It was such a pleasure to see so many of our members in person, as well as meeting new faces.

It was inspiring to learn more about the breadth of the varied humanitarian activities and interests, in countries of origin and transit as well as here in the UK.

Diaspora humanitarians continue to adapt their activities and practices in response to changing needs in the face of new and entrenched crises. These include coordination of diaspora initiatives in countries of settlement, transit, and origin, as well as the development of long-term advocacy strategies adapted to different types of crises, and the mobilisation of younger generations.

By providing a trusted and free space for diaspora humanitarian actors to meet, learn and exchange, this exchange group aims to support the research and identification of joint solutions through knowledge exchange, sharing of skills and good practices, to make the work of diaspora humanitarian actors more visible and more impactful. Discussions at the retreat also highlighted the importance of technology use, coalition-building, and joint advocacy.

Shabaka and the British Red Cross would like to thank all those who joined us for the meeting, and we look forward to updating those who were not able to attend about key points from the discussion.

We will be sharing a short report of the meeting as well as suggestions on next steps for the DHEG, including priorities, potential activities, and a schedule of upcoming meetings of the group in the next couple of weeks.

 Please do not hesitate to contact us with  any suggestions or queries: clara@shabaka.org