The June 2020 International Metropolis Conference will be held in Beijing, China, at a time of repression of its Muslim Uighur minority, its Tibetan minority, threats to Hong Kong’s legal and judicial independence, interference and detention of foreign nationals, and overall human rights abuses.

Metropolis, as an international network of researchers, policy makers, and community groups engaged in identifying, understanding, and responding to developments in migration and diversity, will be seen as effectively endorsing these policies by holding its conference in Beijing. 

Rather than “encourag[ing] the production and effective communication of policy-relevant knowledge amongst decision-makers, thought leaders, and practitioners,” the conference will be used to legitimize Chinese human rights abuses, particularly minority rights. 

We the undersigned, as researchers, policy makers, and community groups engaged in migration and diversity issues, call upon:

• All those involved in migration and diversity to not attend or endorse the holding of the International Metropolis Conference in Beijing;
• Call upon government officials and private companies involved in migration to not attend the Conference; and,
• Call upon the International Metropolis Secretariat to only hold the Conference in a country that conforms to international human rights standards.

Chedly Belkhodja (Concordia University), Fariborz Birjandian (Calgary Catholic Immigration Society), Christina Clark-Kazak (University of Ottawa), Annick German (L'Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), Andrew Griffith (Canadian Global Affairs Institute), Denise Helly (L'Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), Audrey Macklin (University of Toronto), Mireille Paquet (Concordia University), Howard Ramos (Dalhousie University), Erin Tolley (University of Toronto), Lori Wilkinson (University of Manitoba)