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Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States - IOM 38th Session of the Standing Committee on Programmes and Finance - Item 3(c) (I) Exchange of views with the membership

24.06.2026
Geneva
Press and information team of the Delegation to the UN in Geneva

 

                                                         

 

European Union

Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States

 

 

International Organisation for Migration

38th Session of the Standing Committee on Programmes and Finance

24-25 June 2026

________

 

 

Item 3(c) (I)

Exchange of views with the membership

 (Background document S/38/7)

 

________

 

 

Geneva, 24 June 2026

 

 

 

International Organisation for Migration 

38th Session of the Standing Committee on Programmes and Finance

24-25 June 2026

 

Item 3(c) (I) - S/38/8 - Diasporas in Action: Strengthening Trust, Unlocking Resources, Advancing the Nexus 

(Background document S/38/8)

 

Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States

 

Thank you, Chair,

 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

 

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this statement.

 

  1. IOM's paper offers a valuable and timely account of how diaspora engagement has matured from fragmented projects into a systemic part of migration governance and development. We congratulate IOM on this work. The clear shift from recognition to implementation is particularly welcome, and reflects priorities we share.

  2. For the EU and its Member States, diaspora engagement is not a complementary add-on but an important component of a comprehensive migration and development agenda. For more than two decades, we have advanced this agenda through partnerships with countries of origin, transit and destination, and through dedicated instruments that leverage diaspora expertise, skills and remittances. We therefore value the paper's emphasis on co-designed, nationally owned and locally led approaches, which our own experience confirms deliver stronger institutional uptake and more sustainable results.

  3. This conviction is reflected in concrete investment. Through the EU Global Diaspora Facility, the first EU-funded project to take a global approach to diaspora engagement, we have mapped diaspora engagement policies and institutions across more than 110 countries, built the capacities of partner-country authorities and diaspora organisations, and deployed diaspora professionals in priority sectors such as health, education, digitalisation and the green transition. The evidence is instructive: while most countries now have at least one institution dedicated to diaspora engagement, only one in four has adopted a formal diaspora engagement policy. Through the Global Gateway, we are also channelling diaspora expertise and remittances into forward-looking investments worldwide.

  4. The Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027 promotes a whole-of-society approach to integration and recognises the valuable contribution of migrant-led and diaspora organisations in implementing integration policies.

  5. We attach real importance to complementarity. We would encourage IOM to ensure that its instruments, such as the 3E framework, the Global Diaspora Policy Alliance, the Diaspora Mapping Toolkit and the Framework for Diaspora Engagement in Humanitarian Assistance, reinforce rather than duplicate existing State-led platforms and bilateral efforts, building on milestones such as the 2022 Global Diaspora Summit and the Dublin Declaration, co-hosted by our Member State Ireland.

  6. We welcome in particular the operational results set out in the paper: diaspora professionals strengthening public institutions across the Western Balkans; blended finance and co-funding models mobilizing community resources for resilience in fragile settings; and diaspora engagement in recovery, including in support of Ukraine. These examples confirm that structured, demand-driven engagement aligned with national priorities delivers measurable outcomes.

  7. At the same time, these instruments should remain aligned with national priorities, complementary to existing development and migration frameworks, and underpinned by strong safeguards, transparency and accountability, and the 2030 Agenda.

  8. In this regard, we would welcome further information on how IOM intends to strengthen comparable evidence on diaspora contributions beyond remittances, and to measure the sustainability of engagement once initial funding ends. 

  9. The EU and its Member States will continue to support diasporas as indispensable partners in advancing sustainable development, strengthening resilience, and supporting recovery efforts across countries and communities.

    Thank you.