All photographs: © François Vieira - Photos Vied'art

First Diaspora policy dialogue Seminar - June 2008

On June 25th and 26th, the ADPC in cooperation with the EU and UNDP organized the very first policy dialogue seminar on Engaging African Diaspora in Europe as Strategic Agents for Development in Africa. June 25th was attended by approximately 120 participants, and June 26th, which was closed to the diaspora, was attended by approximately 70 participants. The seminar facilitated a constructive and face to face policy dialogue between the African Diaspora and policy makers involved in migration and development related issues in Europe and in Africa. More importantly, the seminar brought together 50 leading African Diaspora organizations from 10 European Union (EU) countries to Brussels to network, establish viable contacts, learn from each other’s development related activities, exchange valuable information, share best practices and positive experiences, etc. This was considered by the diaspora participants in the seminar to be a major accomplishment in itself.

The purpose of the seminar was to facilitate the inclusion of the diaspora voices and visions in European policy deliberations in this growing policy field in a more targeted and systematic manner. The seminar explored the added value and options for strategic partnerships between the diaspora and other stakeholders in the field of migration and development.

The first day of the seminar was devoted to exchanging views in order to identify key policy actions through which the considerable development potential of the diaspora can be maximized. Some of the key recommendations of the day were:

• Creating or facilitating job creation in Africa by using skills, transnational links, financial, social and political capital of the diaspora, as it will add value to the efforts undertaken in this sector
• EU leveraging the country specific best practices and up-scaling them to an EU level
• Developing a Migration and Development Fund
• Support for the Diaspora who are seeking employment opportunities in Africa, by appropriately matching skills and providing practical support, where this is required
• Policy coherence within the EU and between EU and Africa
• Develop methodology and strategy for institutions to use as guidelines by which they select Diaspora representation for Diaspora-institutional engagement

The second day focused on showcasing and making known to a wider policy constituency the successes achieved with concrete development related activities initiated by diaspora organizations in their respective homelands and the specific factors that have contributed to their positive outcomes. Some key recommendations of the day were:

• Diaspora engagement in job creation projects that will become sustainable.
• Research on the various types of Diaspora, creating an action framework to facilitate progress and delivery
• Create an African Diaspora Business Roundtable – a think thank to join existing networks in EU. A form of links for the Diaspora to enable and facilitate incentives for the Diaspora
• Creation of a Diaspora Council focusing on peace and stability
• Strategy for Diaspora networking such as regular intra-diaspora dialogue, twinning and network
• Foster partnership between the Diaspora and the private sector
• Policies to harness remittances as a key component of development
• Diaspora used as a means through which to sensitize the African Youth on the negative aspects of migration

The full report will soon be available on the website.

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