclusive migration governance under the slogan “Regular migration, labor mobility and human rights”. Delegates from more than 40 countries, international organizations such as IOM and UNHCR, civil society and the private sector participated.
The event emphasized regional cooperation, youth engagement, labor mobility in the context of climate change, and the use of digital tools in migration management. This summit offered a strategic opportunity to strengthen civil society’s role in migration governance, influence policy, demonstrate its impact, and raise its visibility. It encouraged the Colombian State to adopt a collaborative, rights-based approach, promote safe digital practices, and open advocacy spaces for social organizations. The summit supports the work of organizations assisting migrants and influences both local and bilateral political relations—particularly with Venezuela. Within this framework, the GFMD can contribute to peacebuilding and binational integration, fostering conditions where human mobility is managed with dignity and respect. The challenge will be to ensure that the commitments transcend the summit and translate into stable policies, with effective and sustained participation by civil society.