The role of the diaspora in contributing to the development of Albania, Kosovo and other countries in the Balkans region cannot be over emphasized. Through remittances, direct investments, helping to shape institutional policies and providing human capital, members of the diaspora have made their impact felt in the path their countries need to follow.
Germin is a non-governmental organisation focused on diaspora engagement for the development of home countries in the Western Balkans. They are also the hosts and organisers of the second edition of Diaspora Flet 2020.
The conference is in partnership with the Global Albanians Foundation, a US-based crowdfunding and fundraising diaspora based organisation that supports local organisations in their home countries.
Diaspora Flet brings together Albanian professionals in the diaspora, government officials, lawmakers, business representatives, scholars and community leaders to reflect on the impact of diaspora engagement on their countries in the past twenty years, and examine its role for positively shaping the nation in the next twenty years.
The theme of this year’s conference is “GlobAL2020: Connect. Create. Collaborate.” Topics of interests to be discussed include how Albanians throughout the world can use Advocacy, Diplomacy, Human Capital, Education, Philanthropy, and Economic Investments to contribute to the growth of communities in the diaspora, as well as improving the lives of people in their countries of origin.
The Albanian diaspora is mainly concentrated in Germany, Switzerland, USA, Austria, UK, Canada, Croatia, Denmark and Sweden; therefore, on the discussion board would be how to strengthen international cooperation, with activists and experts around the world leading the conversation.
The first edition of The Diaspora Flet Conference was held in Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo in May 2018 over a four-day period, and successfully connected the global Albanian diaspora to engage amongst themselves and with the homeland. This year, due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and measures put in place to curb it, the conference will take place virtually from 19th to 21st November 2020. Each day will be divided into two main sessions, with time allocated for breakout sessions. Parallel activities will also be happening within the scheduled lineup.
Another purpose of the Diaspora Flet Conference is to promote a two-way dialogue between government institutions and diaspora communities. In view of this, participants at the event will be provided a platform to connect with these groups and public institutions, advocate for their political, social and economic rights, engage with each other, and collaborate for mutual benefits to impact positively on policy making in their homeland.
The Agenda of the Conference will also touch on Albanian Language and Heritage, as well as Connecting Youth from the diaspora and their home countries.
Some of the Speakers at the three day conference include: Pandeli Majko a Former Prime Minister of Albania ,Elvin Guri who is the CEO of Empower Capita Advisors, Kingsley Aikins and Martin Russell of the Networking Institute who are also global diaspora engagement experts, Linda Shomo of Pay Albania, Emanuel Bajra of Lloyds Bank, Liza Gashi who is the incumbent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo and Roland Gjoni, a Newman Fellow on Constitutional Futures in Ireland. Other influential Speakers at the event would be Mark Gjonaj who is an American Politician, Korab Sejdiu who is a law maker in Kosovo’s Parliament, Visar Vokrri of the Riinvest Insitute of Kosovo, Sonia Plaza of the World Bank, and Holti Banka, a Financial Sector Specialist.
Sihana Bejtullahu of Germin, Journalist Rudina Xhunga, and Economist, Hana Bacaj are expected to moderate the Conference.
Timings for The Diaspora Flet 2020 would vary to cater for different time zones. To be part of this all-important event, registrations are still open not only for people in the Albanian diaspora, but global stakeholders as well. Online registration can be done from the link below:
https://www.accelevents.com/e/DiasporaFletGlobAL2020
You can also follow proceedings of the event on Social Media from the links below:
https://web.facebook.com/events/801938313954769/
https://www.linkedin.com/events/6725322348456673280/
For more information on the hosts and organizers of the Conference, Germin, visit: https://germin.org/
Diaspora Digital News is proud to be associated with The Diaspora Flet 2020 Conference as a Media Partner.
By: Theresa R. Fianko
Additional Information Source: diasporaflet.org
Image Attribution: The Diaspora Flet 2020 Conference
Share this:
RELATED STORIES
