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Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy T.D. today hosted a high-level Policy Dialogue on the diaspora with representatives of a number of Caribbean and African Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The event featured participation from representatives of Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cabo Verde, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, and focused on sharing Ireland’s experience of working with the diaspora with SIDS partners.

Minister Brophy said:

“I was delighted to meet with representatives of Caribbean and African SIDS to share experiences of the Government’s policy towards the large Irish diaspora, and our work in creating Global Ireland: Ireland’s Diaspora Strategy 2020-2025.

Ireland’s Strategy for Partnership with SIDS commits us to share our experiences on working with the diaspora with SIDS partners, and in particular, how an active diaspora can increase the influence and convening potential of a small state, as well as its potential for positively influencing investment. Ireland, like many Caribbean and African nations, has a long history of emigration, and we have a lot to learn from each other. Over the course of centuries, vibrant Irish communities have sprung up all around the globe – with longstanding communities in Britain and North America, where significant Caribbean and African diaspora communities also live. This Dialogue reflects the importance of our relationship with and commitment to Caribbean and African nations, and the potential for expanded cooperation in this area.”

Ireland’s Strategy for Partnership with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was launched in 2019. The Strategy includes commitments to foster peer-to-peer support between SIDS and Irish institutions and specifically to share Irish experience of engaging with our diaspora with SIDS. The policy dialogue on the Diaspora is the third in a series of policy dialogues with SIDS

Global Ireland: Ireland’s Diaspora Strategy 2020-2025 was launched in November 2020. It sets out a number of commitments by Government to support and engage with our diaspora communities around the world, including holding a referendum on extending voting rights in Presidential elections for citizens outside the State; engaging with 3rd and 4th generation and mixed ancestry diaspora; and recognising and promoting the increasing diversity of the Irish diaspora.