The U.S. Department of State and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are pleased to announce the relaunching of the Diaspora Voices initiative with a new focus on combatting the climate crisis. The series recognizes the importance of diasporas as changemakers in their communities and drivers of progress in seeking to address the increasing effects of climate change worldwide.  

Diaspora Voices is an interactive virtual event series originally launched by the State Department of Global Partnerships in 2016. The platform provides direct engagement between diaspora members and top diplomats about challenges directly affecting their communities, creating opportunities to work with the U.S. Department of State to address them.

“Diaspora Voices is a solution focused platform to engage global diaspora communities, the private sector, foundations, civil society organizations, and public institutions on priority sectors in the face of today’s rapidly evolving crisis situations,” said U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships Managing Director, Thomas Debass. “By collaborating with IOM, we are better equipped to address the humanitarian-development peace nexus.” 

In this new iteration, Diaspora Voices seeks to further elevate the contributions and innovative solutions diaspora communities worldwide provide across the humanitarian-development nexus. Diaspora Voices will relaunch this summer with a multi-part series on diasporas’ experiences with climate change and its effects, leading up to COP27 in Egypt in late 2022. 

“As negative effects of climate change increase, slow onset effects, natural disasters, and the growing rates at which they threaten lives and livelihoods worldwide are only expected to rise,” said Brian Kelly, Acting IOM Chief of Mission in Washington.  “However, Diasporas uniquely contribute to the wellbeing of their communities and their role in helping to mitigate the effects of climate change in affected areas should not be understated.”  

As part of the State Department’s emphasis on developing Foreign Policy for the Middle Class, Diaspora Voices works to incorporate underrepresented perspectives in the work of diplomacy and international development. The renewed Diaspora Voices series will focus on specific policy issues and priorities to directly engage the communities facing these challenges head on.  

The first event of the new “Diaspora Voices” series is scheduled for Wed. June 8, in honor of World Oceans Day. For more information on the Diaspora Voices initiative and its upcoming events, please visit state.gov/diaspora-voices or https://diaspora.pub/voices.   

For more information, contact: 

In Washington: 

Liz Lizama, Tel: +1 202 716 8820, Email: elizama@iom.int  
Daphne Henning, shenning@iom.int