Gender Concerns International is a Gender and Development organization in the Netherlands. During the past 5 years period of our existence we have observed a gap in the serious participation of the Diaspora in development issues. Therefore we have invited Dutch Diaspora ISS Alumni to create a new initiative. On December 12, 2008 this new initiative the Diaspora Gender and Development Platform was launched.
Sabra Bano from Gender Concerns International launched this platform together with Alem Desta, Mekka Abdelgar and Dutch Parliamentarian Chantal Gillard.
Aims
The platform aims to fill the absence of a forum where Diaspora gender and development experts can utilise their potential and exchange knowledge about Dutch development policy and action. The platform initially helps to bring Diaspora experts on gender in Asia and Africa together around the motto “the MDGs by 2015 and beyond.”
The Platform strives to offer lasting solutions to the current challenges of cooperation between Dutch and the European international development organizations. One of those challenges is to achieve the MDGs targets by 2015.
The scope of the project involves issues of peace and security in conflict zones, low political participation of women in fragile states, poor attention for gender and disaster management, maternal mortality, Female Foetus Genocide (FFG) practices in some countries and all kinds of violence against women, are those challenges that need further attention through effective tools and methodologies. The knowledge and experience from the Diaspora to overcome these problems is indispensible.
MDGs 2015 and beyond
To be able to achieve the MGDs by 2015 more effectively it is vital to invest in human capital and collectivized search for resources for execute all feasible initiatives launched in the direction of gender and development
Many plans and tools have been developed in order to achieve MDGs. What is still lacking is the recognition and proper placement of Diaspora potential for development. This proper placing of Diaspora potential requires an immediate attention at the government policy level, within the policy structures of MFO and other Dutch financing organizations as well as through the serious commitment of concerned Diaspora, namely the gender and development experts and their networks.
