Migrants and diaspora communities are recognized for their invaluable role in society due to their rich cultural contributions, diverse voices, and their economic contributions to the countries they live in and come from, including philanthropy, entrepreneurship, and innovations. iDiaspora provides a platform to share your voice, to gain knowledge, and to engage with the global community committed to the importance of diaspora.
On 8 October 2018, the iDiaspora platform facilitated by IOM, the UN Migration Agency, was launched at the Palais des Nations Geneva, Switzerland. Over 70 representatives from governments, the private sector and civil society participated in the official launch of this global engagement and knowledge exchange hub for transnational communities. An interactive panel discussion on “Reaching out to Diaspora through technology” was part of the launch event.
Transnational communities, diasporas, expatriates, migrants — no matter what labels apply, individuals living away from the places they call home have historically driven social and economic change around the globe. Over the last decade, development actors and governments have increasingly recognized and promoted the important role played by diaspora communities, which has already been augmented and facilitated by exponential evolution of communication technologies.
Migrants and diaspora communities are recognized for their invaluable role in society due to their rich cultural contributions, diverse voices, and their economic contributions to the countries they live in and come from, including philanthropy, entrepreneurship, and innovations. iDiaspora provides a platform to share your voice, to gain knowledge, and to engage with the global community committed to the importance of diaspora.
Diaspora engagement has to potential to become a practice of choice for the public and private sector. We need to narrow the gaps in connectivity, knowledge and opportunity between these sectors to realize this potential. I sense iDiaspora is an important step-change in this journey and is a platform I look forward to seeing flourish.
~ Martin Russel, co-founder of the forthcoming DiasporaLab
iDiaspora is a developing platform and we need your help to continue to grow.
We are looking for ideas, thoughts, and opinions to help us innovate iDiaspora.
