Exploring Partnerships Between Diaspora and Domestic Actors
for Humanitarian Initiatives and Beyond
(Video) Closing Session held on November 23, 2023
“The power of the diaspora and our solidarity is a force for positive change in our world. It can uplift communities, it can build bridges, and it can drive progress on such a global scale.” (Shahin Ashraf, Islamic Relief Worldwide)
Between July and November 2023 the World Humanitarian Action Forum (WHAF) conducted a series of consultations that sought opinions on the involvement of diaspora humanitarians in aid sector reform. This conversation emerged from a position of critique, noting the many voices, initiatives, and calls for change that have emboldened and progressed the now centrally appreciated imperative for greater equity in the sector. Greater equity poses a challenge to the Global North’s monopoly of power in the sector through the expectation that affected countries, communities and actors acquire leading roles in their own responses in addition to direct access to funding, which despite the numerous pledges and conversations on the same, have so far, failed to materialise. The consultation series furthermore acknowledges WHAFs organisational identity as one founded and led by UK based diaspora humanitarians in an effort to explore the potential of a different positionality within a broader ecosystem of change agents and stakeholders.
The full report…
