Delivering Better Together – Partnering with Diaspora Organizations

The humanitarian system has often been criticized for being shaped predominantly by actors from the global North, for its failure to acknowledge local and national capacities, for creating dependencies instead of sustainable outcomes, and for its increasing inability to reach those in need of humanitarian assistance. Integrating ‘non-traditional actors such as diasporas into the broader humanitarian system will ensure a more relevant, efficient, and sustainable humanitarian response. Considering diasporas’ transnational identity and close local ties, they play a vital role in the localization agenda, one of the main commitments under the Grand Bargain. Diasporas are heterogeneous – they have different capacities, values, and approaches – and can play a valuable and agile role in emergency responses. However, assistance provided by diaspora organizations and the institutional humanitarian actors often follows parallel tracks, resulting in a lack of mutual understanding and recognition, and thus a lack of coordination and collaboration that would benefit the overall response.

In the context of this exchange workshop, you will learn about the latest findings on the role, benefits and advantages of diaspora and migrant organizations in humanitarian settings and discuss best practices among NGOs together with diaspora or migrant organization representatives. The course is planned as an online workshop on 7 April 2022.