Register here

Diaspora Voices was started by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships in 2016 to incorporate underrepresented perspectives in the work of diplomacy and international development, and to give diaspora organizations the ability to engage with top diplomats about the challenges directly affecting their communities and opens the dialogue for opportunities to work with the U.S. Department of State to address them.

The current iteration aims to focus on diaspora’s efforts and innovations regarding the climate crisis, and how communities can mobilize to mitigate the crisis’s current and future effects, with the aim to engage diaspora thoughts, concerns, and ideas as we prepare for COP27 in Egypt in late 2022. The first event of this year’s multi-part series was hosted on World Oceans Day and aimed to address climate change and our oceans, highlighting current efforts by diaspora organizations to mitigate the harmful effects on communities. The second event examined diasporas’ role in food security and sustainability, both in their countries of origin/heritage and of residence.

The third and final Diaspora Voices event of 2022 will explore nature-based solutions, specifically what diasporas can and are doing with these strategies to combat the climate crisis.

Nature-based solutions are actions that protect, sustainably manage, and restore ecosystems, all while addressing societal challenges effectively and adaptively. They simultaneously provide biodiversity benefits and improve the well-being of their human inhabitants. The strategic and effective use of nature-based solutions plays an important role in addressing the challenges climate change presents globally.

Nature has a critical role to play in improving our resilience to climate change and creating a thriving and sustainable economy. Nature-based solutions offer significant benefits, monetary and otherwise, often at a lower cost than more traditional infrastructure. Diaspora groups are playing an important role on the front lines in our fight against climate change, and the discussion on October 11th will highlight a few of the nature-based solutions diaspora communities are bringing forward.

Climate change is not only a challenge but also an opportunity to set our world on a path toward equity and prosperity. If we take care of our land, water, and wildlife, we can create millions of new jobs and generate billions of dollars in economic returns in the years to come.

Event Lineup

Moderator: Tanja  Dedovic, Regional Thematic Specialist on Labor Mobility and Human Development, Regional Office of IOM, Cairo, Egypt 

Panelists

• Cedric Habiyaremye, Research Associate at Washington State University and Founder & CEO of QuinoaHub Ltd. 
• Dr. Raha Hakimdavar, Director of Space Sciences, Ball Aerospace Strategic Operations; Adjunct Professor of Science, Technology & International Affairs (STIA) at Georgetown University 

Remarks 

• Monica P. Medina, Assistant Secretary of Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs 
• Lucas Black, Vice President for Climate Finance at World Wildlife Foundation (WWF)
• Iulia Duca, Programme Support Officer on Migration, Environment, Climate Change and Risk Reduction Division, IOM