The Evolvement of Diaspora-Armenia Partnership was Introduced at the International Forum in Belgrade

On 18-20 November 2008 "International Conference on Serbian Diaspora and Homeland Development" was convened in Belgrade via joint efforts of the Ministry for Diaspora of Serbia and UNDP/Serbia. Mr. Armen Baibourtian, Senior Adviser to the head of United Nations in Armenia and Mrs. Narine Sahakyan, UNDP/Armenia Assistant Resident Representative took part in the conference. Along with the high representatives of the Serbian Ministry for Diaspora, other government officials, civil society, UNDP and ILO, invitees included experts from Israel, India, Ireland, Slovenia, France, and Croatia as well as Serbian Diaspora'  representatives from Sweden, Germany and France.

The international forum aimed at generating Diaspora-specific policy recommendations by means of absorbing and analyzing versatile information on practical models, best international practices and experiences vis-à-vis conceptual, legislative, institutional and operational mode of Diaspora-Homeland interaction. The outcomes in the form of conclusions and recommendations were designed to boost the Serbian Diaspora's resourceful engagement in the country's development. Based on presentations of national and international experts, the ways for the Serbian Ministry of Diaspora to establish and maintain an effective communication network with the Serbs abroad and type of institutional frameworks best-positioned to manage communication between the government in Belgrade and the Diaspora were explored.

At the conference special interest was expressed by the Serbian hosts towards the Armenian model of Diaspora policy. Representatives from the United Nations in Armenia presented in detail the whole system of the Diaspora - Armenia institutionalized relationship and the logic of its evolvement. The Diaspora's internal organizational structure, the ways of its linkage to the home country's governmental and civil society institutions, advantages of their direct presence in the Motherland, people-to-people contacts, as a whole fashioned to attract Diaspora resources in Armenia were described.  On the background of the legal and institutional framework in place, regulatory mechanisms and operational programs were screened. The factor of them being designed to bridge Diaspora' diverse resources and activities with Armenia's development agenda became the cornerstone of presentations. In Armenia's case study the newly introduced UN "Global Armenia" initiative with its TOKTEN project, their anticipated impact on Diaspora-Armenia partnership advancement were presented.