#diaspora – Details of the European strand of the Global Diaspora Forum will be announced by An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade at 1pm tomorrow on Friday, 22nd February, at the offices of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, in Dún Laoghaire.
Harbour Company chief executive Gerry Dunne made the case for a diapora centre in the South Dublin port town at a gathering in the House of Lords in London recently.
The meeting was hosted by Baroness Detta O’Cathain, a member of the leadership council of the Irish International Diaspora Trust which is working to create a diaspora centre at Dún Laoghaire Harbour.
The Global Diaspora Forum was inspired by the former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and has taken place annually in Washington since 2011.
During Ms. Clinton's visit to Ireland in December, it was agreed to host the first European strand of the forum in Dublin.
The forum will take place on 14th and 15th of May in Dún Laoghaire. It will be hosted by the Irish International Diaspora Centre (IIDC) Trust, which is working to deliver a world-class diaspora centre in Dublin. The Trust operates under the auspices of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company.
The purpose of the forum is to challenge diaspora communities to forge partnerships with the private sector, civil society and public institutions in order to make their engagements with their countries of origin effective and sustainable.
Friday's event will also be addressed by John Hennessey-Niland, Chargé d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Dublin.