Programa «What Is a Successful Migration? Lessons and Experiences from Mexico, Colombia and Spain» 

Aspen Institute España, in collaboration with Aspen Institute México and Aspen Institute Colombia, is organizing the first edition of the Program “What Is Successful Migration? Lessons and Experiences from Mexico, Colombia and Spain”. The Program will consist of two online discussion sessions held under the Chatham House Rule, and a public conference within the framework of the Foro Aspen, aiming to bring the conversation to a wider audience. The Program is organized with the support of Aspen International Partners – Global Fund and the La Caixa Foundation.

The debate session I, titled “Experiences from Latin America: Mexico and Colombia”, took place on Thursday, October 15 at 5:30 pm (GMT+2), with  Tonatiuh Guillén, Professor of Development Studies at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and Fernando Calado, independent consultant on migration, security and development, as speakers.

The debate session II, titled “Experiences from Spain and Europe”, will take place on Thursday, October 29 at 5:30 pm (GMT+1), with Ruth Ferrero, Professor of Political Science and European Studies at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, as speaker.

Both sessions will be moderated by Enrique Berruga, diplomat, writer and Executive Director of Aspen Institute México.

The closing conference, “What Is Successful Migration?”, will take place on November 12 at 7pm in Fundación Casa México (Madrid).

“What Is Successful Migration? Lessons and Experiences from Mexico, Colombia and Spain”

The Program “What Is Successful Migration?” addresses one of the most pressing issues in today’s public debate and on the political agenda in Europe and the Americas, presenting migration as a complex reality and a shared challenge that demands moral clarity, empathy and collaboration. At a time when migration dominates the political agenda and is increasingly polarizing, this program seeks to create a space for open and plural dialogue, and to bring a rigorous, transatlantic perspective to the debate by bringing together experiences from Colombia, Mexico and Spain.

The perspectives of these three countries, different in context and history but with shared experiences, enrich one another through dialogue, and through this exchange the program seeks to find more humane and sustainable approaches to global migration challenges.

Tonatiuh Guillén

Tonatiuh holds a PhD in Social Sciences with a specialization in Sociology from El Colegio de México. He was President of El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (2007–2017) and a professor at the institution (1986–2017). He served as Commissioner of Mexico’s National Migration Institute (December 2018–June 2019). He is a member of the National System of Researchers and the Mexican Academy of Sciences, and has been a member of various academic and social organizations. His research areas include international migration, development, local government, federalism and regional policy. He writes outreach articles for various publications and regularly appears in national and international media. His recent books include: Migración internacional y desarrollo. Las coordenadas de su encuentro (2026, forthcoming); Tiempos de exclusión. Migración, refugio y fronteras en México (2026, PUED/UNAM); La investigación social y las fronteras de México. Miradas críticas desde el sur (2025, PUED/UNAM); México, Nación transterritorial. El desafío del siglo XXI (PUED/UNAM, 2021); and Tejiendo redes al sur. Trabajo y región entre México y Guatemala (RTMG, 2021).

Fernando Calado

Fernando, a Peruvian national, has more than 25 years of experience in migration governance, humanitarian response and post-crisis recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Asia and Europe. Most recently, he has worked as an international consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank, advising on migration and citizen security programs in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. Previously, he led a USD 160 million financial mechanism for migrant governance and integration in Colombia, establishing 11 integration centers that served more than 300,000 migrants in nine cities. He also served as project director of a flagship human rights program covering 45 priority municipalities in the post-conflict context, advising the Ministry of the Interior, the National Police and the National Protection Unit. At the IOM (International Organization for Migration), Mr. Calado served as Deputy Chief of Mission and Director of Programs in Colombia, where he oversaw a multimillion-dollar portfolio and a team of 150 people, and mobilized significant new funding from bilateral donors, the United States, the European Union and the Government of Colombia. He holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, and works in Spanish and English.

Ruth Ferrero

Ruth is an affiliated researcher at the Complutense Institute of International Studies at the Complutense University of Madrid (ICEI-UCM), where she directs the Diplomas in Migration and International Relations and in EU Immigration and Asylum Policies. She is a member of the Complutense Research Group on International Migration (GEMI), the Application of International Law group (APLIDERINT) and the EU Politics and Government group (UAM). She received the 2019 Carlos V European Research Award from the European and Ibero-American Foundation of Yuste and was a Non-Visegrad Fellow of the V4 Think Tank Platform in 2018. She holds an international PhD in Political Science and International Relations from UCM, an MPhil in Eastern European Studies (UNED), a degree in Political Science and Sociology from the Complutense University and Newcastle upon Tyne University, a postgraduate degree in Political Science and Constitutional Law from the Center for Political and Constitutional Studies, and a Specialization Diploma in European Union Studies from the Diplomatic School. In addition to teaching, she works as a consultant for institutions and organizations such as FIIAPP, the European Training Foundation, Migration Policy Group, Migration Policy Institute, Instrategies and the IOM, among others.

Enrique Berruga

Enrique holds a degree in International Relations from El Colegio de México and a master’s in International Economics and International Relations Theory from Johns Hopkins University. He is currently Executive Director General of Aspen Institute México and a member of the Board of Governors of the International Peace Academy. Ambassador Berruga began his diplomatic career in 1984 and has held numerous positions, most notably: Ambassador of Mexico to the United Nations, President of the United Nations Security Council, Ambassador of Mexico to Costa Rica, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for North America, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the United Nations, Executive Director of the Mexican Institute for International Cooperation (IMEXCI), General Coordinator of Advisors to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and Personal Representative of the President of Mexico for United Nations Reform. In the private and philanthropic sectors, he has served as Vice President of Corporate Relations and Communications at Grupo Modelo; Vice President of Grupo Orlegi, the parent company of the professional football clubs Club Santos Laguna, Jaiba Brava and Atlas de Guadalajara; Vice President of the Mexicans & Americans Thinking Together Foundation; President of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations; Coordinator of Best Practices and Public Policy at the Inter-American Conference on Social Security; and Representative for Mexico, the United States and Central America of the Spanish renewable energy company AORA Solar. He taught Mexican Foreign Policy, U.S. Foreign Policy and International Political Theory at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). He is the author of several works on foreign policy and international economics, as well as the novels Destino los Pinos, El Martes del Silencio, Propiedad Ajena (translated into English and adapted for film), La Eternidad No Tiene Futuro, and El American Dream, whose rights have been acquired by Netflix for a five-season production.