Humanitarian action is implemented today by an
extensive variability of actors with different norms
and principles who converge and diverge on what
it means to serve humanity and how to implement
aid in practice. Hitherto, formalized relief efforts of
diaspora organisations and more informal practices
of diaspora communities and networks has remained
outside the focus of academic scholarship as well
as humanitarian policy makers and run in parallel to
the international humanitarian system. Against the
background of numerous protracted humanitarian crises, there is a current growing interest by key
stakeholders of the humanitarian system in relief
efforts of diaspora communities in the northern
hemisphere, based on an increasing recognition of
their enhanced access, cultural and language skills,
local knowledge, trust and networks with affected
communities in volatile and insecure environments.
This acknowledgement opens up potential spaces for
engagement, cross-fertilization and better coordination between diaspora and ‘conventional’ relief and
aid providers in an extended humanitarian system.
