Diaspora engagement in times of crisis

Diasporas make considerable contributions to and have great potential for supporting humanitarian action in their countries or regions of origin. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, diasporas have played a front-and-centre role in assisting their communities at home and abroad. However, their contribution is still significantly underresearched, poorly acknowledged, and hardly ever coordinated with other actors. Against this backdrop, the European Union Global Diaspora Facility (EUDiF) commissioned this study to primarily unpack how diasporas respond to emergencies, decrypt current trends and challenges in this regard, and analyse systems of cooperation between diasporas and ‘traditional’ humanitarian actors. The study also aimed at elucidating the conditions that can facilitate or impede diaspora engagement during emergencies. Ultimately, the study provides actionable recommendations to better leverage and enhance the impact of diaspora contributions in times of crisis. To provide comparative findings over time, across regions, and between types of crisis, the report examines diaspora humanitarian responses in six countries: Lebanon, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sudan, Ukraine, and Zambia.