Mexico City, Mexico – September 29, 2015 – UFCW Canada joined with 17 other social justice and civil society organizations at the Migration and Development Civil Society Network (MADE) regional conference held recently in Mexico City. MADE connects migrant advocates worldwide to promote policies for the well-being and protection of all migrants and migrant communities.

The theme for the conference was Migration in America: Building a Stronger Voice for Migrant Advocacy.  UFCW Canada activists joined 70 other participants from the International Migration and Development Network (RIMD), Centre for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), the Support Commission for Refugees and Migrants (CAREF), the Lanus University (UNLA), and the Fray Matias de Cordova Human Rights Centre.

It was the first time UFCW Canada attended a MADE network meeting, and it was an exceptional opportunity to discuss the linkage between the labour rights and human rights of migrant workers.

During the conference, common issues and perspectives were presented with the goal of identifying regional and global key processes, and developing specific political strategies.  Issues such as the roots of migration, regularization and inclusion, and childhood and gender were discussed, while the participants worked on defining common traits, structural problems and possible solutions to these universal issues facing migrant workers.