Diaspora Empowerment and Engagement

IOM, in collaboration with foreign services of various of its Member States, has developed an E-Learning course on “Improving assistance to nationals affected by crises abroad” to enhance the ability of relevant personnel to manage crises that may affect nationals living, working or travelling abroad. Strengthening these institutions’ preparedness to crises is essential to ensure that they can cope with the intense demand of assistance by their nationals in the event of a crisis.

The PMD programme is financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supports key actors in making more effective use of regular migration and diaspora engagement to achieve their development goals. Guided by the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), the program is implemented by GIZ in up to 25 partner countries and focuses on the following three components:

Summary: The EU Global Diaspora Facility (EUDiF) is a pilot project funded by the European Union’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) under the Development Cooperation Instrument. It runs from June 2019 until the end of 2023 and is implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

On the occasion of International Migrants’ Day, as part of a global call to Stand Up for Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Office launched in 2017 a series of animated videos to amplify the voices of migrants, the communities that welcome them and the conversations they have along the way. 

Programmes promoting effective management of health workers' migration, health system capacity building, and skill/knowledge transfer from the diaspora are underway in Somalia, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Ghana. 

In Somalia, IOM’s "Migration for Development in Africa" (MIDA) is an ongoing capacity-building programme, which helps to mobilize competencies acquired by African nationals abroad for the benefit of Africa's development. 

Some countries offer health coverage for their citizens who move abroad, e.g. Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

The PhilHealth program for OFWs allows members to avail themselves of PhilHealth benefits even if they are confined in hospitals abroad. At the same time, their qualified dependents in the Philippines may avail themselves of the benefits even if the principal is working overseas.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)'s rural youth employement and agri-food systems in Ugrana project aims to foster diaspora investments in agricultural value chains in Uganda, by assessing and supporting institutional mechanisms, mapping Ugandan diaspora skills and expertise related to agri-business, and developing a diaspora in agribusiness network and road map for policy dialogue. 

Migrantour is an international project coordinated by the NGO Terra Vera, providing a new instrument for integration that promotes the cultural heritage brought by migrant citizens, asylum seekers and refugees. The project contributes to the development of a new narrative on the phenomenon of migration.

Through this project, migrants lead city tours for tourists and locals which showcase the contributions of migrants in to their home cities, and help to to share the personal stories of the guides.

The IOM's 'I am a migrant' campaign is a platform to promote diversity and inclusion of migrants in society. It’s specifically designed to support volunteer groups, local authorities, companies, associations, groups, indeed, anyone of goodwill who is concerned about the hostile public discourse against migrants.

Every year on 20 June, UNHCR leads the celebration of World Refugee Day. The Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe, and offers a chance to raise awareness of the plight of refugees around the world and of the efforts to protect their human rights.