On 11 March, World Health Organization officially declared Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic. Since the outbreak began, as of 3 April, more than 1 million cases and over 58,000 deaths have been reported in 204 countries and territories. The impact of the current global pandemic is affecting every aspect of life from health, economies, and even basic social interactions. In response to this unprecendented global crisis, individuals and organizations are jumping into action individually and collectively and diaspora are not only often the first to respond, their political, social, cultural and human capital coupled with their knowledge of the country, local languages, as well as social, cultural, and religious norms, can lead to more targeted and tailor responses.

Through this forum we want to collect and  share experiences and best practices in terms of diaspora response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other similar emergency situations in the past. The purpose is twofold: first, to create a space for diaspora groups from different communities to share experiences and best practices in order to maximize their impact within their efforts to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, and secondly, to showcase and bring attention to the important work that diaspora groups are doing on the ground in order to encourage policy makers and practitioners to strengthen their collaboration and support to such efforts.

Your invited to share examples of your successful interventions as best practices and/or inspiration for others that are still exploring ways to contribute to addressing this global challenge.