BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA – The McCain Institute at Arizona State University’s (ASU) McCain Global Leaders (MGL) program completed the third stop of its four-country Changemaker Tour August 1 – 5 in Bogotá, Colombia.
The five-day tour included four of the 26 total fellows from the McCain Global Leaders cohort. Participants in the Western Hemisphere cohort came from Guatemala, Brazil, Ecuador and the United States.
With a focus on migration: approaches to root causes, instability, and support to displaced populations, the fellows engaged in discussions with members of the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá and USAID officials. They also attended briefings with the International Justice Mission Program and the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Fellows visited the border town of Cúcuta to see the humanitarian response firsthand. During this experience, fellows met with local NGOs to learn how they are assisting refugees, alongside visiting ACNUR-UNHCR which leads a multi-agency task force of 41 local and international organizations that provide services to thousands of refugees in Colombia.
“We concluded our time in Cúcuta at the Simon Bolivar Bridge where tens of thousands of Venezuelans have crossed into Colombia seeking a safe haven and economic opportunity,” said Scott Nemeth, McCain Institute senior program manager for global leadership programs.
To learn more about the first three stops of the Changemaker Tour in Warsaw, Poland; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Bogotá, Colombia, visit the McCain Institute’s Instagram and Twitter.