EXPERT MEETING
Diaspora Organisations: Building Strategic Partnerships in Challenging Times
Organiser: Oxfam Novib and African Diaspora Policy Center
Date: March 31-April 1, 2007
Venue: Kontakt der Kontinenten, Amersfoort
Participants: by invitation only (maximum 20 participants)
April 2007
Discussion:
Women : Future of Bangladesh
Organiser: BASUG (Bangladesh Support Group)
Date: April 28,2007
Venue: Mondriaan College, The Hague
For information, please contact: bikash.chowdhurybarua@gmail.com
website: http://www.basug.nl/act_28april2007.html
Objectives:
1) To develop a European agenda on certain specific women issues and fight more effectively to improve the situation of women in Bangladesh;
2) Look at the same problem from different approach. For example, situation of women in Bangladesh and those from Bangladesh living in UK or other European countries is different. We don’t think that much work has been done in this area;
3) If this discussion is the beginning of a Process, then we hope eventually a common position could be set out;
4) Most importantly, what we feel is that, if it so appears, from the discussion or review meeting thereafter, we can pick up one or two specific issues, either for study or campaign, like for example, Fatwa or acid violence or domestic violence. In this regard, we can hear the experts coming from Bangladesh and see which issues they think need to be addressed on priority basis and then work on the basis of that finding;
5) To develop a preparatory seminar to adopt European agenda on particular women issue;
6) Finally, a major conference could be held sometime in future with wider participation from Bangladesh, Europe and US.
JUNE 2007
TRAINING
Financial Literacy
Organiser: Oxfam Novib
Trainers: SEDPI, Philippines www.sedpi.com
Date: June 14-17, 2007
Venue: Kontakt der Kontinenten
Participants: by invitation only (25 maximum number of participants)
Objectives
1) To teach the participants the various aspects of keeping personal finance.
2) To stimulate use of formal banking institutions (banking the unbankables) and to know various financial services (budgeting, savings and time deposit, mortgage, investments, etc) both for their families back home and in the Netherlands.
3) To provide various options as to how they can create wealth using their existing financial resources.
4) To encourage participants to invest on social projects such as microfinance and other viable micro and medium-size enterprises and to assist them on how to assess viable investment prospects.
5) To develop brief financial education material to help migrants understand available financial products and services.
6) To train cadre of migrant leaders who will conduct financial literacy among their constituencies.
September 2007
CONFERENCE
Seminar #3: Diasporas as development actors
Date: 4-5 September 2007
Focus: This two-day conference will gather diaspora organizations and government representatives from around the world to explore and discuss forms of engagement geared towards two issues: i) promoting home country development, and ii) addressing challenges of co-existence and integration in host communities. The first part of the seminar will be dedicated to discussing models of cooperation related to the multiple contributions that diasporas make to development in their countries of origin. In this regard, it will look at how diaspora organizations can support government policies and programmes and foster private sector development through, for example, foreign direct investment. It will also focus on the enabling frameworks that countries of origin and residence need to provide in order to facilitate diaspora engagement as “development actors”.
Diasporas’ important contributions to the countries and communities in which they live tend to be understated and often overshadowed by concerns over security and preserving a cohesive sense of national identity. The second part of the seminar will focus on the integration of diaspora communities in host communities. It will look at good practices with regard to the political, socio-economic, cultural and religious dimensions of supporting multiculturalism and other shades of integration. In view of the recent report and recommendations of the Alliance of Civilizations High Level Group pertaining to migration, this seminar will also discuss implementation efforts, notably concerning the establishment of institutional structures for a regular and ongoing dialogue among government officials, diaspora communities and other civil society actors in host countries at the national, regional and local levels. This seminar will also bring to it the findings of the European Integration Task Force.
Both parts of this final seminar in 2007 will include thematic and regional working group sessions, allowing for the presentation of existing best practices, an exchange of views and experiences, and a discussion of innovative approaches with all stakeholders involved.
Experts: UN DESA, UNDP, World Bank, IOM, IADB, ADB, AFDB, FOCAL, Inter-American Dialogue, George Washington University, diaspora organizations etc.
For information, visit: http://www.un.int/iom/Series.html
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