BACKGROUND
In 2020, iDiaspora coordinated three global exchanges with members of the diaspora responding to the pandemic. Through these virtual dialogues, different actors involved in the development of diasporic initiatives in America, Europe, Africa, and Asia were able to learn and share relevant experience to better include their members when responding to the global health crisis. These events convened nearly 300 stakeholders including diaspora leaders, policymakers, academics, and social workers interested in learning more about how diasporas responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first global diaspora exchanges contributed to a better understanding of diaspora engagement on three different levels. First, as a result of these events, it was possible to identify the different ways that transnational communities responded to the global pandemic through prevention, protection, relief, and recovery interventions. Second, during these sessions, participants shared a set of good practices in diaspora engagement based on connections, partnerships, and self-empowerment. Finally, through these discussions, participants were able to identify synergies and concrete collaboration opportunities.
In 2021, iDiaspora, GRFDT, CISAN and ADEPT co-organised the second Global Diaspora Exchanges to respond to the common challenges highlighted by stakeholders during the 2020 exchanges such as the lack of trust, difficulties regarding fundraising and the sustainability of initiatives in the long term. Building on these successful events and aiming to keep creating and developing the conditions for diasporas to fully contribute to sustainable development in all countries as stated in Objective 19 of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM).
Bringing together, 255 participants facilitated by diaspora members and panel experts from the private sector, NGOs, donor community, diaspora groups as well as academia, the 2021 Global Diaspora Exchanges focused on the themes: Building Trust, Mobilizing Resources and Ensuring Sustainability. The exchanges explored the best practices across the regions and unpacked concerns and opportunities in supporting diaspora to reach their full potential.
In 2022, IOM, co-hosted the first Global Diaspora Summit (GDS), in partnership with the Government of Ireland and other lead participating states. The GDS convened governments, diaspora organizations, and other relevant actors to develop a collaborative vision, through meaningful and structured dialogue, towards actively engaging with transnational communities as agents and accelerators of sustainable development. During the Global Diaspora Summit and latest events organised by members states, international organizations and diasporas themselves, it has been recognised that capacity building is crucial to maximizing diaspora engagement.
In 2023, in response to the consultations held during the Global Diaspora Week 2022, organised by the Global Diaspora Confederation a request was made by diaspora organizations to keep supporting diaspora communities to boost their capacities for development. As a result, the 2023 Global Exchanges will focus on enhancing communication techniques, strategies and tools across the different phases of project management. By providing concrete strategies on how to enhance their communication skills, consider strategic techniques and implement new tools, stakeholders will be able to maximise the impact of their transnational initiatives.
The Global Diaspora Virtual Exchanges led by IOM - iDiaspora, the Global Diaspora Confederation (GDC), GRFDT and the Migration Youth and Children Platform (MYCP) is a unique space where diasporas share best practices at the global level and collaborate with each other to empower themselves and other diaspora leaders and organizations as development actors.
GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE THREE 2023 GLOBAL EXCHANGES:
What are the key skills that a communicator needs to have when approaching donors and delivering a pitch?
What skills and characteristics make diaspora communities unique communicators?
Why are interpersonal skills relevant to deliver impactful messages?
Which channels of communication are the most effective?
QUESTIONS FOR THE SESSION
• Why are digital tools relevant for diaspora engagement and why are they unique?
• How can diasporas adapt to the fast evolution of communication tools and methods?
• Which tools are the most effective to communicate across generations?
• How to use specific tools to enhance diaspora engagement?
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Session 3 – May 3 |
Panellists |
Time |
Hour CET |
|
Welcoming Remarks |
IOM- Ugochi Daniels - DDG IOM |
10 mins |
15.00 – 15.10 |
|
Presentation of speakers by Moderators |
Maria Cartay and Kazeem Ojoye - Global Diaspora Confederation |
10 mins |
15.10 – 15.20 |
|
Guided discussion |
Manuel Meneses - Founder of Diaspora2030mx Yasmina Benslimane - Gender Specialist at Whitney Usoh - President of |
45 mins |
15.20 – 16.05 |
|
Exchange of experiences |
Interactive Debate |
40 mins |
16.05 – 16.45 |
|
Closing Remarks |
Prof. Binod Khadria - President Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism - GRFDT Forum |
10 mins |
16.45 – 16.55 |
|
Survey |
|
5 mins |
16.55 – 17.00 |
Opening Remarks
Ugochi Daniels - Deputy Director General IOM*
On 31 May 2021, Ugochi Daniels was appointed as IOM’s Deputy Director General – Operations, taking office on 1 September 2021.
Ugochi Daniels is a Senior Executive with over twenty-seven years of diverse managerial experience with donor and United Nations entities, academia, as well as private sector institutions.
Ugochi Daniels was named a (S)hero of the United Nations for championing women’s health needs in humanitarian emergencies. (S)heroes defend the vulnerable and fight for human rights, command forces and build coalitions for peace and take on the world’s toughest challenges.
Ugochi Daniels’s career with the United Nations spans almost two decades. Prior to joining IOM, Ugochi Daniels was the Chief of Staff at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). She was also the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Designated Official for Security in the Islamic Republic of Iran from 2018 to 2020. From 2013 to 2018, Ugochi Daniels was the Chief of Humanitarian and Fragile Contexts Branch at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Headquarters. Her stint at UNFPA includes assignments in the Philippines (Country Representative, 2010-2013) and Nepal (Deputy Representative, 2007-2010). Ms Daniels joined the UNFPA in 2002 as the Deputy Program Manager for Africa Youth Alliance (2002-2007).
* Liz Warn, head of the Labour Mobility and Social Inclusion Division at IOM, will be delivering the remarks on behalf of the Duputy Director General of the IOM, Ugochi Daniels, who will not be able to attend this event
Co - moderators
Maria Dolores Delgado Cartay – Secretary Global Diaspora Confederation
Born in Mérida, Venezuela, María has lived a significant part of her life in Venezuela, where she attended school and university. From an early age, she engaged in the promotion and defence of political rights and participation and assumed leadership as student representative at different council’s of her Alma Mater Universidad de Los Andes, where she obtained a degree in Forest engineering.
María’s career as environmental scientist has brought her to work in different countries andmulti-cultural teams but also to act in politically sensitive contexts. For many years, María supported scientific collaborative work with complex partnerships, including industry, government staff, international agencies and NGOs. She currently works as EU Regulatory Affairs Project Manager in the Agro chemical Industry.
In 2004, María moved to Germany. Ever since she has actively worked promoting the right to vote of Venezuelans living abroad and protect the integrity of electoral processes. She also participated in the creation of a platform of German and Venezuelan citizens committed to the defence of democracy and human rights in Venezuela. This led later to the foundation of Pro Venezuela e.V., a civil association created in 2014 and from which María is a founding member, acting as chairwoman until 2018 and as is vice chair to the present.
In her role within Pro Venezuela, María has helped in the creation of a collaborative network of Venezuelan diaspora organisations in Germany and Europe. In 2018, she organised the first workshop of Venezuelan diaspora organisations in Europe, with the goal of sharing good practices and promote activities to support the integration of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in their host communities. María has also collaborated with studies and programson the Venezuelan diaspora and on diaspora organizations in Germany.
Kazeem Ojoye – Treasurer Global Diaspora Confederation
Kazeem Ojoye is Treasurer of Global Diaspora Confederation. He is one of the first trusteesof GDC since 2021 and joined as interim board member in 2020.
He was born in Nigeria where he lived a significant part of his life. He later moved toGermany in the early ’90s, where he attended secondary and higher education.
Kazeem has great passion and dedication for Charity, especially in Youth Developmentand Empowerment, which prompted him to the foundation of the YEESS Initiative. As the founder of YEESSI (Registered in Germany and Nigeria) his dream is to empowerand enlighten as many Nigerian youths as possible.
Kazeem is also ex Financial Secretary of NIDO Germany, and he is the Chairman of the Nigerian Community in Bavaria Germany since 2020.
Kazeem studied Informatics (Computer Engineering) at the Technical University of Munich TUM and worked for international and large Enterprises like BMW Group,UNICREDIT and now is a Senior IT Solution Architect at SKY (ComCast).
Speakers
Whitney Usoh - President at Nigerian Youths in the Netherlands
Whitney is the President and Public Relations Officier of the Nigerian youths in the Netherlands. A registered organization promoting the voice and visibility of young and blended Nigerians resident in the Netherlands.
Yasmina Bensliman - Gender Specialist at Migration Youth & Children Platform
Yasmina Benslimane is a feminist activist and consultant with a strong commitment to advancing gender equality including in the migration context. Her research interests include international refugee law, refugee protection in the global south, extra-regional migration in the Americas, and gender-based violence in the migration context. Skilled in advocacy, communications and media, human rights, policy analysis, research, and writing, Yasmina has accumulated over six years of professional experience in the migration field with national human rights institutions, NGOs, and UN agencies, in several countries including IOM, UNHCR, UNDP, and the Migration Policy Institute. She is currently the Gender Specialist at the Migration Youth and Children Platform (UNMGCY).
Manuel Meneses - Sustainability Professional and founder of Diáspora2030mx
Manuel Meneses-Namihira is a sustainability professional with over 12 years of experience shaping and implementing sustainable development projects and partnerships. As co-founder of Cirklo, a pioneering social innovation consulting firm in Latin America, Manuel has delivered over 60 successful projects across seven countries. He is now a Senior Manager at the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which provides the world’s most trusted and widely used standards for sustainability reporting. Manuel is also a member of the Mexican Talent Network in The Netherlands and the creator of Diaspora 2030, a platform for open conversations and engagement with practitioners of sustainable development from the Mexican diaspora. Manuel holds a degree in International Relations from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and an MSc in Innovation for Sustainable International Development from the University of Sussex in the UK.
Closing Remarks
Prof. Binod Khadria President of the Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT)
Prof. Binod Khadria is currently the President of the think-tank GRFDT, Co-convener of Metropolis Asia-Pacific, and Honorary Senior Fellow & Director of Migration and Globalization Studies, the Centre for Multilevel Federalism, Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi. He is a former Professor of Economics and Chairperson of the ZH Centre for Educational Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. In 2017-18, he held the inaugural Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Chair at Rutgers University.
Dr. Khadria earned his BA Econ Hons from Cotton College and Ph.D. from JNU. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, a Times Fellow at the Teen Murti House, and a Fulbright Scholar at Boston University.
His publications include The Migration of Knowledge Workers (Sage 1999), two volumes of India Migration Report (Cambridge University Press 2009; 2012), Indian Skilled Migration and Development: To Europe and Back (Springer 2014). In addition, to scholarly journals and edited volumes, his research papers have been published by the ILO, IOM, OECD, GCIM, IRD-France, IDE-Japan, Harvard International Review, and the Encyclopedia of the Indian Diaspora. He is the Co-editor of Sage Handbook of International Migration (London 2019), and World Migration Report 2020 (UN-IOM Geneva). He is also the guest co-editor of the current special issue of Asian and Pacific Migration Journal (APMJ) on "Indian Migration and Development: Transformative Perspectives from the Global South" (Vol 31, Issue 4, Dec, 2022).
A member of the International Steering Committee of Metropolis International and the IOM’s Migration Research Leaders Syndicate, Dr. Khadria served as the Thematic Expert at the second UN General Assembly debate on the processes that led to the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) in 2018. Recently, ISIM at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, USA has appointed him an Affiliated Fellow. Presently, he is hosted by CERC in Migration and Integration at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada as a Visiting Scholar of Excellence
