Twenty-seven women leaders of diasporas from Latin America and the Caribbean agreed to create a platform for communication, the exchange of best practices, and the visibility of each diaspora, among other measures to promote the protection and integration of women in contexts of human mobility. The decision was adopted at the 4th Regional Meeting "Dialogue of Women Leaders of Diasporas in Latin America and the Caribbean," held from September 3 to 5 in Lima.
The meeting was organized by the Organization of American States (OAS), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the Lazos Project, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the Network of Women Leaders of the Venezuelan Diaspora, with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
As a result of the collaborative process, the participants drafted the Lima Declaration, a document that establishes commitments and lines of action to continue joining efforts in favor of decent work, socio-economic integration, and the protection of the rights of people on the move in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This space also allowed for the strengthening of the Regional Network of Venezuelan Women Leaders, created during the first regional meeting, reaffirming its sustainability and capacity for collective action. In addition, good practices were shared, and reflections were generated on the differentiated impact of human mobility on women of different nationalities.
The meeting fostered the exchange of experiences, knowledge, and strategies to strengthen networking. The sessions addressed key topics such as transformative leadership, strategic and digital communication, emotional intelligence, storytelling, project management, fundraising, socio-economic integration, and political advocacy, drawing from the lived experiences and knowledge of the leaders themselves, as well as technical support provided by regional specialists.
The closing ceremony, during which participation certificates were delivered, included representatives of the organizing entities.
Miguel Ángel Trinidad, OAS Representative in Peru, emphasized: "During these days, it has been clearly demonstrated that the leadership of migrant and refugee women is strengthened when they are given the right tools, when they are listened to attentively, and, above all, when they are recognized as protagonists of social change."
"Over these three days, it has become evident that the leadership of migrant women is resilient, innovative, and profoundly human. Their contributions and local knowledge are part of a regional strategy for gender-sensitive migration, which recognizes that women are not passive beneficiaries but agents of change," said Giuseppe Crocetti, IOM Chief of Mission in Peru.
Fabio Bertranou, ILO Deputy Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, stressed: "The ILO recognizes that the human mobility agenda requires innovative and collective responses. The role of networks, such as the one you have consolidated, is key to influencing, demanding, and building policies that put decent work at the center of decisions."
During the opening of the event, Laura Almirall, UNHCR Representative in Peru, stated: "Working alongside refugee and migrant women leaders is profoundly inspiring. Their leadership, skills, and resilience are essential pillars in building effective responses to humanitarian situations."
Martha Fernández, Vice President of the Network of Women Leaders of the Venezuelan Diaspora, addressed the participants and said: "Dear leaders, this Meeting does not stay within these walls. We take the learning back to each territory, each community, each woman who knows that her story also deserves to be told. And as I said at the opening: Everything with us, nothing without us!"
This meeting marks a decisive step toward consolidating female leadership that transforms human mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean. The strategic alliances forged and the tools acquired over these three days not only expand individual capacities but also enhance collective action in favor of human rights. This space reaffirms that when migrant, refugee, and displaced women are recognized as agents of change, fairer, more inclusive, and more sustainable paths open up for the entire region.
