France 2022-2023

This IOM report focuses on the legal framework of diaspora engagement, evaluating the rights and opportunities available to diasporas in selected countries of origin and destination. It examines the understanding of the “diaspora” by governments, its reflection in national policies and legislation, the rights granted to diasporas, and the policies’ consideration of women’s role and participation in diaspora engagement.

Launched in 2018, the French initiative Choose Africa fulfils France’s commitment to African entrepreneurship, supporting local start-ups and MSMEs. 

"Jeunes des 2 Rives" (J2R) is a project, created by Solidarité Laïque, on education for citizenship and international solidarity, whose overall objective is to contribute to empowering and encouraging civic engagement among young people in France, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, particularly those most exposed to social and territorial inequalities.

France has adopted a Migration and Development Action Plan for the period 2018-2022, which recognises the role of diasporas in France and undertakes to support initiatives aimed at developing cooperation and solidarity between territories of origin and destination.
While the numerous studies on the financial transfers of migrants to Southern countries and the dynamism of diasporas in Northern countries confirm the importance of these issues, they still need to be better documented with regard to young people and women.

DIASDEV is a joint project initiated by the French Development Agency and the Caisse des Dépôts from France, Italy, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia and carried out in partnership with public-sector financial institutions in 2021. 

DIASDEV aims to increase diasporas’ capacity to mobilize their savings for investing in their countries of origin. To achieve this goal, the project is structured around two pillars: 

i) Facilitation fund for diasporas’ investments, offering funding for technical and financial assistance to financial operators, banks, post offices 

Ethiopia is highly dependent on agriculture for its economy, as well as for the day-to-day subsistence of its citizens. Wollo University in Dessie has been one of the most ambitious in the country in testing learning solutions around agriculture and implementing projects aimed to prepare its graduates for the job market in key sectors, including agriculture.

The Migrants4Climate (M4C) Award 2023 was launched in 2022 at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt. 

It has been organized by the GFMD 2022-2023 French Chair, the Ghanaian Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This Award aims to give visibility to initiatives led by or - inclusive of and targeting - migrants and diaspora and features a strong engagement in climate action and environmental sustainability.  

The design for the Virtual Museum of Caribbean Migration and Memory (VMCMM) began in 2017 as part of the EU-LAC Museums Horizons 2020 project. The virtual museum was paired with a complementary physical exhibition, The Enigma of Arrival: The Politics and Poetics of Caribbean Migration to Britain, designed by the Barbados Museum & Historical Society and The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus.

In 2018, the IOM launched the project "Integrating Migration into National Development Plans: Towards Policy Coherence and the Achievement of SDGs at National and Global Levels", funded by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sub-Fund of the Peace and Development Fund, of which the People’s Republic of China is a major contributor.

The Future Forum is an opportunity to look ahead, sharing practices and ideas for how to maximise the potential of diaspora engagement for development in the years ahead.

It was indeed designed in response to calls from diaspora organisations in Europe to have more opportunities to communicate with each other, as well as with the European institutions, countries of heritage and international organisations.