Grenada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Peter David, will be visiting Britain from 5-11 July on state business that includes meeting with Grenadians in the UK Diaspora.
The meeting with UK-based nationals will take place on Sunday, 7 July 2019, from 3pm at the Acton Vale Community Centre in London. This will be the minister’s first official engagement in the final phase in the implementation of a formally structured relationship between Grenada and its Diaspora communities.
In the latest exercise, the Grenada Government is receiving support from the UN International Office of Migration (IOM) for a “Diaspora Mapping’’ component of the outreach. The aim of the mapping is to learn more about the socio-economic profile of the Grenada Diaspora in Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. The goal is to harness the skills of Grenadians in the Diaspora to facilitate a matching to areas where there is a lack of that particular skill inside Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
“Coming out of numerous consultations since 2008, our staff at the Office of Diaspora Affairs has partnered with the IOM to provide technical assistance that would allow Grenada to document the skills, abilities and qualifications of Grenadians resident in the Diaspora. One of the avenues for achieving this objective is through the launch of a website that will provide for conducting an online survey,’’ said David.
“Going forward, the website will also, serve as an ongoing conduit between Grenadians at home and in the Diaspora, especially as a one-stop-shop for up to date relevant information and coordination of all Diaspora activities. Be assured that the team will be reaching out to you in the upcoming months to continue discussions on what you want to see, how you would like to contribute and how you can be supported in your efforts at helping your beloved nation.’’
According to the IOM, it wants this phase of the Grenada initiative to “engage, enable and empower the Diaspora, with the ultimate aim to foster a transfer of the Diaspora’s human, social, economic and cultural capital’’, with the aim of making the Diaspora “a true partner in the development of Grenada’’.
Background: Grenada government/IOM project goals
- Diaspora Mapping: Engaging transnational communities relies on a sound knowledge of diasporas and their organisations, as well as their willingness to participate in development initiatives and the means to reach out to and cooperate with them. The goal is to develop a system whereby the ODA can facilitate knowledge transfer
- Remittances for Development: Discuss concrete ways in which the cost of remittances could be reduced and better structured to assist in national development
- Re-establishing a fully functioning Office of Diaspora Affairs for strategic diaspora engagement, due diligence, monitoring and evaluation, and periodic reports
- Local Needs Assessment – conduct a local needs assessment in collaboration with the public and private sector to identify skills gaps
- Diaspora Affairs Steering (Advisory) Committee – identify suitable candidates to ensure smooth project implementation, guidance and governance of broader initiative
- Establishing an online Hub (website) and online communication tools to serve as a conduit between locals and the diaspora as a one-stop-shop for up to date relevant information and coordination of all diaspora affairs
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