Roadmap for Maltese Diaspora-Government cooperation

 NEWS    In an effort to strengthen the close link between the Maltese living abroad and their cousins in Malta, the Council for Maltese Living Abroad (CMLA) was established by an Act of the Maltese parliament passed by unanimous vote in late 2011. The CMLA meets annually in Malta under the chairmanship of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Dr George Vella. Its latest meeting was held in early October with members from Australia, Europe, Canada and the USA attending.
As might be expected, the meeting had a full agenda consisting of a whole range of issues. One important issue for discussion related to the need for the development of a ‘roadmap’ for fostering relations between the Diaspora and the Government of Malta.
In 2012 the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) published a handbook called Developing a Road Map for Engaging Diasporas in Development with the support of the governments of the Netherlands and Switzerland. The material for the handbook was facilitated by the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) Platform for Partnerships.
The GFMD has been meeting since 2007 to focus on ways that communities of emigrants and their descendants contribute to development in their countries of origin. Malta was one of the 62 national governments that participated in a survey which have studied these issues and made suitable recommendations.
The handbook contains some valuable advice and recommendations for ‘Developing a Road Map for Effective and Sustainable Engagement’. The major aims of such a road map would be to identify the goals for Diaspora engagement, to map the location and characteristics of the Diaspora, to build trust between diasporas and government institutions, and to mobilize the Diaspora to act as partners in the development of the country of origin.
The handbook also provides recommendations on ‘Building Institutions and Reducing Barriers’, with the aim of facilitating engagement with the Diaspora and on ‘Creating Bridges’, which deals specifically with the role that Diasporas have played in the development of the country of origin, including in particular remittances sent to the home country, direct investment, human capital transfer, capital market investment and tourism. One important recommendation is that it should be the aim of this process to ensure that the Diaspora should be established as ‘a true partner in the development of its country of origin’. The point is also made that Diaspora engagement is a process that requires sustained attention across a broad front and also requires a strategy.
Based on the above considerations, the recommendations of the CMLA were to encourage the government to jointly develop a similar ‘road map’ to identify goals, map Maltese Diaspora geography and skills, create a relationship of trust between Maltese Diaspora and the government of Malta, as well as to mobilise the Maltese Diaspora to contribute to sustainable development.
Following some discussion it was agreed that, as a first step, a joint study be carried out by academics, who have expertise in this subject matter, from Malta and overseas, to report and make recommendations to the Government on possible approaches to developing such a road map.