Diasporas are agents with the capacity to create transnational connections and initiatives to support their communities both in their countries of origin and in their countries of residence. Technology provides an invaluable tool to galvanize these diasporic efforts to tap into the unlimited potential of the digital space and collaboration.

This toolkit stems from the desire to systematize IOM Italy ’s ten-year experience in building capacity and providing technical assistance to migrants’ associations as transnational actors in the field of international cooperation. The aim of this Toolkit is to provide useful guidelines to other IOM’s Missions, UN Agencies, associations (CSOs, NGOs) or institutions that wish to replicate and implement the A.MI.CO. programme (Migrants’ Associations for Co-Development).

Executive Summary The Government of Mauritius recognizes the added value, valuable role and potential of its diaspora to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country and aims to mobilize, leverage and harness the diaspora’s intellectual, cultural and social potential, capital and skills. The pilot mapping and profiling of the Mauritian diaspora aims to better understand the profile, size, skills, expertise and aspirations of the Mauritians living in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, and proposes recommendations to engage the Mauritian Diaspora.

Authored by Ruth A. de Frutos García, this Migration Research Series paper explores the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on misinformation related to migration and migrants through two case studies: that of the migrant caravan in Honduras that took place in 2020 and that of the Filipino diaspora. The paper relies on a social media analysis of different types of misinformation related to these two case studies during the first eight months of the pandemic, from March to December 2020.

Executive Summary Purpose: To profile the Armenian diaspora in two target countries, the United States and France using “Big Data” mining techniques. Databases are analysed to create demographic and skills profiles containing identifiers such as education level, and field of employment and field of study. To better understand skilled diaspora communities and how they might be reached for development through knowledge transfer initiatives, interviews with key stakeholders, experts, and diaspora members supplement quantitative analysis.

Diaspora engagement has generated increasing political interest in recent years. It has been explicitly included in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Objective 19: “Create conditions for migrants and diasporas to fully contribute to sustainable development in all countries”, as well as in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which recognizes that migration is a powerful driver of sustainable development, for migrants and their communities.

Governments around the world increasingly see their diasporas not as “lost talent” but

Migration is often seen as a resource optimization strategy at the individual and family levels. These strategies are meant to respond to a social and economic situation perceived as difficult, unsatisfactory or even precarious. The migratory experience allows to envisage a better future, new socio-economic opportunities and the possibility to better meet the needs of one’s family.

This guide explains UNDP’s role in, and commitment to, supporting states to leverage diaspora investments in local development, building on the example of Moldova, which between 2015 and 2018 implemented the Migration and Local Development Project (MiDL), funded by the Government of Switzerland. This project was designed to support local governments in Moldova to develop and implement policies, methodologies and procedures related to emigration, and to link them to local development processes.

Contributions and Counting: Guidance on Measuring the Economic Impact of your Diaspora beyond Remittances provides guidance for governments and national authorities looking to understand and measure the economic contributions made by their diaspora to their country of origin – that is, contributions beyond financial remittances. These economic contributions include investment, trade, tourism and philanthropy.