Despite the increasing realization of the value that migrants abroad may bring to development efforts in their countries of origin, not all countries succeed in their endeavours to engage their communities abroad into development initiatives. A main stumbling block in the engagement process is a lack of a coherent strategy of engagement, which countries find difficult to formulate and implement in practice. This proves true also in the case of engaging Albanian communities abroad (ACA). There is a need to support new avenues in which the ACA can retain their connection to Albania and contribute to the economic and social growth of the country.
The overall objective of the project is to support the efforts of the Government of Albania (GoA) in initiating the process of engagement of Albanian communities abroad to contribute to the country’s economic and social development. This objective will be realised under two project components:
1. The first component foresees expert support from a team of IOM staff and external experts in developing a policy framework to facilitate greater participation of ACA in development initiatives of Albania.
2. The second project component foresees creating a comprehensive dialogue with ACA on development initiatives in Albania through the capacity building support of the newly established Sector of Diaspora at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and to various GoA institutions dealing with migration and development issues. The project will also support the organization of three outreach activities to ACA in three key destination countries for Albanian nationals, namely in the United States of America, Italy and Greece, to open channels for routine dialogue on development initiatives.