The public policies promoted by the Regional Government in the area of emigration and immigration will be under analysis by world experts who will participate in the 16th International Metropolis Conference to take place in Ponta Delgada in September.

The announcement was made on Monday morning at a press conference by the Secretary of the Presidency, who stressed that this event is the main worldwide forum on migrations and it will addressed the theme The Future of Migrations: perspectives on global change.

With regard to the organisation of the event, André Bradford said that the Azores are a good example in terms of public policies in the field of migrations, thus offering a new approach to migration issues, either for their experience among various communities around the world, for their tradition of intercontinental relations or even for the space given to the foreign communities seeking the Region.

According to the Regional Secretary, all this aspects have certainly encouraged the conference organisers since the next edition will be a turning point as it will be held in a small archipelago, such as the Azores, contrasting to the big cities where these conferences were usually organised. In addition, the analysis of the impact of migration from the perspective of the country or region of origin will be the main theme under debate at this event.

Hence, the organisation of this conference implicitly acknowledges the history of the Azores as a region of emigration, its recent role as the host region and, particularly, the quality of public policies implemented in this area.

The 16th International Metropolis Conference held in Ponta Delgada between September12-16 is an international organisation led by the Regional Government in partnership with the universities of the Azores and Lisbon, the High Commissioner for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue, the Luso-American Foundation for Development and some research institutions in the area of Migrations from Canada and the Netherlands.

Welcoming a group of over five hundred experts dedicated to the analysis of migration issues, either through political action or research, is an honour that brings responsibility, stressed the Regional Secretary for the Presidency, adding that he expects that the Azores, as an open region proud of its migration traditions, may continued the Secretary of the Presidency, who added expect the Azorean example, as a open region proud of its tradition of migration, may contribute to a better understanding of the impact of migration on contemporary societies.

The conference programme, which counts on the participation of some of the world’s most famous speakers of the subject, also includes the organisation of plenary sessions, workshops, round tables and several field trips on the islands of São Miguel, Faial and Pico.

The press conference for the presentation of this international conference was also attended by the Regional Director for Communities, Maria da Graça Castanho.