AT THE DIASPORA MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE IN GENEVA, THE LITHUANIAN FOREIGN VICE-MINISTER PRESENTS LITHUANIA’S EXPERIENCE OF COLLABORATION WITH DIASPORA
At the Diaspora Ministerial Conference that is organized by the International Migration Organization (IMO) on 18-19 June in Geneva, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Neris Germanas presented the experience of collaboration between the Government of Lithuania and Lithuanians living abroad and the implementation of the “Global Lithuania” strategy.
According to Germanas, the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that coordinates the Lithuanian Government’s diaspora policy seeks to boost ties with Lithuanian communities and organizations abroad, and to get to know the diaspora potential better. The “Global Lithuania” strategy maintains and promotes the Lithuanian identity, and engages highly-qualified professionals in development processes in Lithuania. “We shall succeed by reversing the ‘brain drain’ into the ‘brain gain’,” the Lithuanian Vice-Minister noted.
During the visit, Germanas met with William Lacy Swing, Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, who has been recently re-elected to serve a second five-year term. The Vice-Minister congratulated him and invited to attend the informal meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs on July 18-19 in Vilnius. The officials also discussed cooperation with the organization in the provision of assistance to Lithuanian citizens coping with crisis situations.
The first Diaspora Ministerial Conference in Geneva brings together heads of governmental institutions with direct responsibility for implementing diaspora policies and programmes. The participants of the conference are sharing their experience and discussing the common goals of diasporas’ engagements with their countries of origin and target countries.
A high-level event organised by the United Nations General Assembly and devoted exclusively to discussing the multidimensional aspects of international migration and development - the High-level Dialogue (HLD) on International Migration and Development - will also take place this year. The IOM Conference in Geneva will provide results of discussions and insights to this event
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