THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES ON MIGRATION AND REFUGE
The International Conference on Migration and Refuge (ICoMiR) serves as a global platform organized by the Scalabrinian Centre for Migration Studies (CSEM), part of the Congragation of the Scalabrinian Sisters, along with other partners, designed to promote informed and critical dialogue on migration, refuge, statelessness, and patterns of contemporary human mobility.
Held every two years, ICoMiR convenes scholars, representatives of migrant and refugee communities, civil society organizations, pastoral actors, international agencies, and public authorities. The conference aims to provide a collaborative space where academic research, lived experiences, policy discussions, and field practices converge in meaningful ways.
The ICoMiR conferences are not conceived exclusively as an academic space. While scholarly research is an important component, ICoMiR also welcomes diverse forms of knowledge production and exchange. Practitioners, migrants, refugees, members of civil society organizations, faith-based actors, artists, the media and community leaders are encouraged to participate and share their experiences, reflections, and practices. The conference values different ways of communicating knowledge — including testimonies, community-based initiatives, artistic expressions, policy reflections, and grassroots experiences — creating a space for dialogue between academic research and lived realities.
Having successfully hosted three editions so far, below you can explore the background and highlights of each year’s conference.
BRASILIA - BRAZIL (2025)
The III International Conference of CSEM, titled Dialogues to Understand, Humanize, and Value People in Mobility, aimed to analyze and discuss migration trends from multiple perspectives: academic, civil society, migrant collectives, and governmental entities.
The conference featured a program designed to foster a comprehensive and multidimensional understanding of contemporary migrations, encompassing both South–North and South–South flows, with participation from speakers representing diverse countries.
It took place from May 19 to 22, 2025, in Brasília, Brazil. Key focuses included:
- Analysis of contemporary migration trends (South–North and South–South).
- Creation of spaces for experience-sharing and inclusive knowledge-building.
- Promotion of public policies centered on the rights of migrants.
Access the Final document in the following languages:
English
Portuguese
Spanish
Tijuana – Mexico (2023)
As a continuation and development of the first conference, between 2019 and 2023, CSEM worked intensively to prepare and organize the second international conference. Marked by the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the process leading up to the II Conference included a virtual pre-conference held on June 22–23, 2022.
The in-person conference took place in March 2023, organized by CSEM in partnership with Universidad Iberoamericana de Tijuana, the Scalabrinian Foundation, SMR – Scalabrinian Mission with Migrants and Refugees, the Instituto Madre Assunta de Tijuana, Jesuit Refugee Service, Adveniat, MISEREOR, and other Mexican partnerships, as well as Weltkirche, Germany.
Attention to the relevance and dimensions of migration phenomena in Africa—still little studied and underrepresented—and its connection to Latin America were important issues considered alongside key topics of the Mexican and Latin American context, allowing for a more systemic analysis both theoretically and regarding challenges in service provision and advocacy for people on the move globally. Insights on European migration further enriched the Conference, drawing on the experiences of organizations operating in that context.
Greater space was also given to the voice and agency of migrants through their participation and testimonies, as well as through the publication “Vida y protagonismo en las fronteras: Incidencia de la sociedad civil en el protagonismo de los migrantes y refugiados y su derecho a tener derechos”, which includes contributions from migrants, civil society members, and researchers who were challenged to analyze, reflect, describe, narrate, and contemplate human mobility and the actions of civil society organizations, especially from the perspective of advocacy.
As every conference, texts produced at the event are available in Ebook format:
Johannesburg – South Africa (2018)
In December 2018, CSEM, in collaboration with Weltkirche (Hauptabteilung Weltkirche der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart – Germany), the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo, Scalabrinian – MSCS, headquartered in Rome, Italy, and the Bienvenu Shelter (NGO of the MSCS Sisters) in Johannesburg, South Africa, held the first International Conference in Johannesburg under the theme “Rebuilding Lives at the Borders: Challenges in Assisting Migrants and Refugees.” The event also received support from Adveniat, MISEREOR, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Archdiocese of Johannesburg, Radio Veritas, and the Italian Bishops’ Conference (via Cáritas Uíge – Angola).
The event fostered collaboration among participants, emphasized the importance of including migrants and refugees as active agents in discussions concerning issues that affect them, highlighted the significance of exchanging academic reflection and practical assistance for people on the move to improve the quality and effectiveness of objectives pursued by the various actors, and encouraged continued sharing and deepening of dialogue among participants to support effective responses in favor of migration and refuge causes.
The final document of the 2018 Conference can be accessed at the following links:
You can also access the book with reflections from the event: