15-16th May 2022

The Aseel PR lead was invited to participate in ‘Diaspora Action for Afghanistan,’ a two-day conference held in Brussels from the 15 to 16th of May, 2022. This conference aimed to identify immediate challenges Afghans face in Afghanistan and form relevant solutions or recommendations to address these challenges. The conference brought together professionals of the Afghan diaspora to exchange ideas and strategies on how to strengthen the Afghan diaspora’s engagement in improving the current state in Afghanistan and in the diaspora.

Photo Credit: Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Aseel highlighted the importance of building a bridge between the Afghan diaspora and the people of Afghanistan.
Aseel shone through and differentiated itself amongst other diaspora organisations for a multitude of reasons, including:

• 1. Its transparent ways of delivering aid (such as the use of OMID ID cards and real-time updates on donations and distributions)
• 2. Time and cost-effective ways of distributing aid packages
• 3. Its extensive local resources on the ground (in terms of volunteers and local knowledge)
• 4. The different types of packages tailored to different needs
• 5. Most importantly, allowing people within the Afghan diaspora to create campaigns of their choice to donate or raise funds

Nearly 100 members of the Afghan diaspora representing more than 70 organisations attended this conference. Amongst the attendees were academics, activists, women’s rights leaders, global representatives of diaspora organisations, representatives of the UN, and the EU parliament.

Several panels addressed issues, including how the diaspora can advocate at a national level. Aseel took part in the panel about influencing key stakeholders to respond to people on the ground. Other issues discussed were the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on women, mechanisms that can improve coordination between the Afghan diaspora and the society in Afghanistan, the diaspora’s contribution to the humanitarian response, and and the mobilisation of diaspora organisation efforts to increase the efficiency of the outcome.

Photo Credit: Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

What were the key recommendations?

During the two-day conference, the following recommendations were made to address the immediate challenges faced by the people of Afghanistan:

• 1. Step up EU’s humanitarian and development support in Afghanistan
• 2. Make women’s rights one of EU top priorities pushing back on unacceptable restrictions to access to education & freedom of movement
• 3. Strategic engagement with de facto authorities to ensure respect for human rights, including those of marginalized groups
• 4. Protect Afghan asylum seekers in the European Union and continue support for evacuations

These recommendations were presented to the EU and its member states:

Aseel called upon international humanitarian organisations to collaborate as Aseel has proved itself responding the fastest, most effectively, and transparently during the current crisis in Afghanistan, making Aseel capable of greater responsibility. Aseel emphasized the importance and need of diaspora organisations to collaborate to achieve greater humanitarian outcomes for the people of Afghanistan.