Over the last 45 years, the number of international migrants has tripled to an estimated 232 million people worldwide. This large diaspora population is varied but can learn from each other about how to identify the most effective ways to strengthen their ties with and contributions to their communities of heritage to advance development objectives.
“You might think that diaspora groups only want to network with each other, Kenyans with Kenyans, but they’re actually quite interested in cross pollinating and cross learning,” said Sara Gallagher, a program officer for IdEA, the International Diaspora Engagement Alliance.
A partnership between the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Calvert Foundation, IdEA is one of a number of initiatives bringing global diasporas together in an effort to support social and economic development. Home to more than 40 million international migrants, the largest number of any country in the world, the United States is host to a growing number of conversations between diaspora groups about how they can do more to drive development in their countries of origin.