Over the past decade the important and critical roles played by diasporas have been recognized by government and development agencies who increasingly seek to incorporate and cooperate with diaspora organizations. This has emerged as an especially critical issue in Haiti where annual financial transfers by the Diaspora to Haiti are four to six times larger than all forms of official development assistance.
Recognizing the important role being played by the Diaspora, FOCAL has been engaged in promoting greater awareness of this role and in facilitating engagement between the diaspora and development actors. Working with CIDA and Foreign Affairs Canada, FOCAL convened the 2005 Montreal conference of the Haitian Diaspora in which members of the global Haitian Diaspora met with international donors to discuss the multi-donor Interim Cooperation Framework for Haiti. This was one of the first times that international donors conducted a consultation with a Diaspora community. FOCAL continues to conduct research on the involvement of the Haitian Diaspora and to facilitate communications between the Haitian Diaspora and governments and donors.
