Peace Research Institute Oslo

The interactions between European institutions and diasporas in relief, development and peace-building

Nairobi, UNDP Somalia, 16 May 2011

Cindy Horst

Introduction

• Based on presentation of handbook and observations on political roles

• The Story of the Handbook– .– Research in Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and

Norway– Focus: Interactions between governments, NGOs and diaspora– Main conclusion: Great interest, many initiatives, slow progress– Role of research: document, compare and draw lessons

• The Set-up of the Handbook– Provides no rigid guidelines – discusses principles and

underlying philosophy– Combines these with many concrete examples– Can be read front to back, but each section stands on its own.

Textboxes indicate the illustrative examples2

Handbook on Diaspora Engagements

1. Engaging with the participation of diasporas in peacebuilding and/or development is crucial

2. There are good reasons for why this is difficult to achieve3. Acknowledging these first two points, our main aim is to

develop ways of addressing such difficulties. The Handbook provides many European examples of attempts to do so

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Typology of Diaspora Engagements

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ActorsActors

Individual

Collective

MethodMethod

Direct

Indirect

KindKind

Material capital

Social capital

CompensationCompensation

Voluntary

Paid/Profit

LocationLocation

Country of settlement

Country of origin

Opportunities for synergy

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(inter-)governmental bodies, NGOs and CSOs

Migrant communities who are committed to and engage in the maintenance / restoration of their country of origin

Activities aimed at the sustainable transformation of structural conflict factors and patterns, addressing both material and attitudinal levels of conflict

Why diaspora participation?

1. A reality2. A reflection of a diverse Europe3. A policy (nationally and internationally)4. A benefit to the individuals and institutions involved

– Context-specific knowledge– Transnational networks – Building bridges between local and international actors– Sustainable efforts through long-term commitment– Access to inaccessible areas– Legitimacy of external engagement– Diversity in approaches to development / peacebuilding

5. Stakeholders in country of origin and country of settlement/diaspora c.

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Why is progress so slow?

• Lack of knowledge, trust and at times respect between different actorsHow do we build this?

• Different approaches are often seen as proof of incompatibility (cloning effects)How do we know what is enriching diversity and what is

incompatible difference?• Different agendas of different actors

How do we understand and then try to negotiate/ reconcile the different agendas of different diaspora groups, ministries, NGOs etc?

• A highly political fieldHow do we make sure we do not get discouraged by the political

complexities and challenges we face, but learn to address them as part of the peacebuilding challenge?

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A highly political field – Diasporas and Conflict

• Research discusses the role of diasporas as ‘peacewreckers’ or ‘peacemakers’ – both positive and negative impacts

• Refugees are produced by political repression or violent protracted conflict and thus often have a desire for change; they are forced to migrate and thus often wish to return; and the leadership of the opposition is often in exile

• In diaspora: there is often a greater freedom of speech, of organization; there might be more financial, political and other resources available; and there is often better access to (electronic) media

• European attempts to cooperate with diasporas have put great focus on the need to ‘depoliticize’ what are seen as highly politicized communities, in order to fit perceptions of the core principles of international engagements

• Yet the political role of conflict-induced diasporas in their country of origin is great, and fragmentation and politicization of exiled communities is often linked to the root causes of a conflict

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European Initiatives

1. Linkis, the Netherlands– Combining funding with capacity building– Coordination between different funding organizations– Clear overview of opportunities in the NL

2. IOM’s MIDA Health projects, Finland– Temporary return of professionals– Creating depolitisized spaces

3. A two-way recruitment strategy, Italy– Long history of employment of Somali professionals by NGOs– Somali organizations recruiting Italian professionals

4. Pilot Project Pakistan, Norway– First national initiative to support diaspora organizations– Importance of recognition of efforts cannot be

underestimated9

Recommendations

1. Adopt long-term strategic approachesInitiatives create expectations - ensure commitment and resources for

follow-up2. Address fragmentation and politicization

Diasporas from conflict-regions engage with the conflict and peacebuilding in many ways and need to be acknowledged as a political stakeholder

3. Improve recruitment policiesDiaspora members in Europe are particularly underrepresented in

development cooperation and peacebuilding – take action to change this

4. Support bottom-up diaspora umbrella organizationsUmbrella organizations should be created because of the shared interests

of the member organizations, not because of the needs of others5. Improve policy coherence

Many initiatives are not supported because they are neither the sole responsibility of ministries of foreign affairs nor of those dealing with integration. Transnational engagements require new policy approaches

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