The IV World Social Forum on Migrations begins in Quito Ecuador. The forum klcks off Friday, October 8, with a conference, press conference, panels, workshops and cultural events. In this report, musicians from the Association of Culture and Art from Andean Peru perform for participants of the forum. Ecuadorian organizer Fernando Ponce inaugurates the event. Nelsy Lizarazo, an organizer of the forum, describes the four main issues the forum takes on, and expresses hope that some governments in South America are responding to the calls for reform. Rufino Domínguez Santos, a community activist and immigrant to the United States from Oaxaca, talks about the root causes of migration – neoliberalism – and asserts the proactive role taken by immigrants. Australian immigration expert Stephen Castles remarks on the lack of a global governing body for migration. William Gois, a member of the international committee of Migrant Forum ASIA, speaks of how migrants are no longer viewed as passive recipients of social services, but as protagonists. Carline Meriliene, a Haitian immigrant living in Ecuador, explains why she and other immigrants are participating in the forum.
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