On 22-24 June, the European Union Global Diaspora Facility (EUDiF) hosts its Future Forum. This landmark event – which marks the 2 year anniversary of EUDiF – reflects the wish of the EU to bridge actors, efforts and perspectives in the global diaspora-development ecosystem…#diaspora4future
The Future Forum responds to the need for a collaborative space to explore and set directions to catalyse diaspora contributions for development. A global audience will come together to exchange on today’s diaspora engagement models in order to imagine tomorrow’s collaboration. Too often, discussions on diaspora engagement are rather narrow and stick to a set of familiar options. It is time to be bolder and more creative; at the Future Forum we focus on key societal issues: green transition and youth leadership, with digitalisation as a cross-cutting theme.
The conference features 18 practice-oriented sessions during which over 70 speakers will take stock of progress to better understand the intricacies of diaspora engagement today in order to make the proposals of tomorrow.
Read on for EUDiF Senior Project Manager Aurélie Sgro’s reflection on how the Future Forum fits into the wider diaspora engagement context, based on the research and dialogue activities of the first two years of EUDiF, with suggestions of which sessions to join (all times CEST).
Progress to present day
Since the early 2000’s, there has been a surge in diaspora engagement and responses by and with diaspora to the current global health crisis symbolise the innovation and momentum around diaspora matters more generally. A narrative on the added value of diaspora in both home and host country is emerging. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic has also greatly disrupted diaspora mobilisation. Lots of diaspora organisations have lost their funding, had to stop their activities and some have changed the way they work to adapt to a new demand. Anticipating the post-pandemic world, the Future Forum is a much-needed occasion to review frameworks, approaches and interests on all sides.
By browsing through the 100+ country factsheets of the Global Diaspora Mapping and the series of regional overviews, there are significant disparities in diaspora engagement across regions and countries. Diaspora-development work is incredibly context-specific and will remain so given the varying aspirations, interests, capabilities and enabling environments. There is no one diaspora, nor one form of engagement. Nevertheless, our overview of enabling frameworks and propensities allows us to pick up on elements of common interesting and learning potential during the first day of the Future Forum: parliamentary representation, homeland strategies, host-country approaches and network building.
Research conducted by EUDiF demonstrates a growing institutionalisation and recognition of the positive contribution of diaspora over the past decade, both in countries of origin and destination. A large number of governments also grant civil and political rights to their citizens abroad – a few even reserve parliamentary seats for their diaspora, offering them a major role in homeland politics [22.04 15:30 Voting matters: diaspora parliamentary representation].
However, experience shows that diaspora engagement is not monolithic. Often, the most fruitful governmental efforts employ a variety of strategies, frameworks and programmes to enable diaspora mobilisation and remove barriers to engagement. Mexico, for example, has a diaspora framework that is implemented at both federal and state levels, rather than a specific diaspora engagement policy. The time is ripe to eventually examine the impacts of those efforts [22.04 11:00 Homeland diaspora strategies – measuring & scaling impact].
In Europe, the picture is complex in terms of diaspora support models. Perspectives in the major European countries of destination towards diaspora engagement have evolved over time [22.04 11:00 Destination diaspora: Host country support models]. Some have maintained – and at times expanded – their cooperation with diaspora as development agents and recognised the importance of integration to foster diaspora engagement. Yet other European governments do not engage systematically with diaspora associations or have discontinued diaspora support programmes.
At EU level, several positive steps are worth underlining. Since the first acknowledgement by the EU of the role of diaspora for development in 2005, key policy and strategic documents – including the New European Consensus on Development and the New Pact on Migration and Asylum – have stressed the importance of collaborating with diaspora to foster foreign direct investment, growth and employment, integration, the protection of human rights of migrants, labour mobility, and more widely to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
In parallel, diasporas keep growing more vocal and effective. In some regions – in particular in Asia and Pacific – diaspora engagement is a bottom-up process driven by diasporas. Diaspora networks have been created to mutualise resources and unify voices. During our Diaspora Consultations, a large number of associations expressed interest in the ins and outs of diaspora networks and inter-diaspora learning potential [22.04 15:30 Diaspora networks: Hows and whys].
“Unfinished business”
ICMPD’s Head of Global Initiatives, Oleg Chirita, previously described diaspora engagement is an “unfinished business”. In the majority of countries of origin and destination, approaches are still relatively new and their impact is yet to be determined. Despite important progress, there is room for improvement in terms of policy and institutional frameworks, communication, data and involving all actors:
Operationalising and widening engagement frameworks: About one quarter of the countries mapped by EUDiF have adopted a diaspora engagement policy. Our research points out that not all policies are translated into action plans. Furthermore, little monitoring, review and update of policies are performed, and feedback loops are rarely factored in.
Across the board, the development potential of diaspora remains under-exploited. Governmental approaches tend to concentrate on specific sectors, with an over-focus on leveraging diaspora financial capital. Diaspora agency in all areas of life is unequally acknowledged or enabled. This is demonstrated by the still limited consideration for the potential of diaspora in key societal conversations such as green transitions [23.04 13:30 Diaspora 4 green: The research agenda]. Additionally, diaspora engagement strategies, programmes and tools would benefit from further segmentation to reflect the various profiles in diasporas. In general, they mostly speak to diaspora elites, neglecting the ‘critical mass’. Last but not least, a number of diaspora support programmes are tokenistic and constrained by limited resources.
Consolidating the narrative on diaspora agency: Diaspora matters are filled with a wide range of beliefs, myths and simplistic assumptions, which can accentuate mistrust. Technical understanding of the numerous linkages between diaspora and development needs to be improved. The agency and success stories of diaspora are not always properly communicated or advertised, nor are stories of ‘failure’ treated as learning experiences on which to build. Practice collections and awareness raising such as our Diaspora Voices series help diversify this narrative. Diasporas should be empowered and given the space in which to demonstrate their impact.
Gathering and applying knowledge: The importance of understanding diasporas segments and dynamics is widely recognised as instrumental in developing evidence-based frameworks and programmes. A multitude of diaspora studies, mappings and profiles have been produced, sometimes with unclear goals on how to further use the data, and limited capitalisation on previous research exercises. Consequently, they are not fully applied by governments and diasporas and are not always updated. These shortcomings should be factored when crafting data methodologies. New technologies can offer solutions in this regard. In addition, analysing the practical use of existing mappings and profiles is required to inform future efforts [22.04 13:30 Mapping & profiling – a digital future]
Identifying interlocutors and empowering all actors: Diaspora engagement is affected by the dispersal of actors and unsteady cooperation. Because diaspora matters are diffused, it can be hard to find the right interlocutors, both within governments and the diaspora. The wish to address the fragmentation of actors is a key motivation behind the Future Forum and the creation of EUDiF itself.
In some settings, several ministries and/or governmental agencies can play a role, sometimes with unclear mandates. Within governments, some critical actors are seldom considered, in particular embassies, local authorities, and statistical offices. Their roles to enable diaspora engagement should be further integrated and their capacities increased. More widely, governments could further improve communication and “client service” skills, including by building stronger interfaces with the diaspora, particularly at local and embassy levels.
In parallel, dispersion is equally challenging within diasporas. Poor communication and coordination, as well as divergent agendas and interests can impact collaboration within and among diaspora associations, hence the need to study and learn from diaspora networks’ experience (22.05 15:30 Diaspora networks: hows & whys).
In response to the various needs within the diaspora development ecosystem, EUDiF offers demand-driven and tailored technical assistance to public authorities of EU partner countries, regional organisations and diaspora organisations in Europe to equip them with skills, tools and knowledge. A call for applications is open until 16 July, with a dedicated session during the Future Forum for those interested in learning more (22.06 13:30 CDL & DP4D: technical support explainer).
Inclusivity at all levels: Diaspora engagement needs to b agile and inclusive to respond to the evolution of societal challenges and diaspora dynamics. This calls for regular critical assessment and the ability to adapt approaches to changing contexts. Such assessment should be inclusive and holistic, connecting various perspectives and aspirations together. Zooming in on the relation between diasporas and governments, it can be tricky to agree common or achieve mutual understanding and confidence, but such understanding is the cornerstone to effective engagement.
Recurrent questions heard by the EUDiF team over the past months include: how to align diaspora aspirations and national objectives? How to structure and scale up diaspora interventions to have wider impact? How can we find common objectives when the diaspora ecosystem is so scattered? Without all interested parties having a seat at the table, the answers to these questions will not be comprehensive. The Future Forum is an opportunity to exchange between actors of varying experience in diaspora engagement on how to
Facing the future: Because the Forum is future-oriented, it offers a specific space to discuss diaspora engagement in the context of green transitions and youth, the leaders of the future.
EUDiF has launched a number of studies to better understand the potential role of the diaspora to address major societal issues, including green transitions through sustainable agricultural practices, transfer of new green technologies and climate-resilience building. [23.04 13:30 Diaspora 4 green: Catalysing action and 11:00 Diaspora partnerships for climate resilient communities].
Youth bring fresh perspectives and can be powerful change agents – as attested by the EUDiF team which is made of 10 young migrants and diaspora members representing 8 nationalities spanning 4 continents.
Youth see globalisation, diversity and integration not as threats but as opportunities, to forge better education system, foster employment, increase exchanges etc. They more commonly engage to address challenges of our time. As such, environment is one of the key fields of engagement that can bridge 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations [23.06 13:30 Diaspora 4 green: Catalysing action]. To create jobs and innovation, data also reveal that youth are keen to set up businesses [24.06 13:30 Youth entrepreneurship and local development; 11:00 Youth entrepreneurship & heritage tourism]. Millennials are tech savvy and more prone to virtual engagement characteristics to leverage and support through renewed modalities and partnerships, keeping in mind that youth is diverse [24.06 11:00 Enabling youth innovation – a question for the ages].
Throughout EUDiF dialogue activities, there was concern that subsequent generations of diaspora may be less interested in development, or have a weaker bond with their country of heritage than first generation diaspora. Each generation has distinct emotional bonds, aspirations, capacities and motivations, which lead to differentiated diasporic practices. For young generations, “home” can be a transnational space that has a different meaning than for their parents. Contributing to the development of the country of birth or origin of parents can play a role in identity formation and explaining oneself as youth is by nature a transitional period [24.06 13:30 “Between heritage country and home” – building trust & identity]. Catalysing youth diaspora engagement requires peer-to-peer and intergenerational exchanges, tailored programmes, dedicated resources, specific messages as well as participation in decision-making and the political sphere.
After the Future Forum – EUDiF’s perspective
Going forward at EU level, there is a need to be bolder to propose creative solutions and test new schemes, while offering flexible partnerships to match diaspora’s super-diversity. A greater Team Europe approach in the field of diaspora support would maximise cross-fertilisation and synergies, optimise resources and strengthen the EU positioning on migration and development matters. Knowledge management efforts are required across the board to pool and build on knowledge, moving beyond pilot projects towards more sustainable support facilities. The insights shared during the Future Forum can inspire how to develop a coordinated approach.
EUDiF aims to serve as a neutral platform that fosters informed, inclusive and impactful diaspora-development collaboration We advance and build knowledge, promote multi-stakeholder dialogue, and strive to mainstream diaspora engagement for development. Our work is directly grounded in ICMPD’s first-hand and holistic experience in diaspora matters which dates back to 2007. ICMPD is one of the first organisations which has promoted south-south cooperation and exchanges on diaspora policies and practices. Over the years, ICMPD has become uniquely positioned to facilitate collaboration as it can capitalise on extensive experience with “both sides” of the diaspora ecosystem (governments to craft several policies and support outreach efforts) and diaspora (through capacity development and network-building).
Establishing a trusted partner is a daunting task and takes time. Listening has been central to understand needs and bring value. EUDiF does not intend to replace any actors, but to “facilitate” diaspora engagement globally, as the name indicates. EUDiF supports the concept of “integrated diaspora engagement”: holistic, coherent and coordinated diaspora engagement efforts, embedded within broader societal frameworks and processes at national, regional and international level.
Almost 15 years of experience in diaspora affairs have taught us that openness and sustainability are cornerstones. Progress in diaspora engagement has been achieved but in an ever-changing environment there is room for more progress through learning, innovating, partnering and consolidating. I look forward to welcoming you at the Future Forum to make more progress together.
Words: Dr Aurélie Sgro, Senior Project Manager