Here's a thought provoking blog post from Migration4Development.org's Jo Irvine to coincide with World Humanitarian Day.  

Enjoy!

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World Humanitarian Day: Diasporas for peace-building

In recent years, migration for development initiatives have been making their way into development agendas worldwide...and there are already various success stories readily available to show just how migration can work for development, but what about the over 42 million refugees and displaced persons, a large number of which have fled from their country due to conflict, social unrest or fear of persecution, where development agendas are far off dreams that hide behind long drawn out conflicts and civil wars? What can diasporas do for their country of origin where corruption is rife, infrastructure has been destroyed and people are fleeing for their lives or suffer from marginalisation?

...Recent research has shown that diasporas can actually play a significant role also in processes of peace-building and reconstruction in countries affected by conflict. Even though traditionally the effects of diasporas in conflicts were perceived to be negative, perpetrating the conflict or getting other countries involved, more recent evidence shows that diasporas can also bring a positive contribution to peace-building processes by engaging in initiatives that promote dialogue or foster economic and social development.

Read the rest of the post [HERE]