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LIVE WEBCAST | UPCOMING EVENTA Path to Self-Sufficiency: Advancing Venezuelan Refugee Integration in the Americas
Tuesday, June 7, 2022 [link removed] [[link removed]]
4:30pm – 7:00pm ET / 1:30pm –4:00pm PT
Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza and Live Webcast
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Since 2015, Venezuelan refugees and migrants have been displaced in large numbers across Latin America. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 6 million Venezuelans are living abroad, of which over 4.9 million are hosted in Latin American and Caribbean countries. With the increasing numbers of displaced people around the world, the need for more sustainable and efficient solutions to support both displaced people and host communities has never been greater.
In 2021, the Colombian government provided ten-year Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to most of the 1.8 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the country, thereby creating an enabling environment for their integration. Recognizing that regularization is key to long-term solutions, including access to job market, Ecuador also plans to introduce an initiative that would put the over 500,000 Venezuelans it hosts on the path toward socioeconomic inclusion. Because forced migration is both a humanitarian and development issue, tackling its challenges requires the collective efforts of government, development, humanitarian and private sector partners.
On Tuesday , June 7, 2022 , from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm PT the Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative (RAFDI) and Latin American Program (LAP) of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in partnership with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and Migration Policy Institute (MPI), will hold a public event on the margins of the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. The event, “A Path to Self-Sufficiency: Advancing Venezuelan Refugee Integration in the Americas,” will focus on the critical need for successful integration of Venezuelans in Colombia, Ecuador, and the rest of the region. The discussion will address some of the ongoing implementation challenges, barriers that limit integration, and the critical roles that the public and private sectors can play in delivering solutions and ensuring the success of these bold government initiatives. Speakers will emphasize opportunities and challenges for refugee employment and entrepreneurship, both vital paths to economic self-sufficiency.

Welcoming RemarksLuis Almagro Luis Almagro [[link removed]]
Secretary General of the Organization of American States

IntroductionsNora Preciado Nora Preciado [[link removed]] John Thon Majok John Thon Majok [[link removed]]
Director, Immigrant Affairs, City of Los Angeles Director of Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative (RAFDI)

Keynote speakersIván Duque Márquez Iván Duque Márquez [[link removed]] Guillermo Lasso Guillermo Lasso [[link removed]]
President of the Republic of Colombia President of the Republic of Ecuador

A Perspective from GovernmentLucas Gómez Lucas Gómez [[link removed]] Silvia Espíndola Silvia Espíndola [[link removed]]
Advisor to the President on the Colombia-Venezuela Border Vice Foreign Minister for Human Mobility, Ecuador
Eduardo Stein Eduardo Stein [[link removed]] Marcela Escobari Marcela Escobari [[link removed]]
Joint Special Representative for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants, UNHCR-IOM, and former Vice President of the Republic of Guatemala Assistant Administrator, Bureau of Latin America and the Caribbean, USAID
Julieta Valls Noyes Julieta Valls Noyes [[link removed]]
Assistant Secretary, State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

A Perspective from the Private SectorPaola Buendía Paola Buendia [[link removed]] Dany Bahar Dany Bahar [[link removed]]
Executive Vice President, National Business Association of Colombia Associate Professor of Practice, Brown University
Tim Docking Tim Docking [[link removed]] Juan Carlos Viloria Doria Juan Carlos Viloria Doria [[link removed]]
CEO, Refugee Investment Network President, Coalition for Venezuela

ModeratorsAmbassador Mark Green Ambassador Mark Green [[link removed]] Benjamin Gedan Benjamin Gedan [[link removed]]
President, Director, & CEO, Wilson Center Acting Director, Latin American Program, Wilson Center
Andrew Selee Andrew Selee [[link removed]] Diego Chaves Diego Chaves [[link removed]]
President, Migration Policy Institute Senior Manager, Latin American Initiative and Caribbean Initiative, Migration Policy Institute

Closing RemarksPeter Laugharn Peter Laugharn [[link removed]]
President and Chief Executive Officer, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation


Event Co-Sponsors
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