Amid the shifting global discourse on equality and the emerging challenges posed by growing instability, our team remains committed to fostering an informed, inclusive and impactful diaspora ecosystem.

On International Women’s Day, EUDiF celebrates the contributions, strength, and resilience of diaspora women worldwide. Today – and every day – we proudly highlight the incredible impact that women from diverse diaspora communities have in shaping their countries of heritage. From entrepreneurs to leaders to heritage custodians, diaspora women are key drivers of societal transformation, breaking barriers, and advancing inclusive practices globally.

On this occasion, we take the opportunity to share a new collection of practices on women and gender, which was created for the 2025 Global Forum on Migration and Development. It showcases approaches that have been instrumental in promoting gender-inclusive practices, strengthening women’s leadership, and ensuring that gender considerations remain at the core of migration and development programming.

Looking back

As we reflect on the first phase of EUDiF, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the many dedicated women whose support, expertise, and collaboration have been crucial in bringing gender-inclusive practices to the fore, both in formal partnerships and informal conversations.

From 2021 to 2022, we collaborated with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU Europe) to empower women entrepreneurs in Armenia, where women’s share in the business sector is only 20%. By engaging women diaspora experts and connecting them with Armenian women entrepreneurs, on the entrepreneurs gained new knowledge in business development and EU market access through mentorship, and upskilling.  The collaboration expanded an international support network that members can draw on to overcome barriers and celebrate success in their entrepreneurial endeavours.

In global fora, we continued to advocate for the recognition of young women’s voices on international platforms, including in the 2024 GFMD side event titled “Collective storytelling: women, youth & diaspora engagement.” The event was in collaboration with the Migration Youth and Children’s Platform and government of Kyrgyzstan, with each sharing stories and building on each other’s, before blending in those from the audience. Together we wove a wider story of the untapped potential and unique perspectives that young women leaders bring to diaspora engagement. The experiences shared shed light on identity struggles and barriers that call for more inclusive and gender-transformative approaches in migration and development policymaking and programming.

These collaborations, among many others, have demonstrated the transformative power of diaspora engagement in driving gender-inclusive economic growth and highlighting the importance of investing in women’s leadership to foster lasting societal change.

Looking ahead: raising the bar for inclusivity

When we started the second phase of EUDiF in June 2024, we committed to raising the bar for inclusivity even higher, running a focus group with diaspora-gender experts during the project’s conception phase. We are now expanding our efforts to proactively mainstream gender and inclusion across all our research, dialogue and capacity development activities.

In this regard, we hope for strong partnerships (old and new!) with shared values on diversity, equity and inclusion, and promise an even stronger thematic focus on gender-inclusive diaspora engagement. Our work will continue to showcase and promote best practices in advancing gender equality, both within diaspora communities and on a global scale.

Stay tuned for announcement in the coming months, and if you have an idea for collaboration, do not hesitate to contact us. Together, we can shape a future where women from all backgrounds are empowered to lead, succeed, and drive meaningful change!