Over two days, IOM UK brought together 16 diaspora members from Bangladesh, Ghana, Jamaica, Moldova, and Somalia in a workshop to become 'Diaspora Climate Champions' and inspire change within their communities.

The workshop aimed to equip diasporas with the fundamental tools to lead their own climate initiatives and contribute to climate discussions at national and international levels.

Day 1 of the workshop focused on strategic partnership, leadership, and target communications. Day 2 focused on the terminologies, frameworks and funding opportunities related to climate change. The workshop was facilitated by IOM alongside external facilitators including from the Commonwealth Secretariat, Media Trust, and Sustainability Leadership Kosova.

Diaspora members actively participated in the workshop and shared inspiring stories from their professional and lived experiences. Some of these stories were captured by IOM’s Goodwill Ambassador, Paul Choy, through videos, interviews and pictures, which will be featured exhibitions in the UK and beyond. You can find some of these stories here.  

By the end of the workshop, diasporas collaboratively developed solutions to address climate action priorities in their country of heritage, including ideas on waste management, climate finance and sustainable urban planning. 

The motivations and interests of some of the workshop participants are highlighted below:

Shuhel is a UK-based Bangladeshi diasporan working in sustainable finance at Barclays. His interest includes strengthening private sector engagement in climate finance. Shuhel is looking to develop a climate finance strategy in Bangladesh that harmonises diaspora investments with the public and private sectors.

Emily is a UK-based Jamaican diaspora artist. She is the Chair and a founding member of the Royal College of Art Association of Black Students, Alumni & Friends. Her interest lies in the intersections between climate and art for climate change communication. Emily is looking to create an open fund for collaborative projects with other diasporas in climate art.

Abu is a UK-based Bangladeshi diasporan. He is a qualified architect and a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster & Birmingham City University. Abu is interested in tackling rapid urban growth and promoting sustainable architecture. Abu is looking to promote sustainable urban and rural planning that is more disaster resilient.