The 15th Summit of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), held from September 2 to 4 in Riohacha, Colombia, brought together over 360 participants, including 84 civil society representatives and 11 trade union delegates from Latin America, Asia, and international organisations such as the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (IBBWW) and Public Services International (PSI). Trade unions from Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, and India joined forces to raise awareness of the precarious conditions migrant workers face and to push for migration policies rooted in rights and social justice. “The trade union movement comes to this forum to defend the rights of migrants, demand decent work, and ensure that governments integrate these demands into their agendas,” said Ramachandra Khuntia, President of the Global Migration Network of the BWI.

Unions actively participated in plenary and thematic sessions, advancing an agenda centred on labour and human rights, universal access to public services, stronger tripartite dialogue, and the ratification and implementation of key ILO conventions. Notable interventions included Nidia Tarazona (CGT Colombia), who opened the forum on behalf of civil society under the slogan “Resist, Demand, and Recognize,” supported by union leaders such as Hernán Ruguirello and Armando López (CGT Argentina), who underscored the urgency of guaranteeing decent work, labour rights, and human development for migrant workers. Contributions also came from Jesús Jerez (CGT Colombia), Rosalba Gómez (CUT Colombia), Amelia Pereira Campos (CUT Chile), Pablo Méndez (CGTP Peru), Solange Caetano (FNE–CUT Brazil), and Susana Barría (PSI).

Ahead of the official summit, a parallel union session on 1 September convened 26 national and local leaders from CGT and CUT Colombia to exchange experiences and bring local perspectives to the international stage. The IBBWW, alongside 88 social, academic, union, and community organisations from five continents, also endorsed the joint statement Human Mobility Under Threat, which denounced the growing challenges of migration governance, the exclusion of unions and civil society from decision-making, and the lack of effective coordination and communication between stakeholders.