Diaspora Diplomacy

UNDERSTANDING DIASPORA DIPLOMACY

Diaspora Diplomacy: Functions, Duties, and Challenges of an Ambassador

Christelle M. Jovenir Practitioner of Consular and Diplomatic Affairs

June 2013

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3 II. Definition of Terms .................................................................................................................... 3 Diaspora ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Migration..................................................................................................................................... 3 Diplomacy ................................................................................................................................... 3 III. Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 4 Migration and Diplomacy ........................................................................................................... 5 Diaspora Diplomacy ................................................................................................................... 6 Diaspora Diplomacy in Relation to Public Diplomacy............................................................... 7 Diaspora Diplomacy in Relation to Economic Diplomacy......................................................... 8 Diasporas and Home States ........................................................................................................ 8 Functions, Duties, and Challenges of an Ambassador ................................................................ 9 IV. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 11 V. References ................................................................................................................................ 12

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Introduction Countries in different parts of the world have been under the process of international migration among their respective citizens. The long history of international migration especially in the 21st century, had attracted the attention of policy makers due to its global impact and its undeniable connection to development in an era of globalization, wherein cooperation and interdependence among states are amplified. As the process of diaspora which refers to the movement of people across national borders in search of different opportunities for a better life continues to thrive, policy makers who are manifested through a state’s ambassadors and diplomatic missions abroad are faced with challenges in broadening their focus on migration policies from the constricted view of Migration Control to the extensive aspect of Migration Management. This written report aims to present a wider understanding of a state’s Diaspora Diplomacy and prove that diaspora communities which are caused by a continuous process of migration can play a crucial role in the development of their homeland. However, this can be done through the coordinated efforts as well as the implementation of suitable policies by the government, Department of Foreign Affairs, civil society, and other concerned parties to achieve possible maximum benefits. DEFINITION OF TERMS Diaspora – It is a word of Greek origin which means “to sow over or scatter”. In its classical usage, “diaspora” is historically specific to the forcible expulsion of Jewish people from Babylon, and as a result, it carries a tragic connotation that is associated with a sense of loss as well as a longing to return to a homeland. Currently, “diaspora” implies a distinct identity relating to a community of origin. It is increasingly common to use to refer to migrants who have left their countries only just recently, most probably on a temporary basis, as well as to refer to settled communities (Agunias & Newland, 2012). Migration - It is an act to move from one country or region to settle into another. Diplomacy – It is the art, science, or practice of negotiations between nations. It is also the application of skill, tact, and intelligence in dealing with others.

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DISCUSSION States in different parts of the world had been engaged in the diplomacy of diaspora. This engagement had been perceived as a global re-awakening to diasporas as one of the major tools of a state’s strategy for enhanced growth and development. In the Philippine context on migration, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) estimates that, as of 2011, there are about 10.44 million Philippine-born Filipinos who are residing and working overseas. As identified by the CFO, there are three types of migrants: 1. Permanent Migrants 2. Temporary Migrants 3. Irregular Migrants It has been perceived that majority of the country’s migrants are Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), however, according to the aggregate data from the CFO, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), permanent migrants exceed the number of OFWs. Permanent migrants, which numbered to 4.86 million in 2011 or accounted for about 47% of Filipinos abroad, include immigrants, dual citizenship holders or legal permanent residents abroad, whose stay does not depend on work contracts. Temporary migrants, which include OFWs, were numbered at about 4.51 million or 43%. They are the type of migrants who are working abroad and are expected to return to the Philippines at the end of their working contracts. Other than OFWs, temporary migrants may include students, trainees, entrepreneurs, businessmen, and their dependents who are abroad for at least six months. On the other hand, irregular migrants are estimated to be numbered at 1.07 million or are accounted for the 10% of Filipinos overseas. Irregular migrants are those who are not properly documented, without valid residence or work permits, or are overstaying in a country. They could be found mainly in the United States, Malaysia, and Singapore (Veniles, 2013). Based on the 2011 Stock Estimate of the CFO, the top destination countries of Filipinos are the United States (3,430,864 or 33%), Saudi Arabia (1,550,572 or 15%), Canada (842,651 or 8%), United Arab Emirates (679,819 or 7%), Malaysia (569,081 or 5%), Australia (384, 637 or 4%), Qatar (342,442 or 3%), Japan (220,882 or 2%), United Kingdom (220,000 or 2%), and Kuwait (186,750 or 2%) (Medina & Pulumbarit, 2013).

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Migration and Diplomacy The Economics and Social Circumstances of Migration Looking at the effects of migration on the economic aspect of their home countries, governments had acknowledged the huge chunk of remittances coming from their migrants which boosts the nation’s growth. According to the World Bank, in 2008, about $338 billion were sent by migrants into their homelands. On the other hand, economic benefits is just a small part of the whole story, for the reason that migrants also bring with them “social remittances” equally distributed to the host societies and to their homelands. Social remittances include norms, practices, identities, and social capital or the skills, which affect their encounters in their host countries and the latter are also being sent back to promote development in their countries of origin (Levitt, 2001). The Political, Social and Other Dimensions Political interests and activities within diasporas are not new. Throughout history, migrant communities had been engaged politically into their host societies. Some of the political activities that they are engaged into are the following: 1. Different diaspora-based associations may lobby host countries to form policies in favor of a homeland or to challenge a homeland government; 2. Influence homelands through their support or opposition of the latter’s governments; 3. Give financial and other types of support to political parties, social movements, and civil society organizations; and 4. Diasporas can even sponsor terrorism or the perpetuation of conflict into their homeland. Examples of such politically active diaspora communities are the Jewish-, Greek-, Cuban-, and Armenian-American associations that represent some of the strongest lobbies in Washington, D.C. International diaspora-based groups sometimes engage in mass protests and consciousness-raising activities about homeland-related issues. On the other hand, homeland nation-states themselves may reach out to engage the political interests of their diaspora populations through the creation of provisions for dual citizenship and/or nationality. Today, there is now an upward global trend in the popularity of dual citizenship/nationality, both in terms of the people having it and the states allowing it. During elections, diasporas or migrants also have huge political influences towards their respective homelands through the process of “absentee voting”. In migrant-sending countries, dual

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citizenship has been difficult to push through governments since local politicians tend to see the disadvantages, for they often feel that “absentee voting” might give too much influence to people living outside the country, especially if there is a huge size of diaporic communities (Vertovec, 2005). World Trends According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the estimated total number of international migrants worldwide today is 214 million. Therefore, about 3.1% of the world’s populations are migrants or in other words, one out of every 33 persons in the world today is a migrant. If all these migrants are gathered together to constitute a country, they will account as the fifth most populous state in the world. In terms of the gender composition of migrants, women are larger in number than men. According to World Bank’s Migration and Remittances Factbook in 2011, the estimated remittances sent by migrants in 2010 amounted to $440 billion, which is mainly coming from rich countries like the U.S, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Russia respectively. Based on data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the estimated number of refugees today is about 15.4 million (IOM, 2013). Diaspora Diplomacy There is no widely accepted definition of “diaspora”, this is due to the fact that the term is being used to signify many different phenomena. Today, diaspora or commonly known as the migration of a state’s people, is being used as a tool of diplomacy to pursue the advancement of the home country. According to the definition of “diaspora diplomacy” provided by Joaquin Gonzales III in his book “Diaspora Diplomacy: Philippine Migration and its Soft Power Influences”, it is “A collective action that is driven, directed, and sustained by the energy and charisma of a broad range of migrants who influence another country’s culture, politics, and economics in a manner that is mutually beneficial for the homeland and the new home base” (Gonzales, 2012). In any country, a vital resource for the pursuance of its development is its people, both at home and those living overseas. Governments build different institutions within particular existing offices or organizations within the national system to cater various concerns of their citizens abroad. States acknowledged the importance of their respective diasporas or migrants as

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a major tool for national development, thus, they are creating vital policies to engage the latter. Diasporas has been consistently contributing in the following ways: The Diaspora helps in poverty alleviation at household level though remittances that are being sent to their relatives. They help their home country through their implicit method of attracting foreign direct investments (FDI). They help to promote trade across national boundaries by acting as middlemen by providing market information and consumer preferences in both host and origin countries. They serve as instruments for knowledge exchanges, transfer of skills and technology between their host and origin countries. Diasporas promote the image and culture of their homeland. Diasporas promote friendship and cooperation between the host and origin country through their personal contacts and networks (Bulwaka, 2009). Diaspora Diplomacy in Relation to Public Diplomacy Seeing the vast influence of diasporas into their host societies and home states, they are globally perceived to be conducting the principle of “public diplomacy”. Throughout history, public diplomacy has been a means of promoting a country’s soft power and it even became essential in winning the Cold War. Soft power is the ability to affect others in order to acquire the planned outcomes through attraction, instead of coercion or the use of force. A country’s soft power can be manifested through its culture, values, and policies (Nye, 2008). International migrants represent the soft power of their homeland and they are a resource that governments, NGOs, the corporate world, and international organizations can utilize to ameliorate global cooperation and development. It can also be seen that a certain globally dispersed community of a state’s migrants (e.g. Filipino migrants, Chinese migrants, etc.), performs numerous acts of public diplomacy that connect the cultural and economic gap between the homeland and the receiving country. This also results to the migrants domination of global cities (e.g. Filipinization of cities worldwide, etc.) due to the reason that they work and socialize

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in thousands of cities, associations, and even churches, thus, becoming the international face of their respective country’s spirit, culture, and training. Both diaspora and public diplomacy are relevant in the pursuance of a win-win mode. Through a country’s diaspora diplomacy which can be manifested in its wide range of migrants moving into another country thus, affecting the latter’s cultural, political, and economic aspects, as well as the utilization of public diplomacy or soft power, diasporas are helping their country of origin to project interests in the countries of adoption. On the other hand, there are certain challenges that policy makers and even the diasporas themselves face. In some countries like Uganda, the diversity of culture specifically in the aspect of language makes it difficult for the government to unite their diaspora community in order for the latter to contribute effectively to national development. Diaspora Diplomacy in Relation to Economic Diplomacy Diasporas play a vital role in the promotion of trade and investment in relation to their home countries. They help in the latter’s national development largely due to their remittances. According to the Central Bank of the Philippines, remittances is defined broadly as the coverage of all financial resource flows coming from the cross-border movement of a citizen of a country. On the other hand, in a narrow sense, remittances may be defined to cover only cash transfers sent by immigrants and overseas workers in their country of origin. Remittances from a country’s migrants serve to be a major foundation of the former’s foreign exchange. In some countries, like the Philippines, the amount of remittances had consistently surpassed the net inflows of foreign direct investments since the 1990s (Abenoja, 2004). Last year, as stated by the country’s Central Bank, overseas Filipinos remitted $21.6 billion and are a constant source of income for the Philippines (Veniles, 2013). Diasporas and Home States Diaspora Organizations Many governments have taken an extra step in institutionalizing their engagement with diasporas through the creation of special offices and directorates within government agencies. One example is the growing integration of diasporas or migrants within Asia, wherein 14

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government institutions were created to engage the latter in a formal basis. These institutions reside in different levels of the government and possess various priorities and degrees of organization. One case in point, some diaspora institutions are concerned with only their citizens overseas while others are tasked for permanent residents, naturalized citizens, and second or later generations in particular. Certain countries had established ministries whose explicit task is to address the needs of diaspora populations. By establishing a separate, ministry-level institution, a government considers the fact that traditional ministries such as those of labor and foreign affairs cannot supervise the migrants’ portfolio in all of its dimensions. Governments also plotted various initiatives to engage their respective diasporas. In the Philippine context, some of the laws or initiatives that were passed to protect and monitor its diaspora population are the following: R. A. 8042 or The Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995. R. A. 9189 or An Act Providing for a System of Overseas Absentee Voting by Qualified Citizens of the Philippines Abroad. R. A. 9225 or An Act Making the Citizenship of Philippine Citizens who Acquire Foreign Citizenship Permanent.

Functions, Duties, and Challenges of an Ambassador Functions Under the Vienna Convention, an Ambassador is one of the three categories of diplomats which are of the highest ranking. An Ambassador is a foreign diplomatic representative of a nation who is authorized to handle political negotiations between his or her sending state and the receiving state where he or she was assigned. Therefore, an ambassador is an important instrument in maintaining the link between his country and the host country. He or she has the following functions: 1. To Represent the sending state; 2. To protect the interests of the sending state and its nationals; 3. To negotiate with the host state;

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4. To promote friendly relations between the parent state and the host state; 5. To ascertain by lawful means conditions and developments in the host country and dispatching the same to his own country. Duties An ambassador, being the highest official of a state’s embassy abroad, has the duty to oversee the activities being conducted by all other types of Foreign Service Officers under his office. This usually includes economic officers, management officers, political officers, public diplomacy officers, and most importantly, consular officers. Seeing the importance of diasporas or a state’s migrants abroad, an ambassador has the duty to monitor if consular functions are being done by his or her state’s consul agents through consulate offices. The office through their issuance of passports, travel documents, and visas to the citizens of their home country, keeps track of all home country citizens who enter the host country as well as their purpose of visiting. The office also offers them a place of legal protection if the host country becomes unstable and dangerous for travelers (Shah, 2005). Other ambassadorial duties include: 1. An ambassador has the duty to report to their sending government, especially in cases wherein the host state faces economic instability or civilian unrests. He will serve as the source of information of his sending state, which in turn will evaluate the situation and, if necessary, take action to protect their citizens abroad. 2. Ambassadors have the duty to organize his or her country’s operations abroad by means of coordinating diplomatic missions. Frequently, the relations between two countries are too complex for one person to handle, thus, a diplomatic post is consist of many individuals with specialized tasks to help the ambassador (e.g. labor attaches, tourism attaches, etc). In such situations, the ambassador is expected to coordinate all operations (Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State, 2007). 3. An ambassador can order his or her diplomatic officers to give financial assistance to the citizens of their home country who become destitute in the host country that is upon the request of the citizen into the sending state’s embassy. They can also order their

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diplomatic officers to visit their citizens who have been arrested and provide appropriate assistance. Ambassadors also have the duty to report to the sending government if a citizen died in the host country where he or she is assigned and help the deceased’s relatives. 4. Ambassadors act as the spokesperson of their sending state by means of holding press conferences in the receiving state on issues related to their home country and its citizens (U.S. Department of State, 2010). 5. In the course of an election in the home country, an ambassador, other than the consulgeneral or any career public officer posted abroad designated by the country’s Commission on Elections, shall be the chairman to facilitate the voting process of their co-citizens. The accomplishment of the ballots shall take place in the jurisdiction of the embassy which is being monitored by an ambassador (Arellano Law Foundation, 2003). 6. An ambassador with the permission of his or her sending government may justify diplomatic asylum that is in the premises of a diplomatic or other such premises entitled to inviolability (Feltham, 1998). Challenges 1. Ambassadors may face demographic compulsions or pressures arising from their sending state’s diaspora communities. CONCLUSION The process of diaspora is speedily emerging as one of the forces towards development in the globalizing world. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) classified the wide range of development potentials of diasporas. According to the institute, diasporas or the migration of a state’s citizens abroad amass human and financial capital for the economic and social development of their host communities. Moreover, like temporary migrants, permanent diasporas have been contributing to the development of their home countries through the sending of remittances, as well as managing businesses in the latter. They play a huge role in the transfer of knowledge, skills, and technology both in their home and host countries. In view of this, diaspora communities can influence the economic and political processes of their host countries in favor of their home countries’ interests. In accompanying the efficient process of a state’s diaspora diplomacy, ambassadors and other diplomatic officers play the role of being the eye as well as a broker of information to the states’ governments which allows them to know the status of their citizens abroad. A state’s ambassadors and migrants cooperate hand in hand to pursue their country’s national development.

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REFERENCES Abenoja, Z.R. (2004). Promoting Greater Use of Formal Remittance Systems by Overseas Filipinos. [PDF file]. Retrieved May 30, 2013 from http://nscb.gov.ph/ncs/9thncs/papers/banking_PromotingGreaterUse.pdf Agunias, D.R., & Newland, K. (2012). Engaging the Asian Diaspora. International Organization for Migration (IOM). [PDF file]. Retrieved May 30, 2013 from http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/engagingdiasporas.pdf Arellano Law Foundation. (2003). An Act Providing for a System of Overseas Absentee Voting by Qualified Citizens of the Philippines Abroad. Philippine Laws and Jurisprudence Databank. Retrieved June 1, 2013 from www.lawphil.net Bulwaka, M. (2009). Diaspora Diplomacy: A Case Study of Uganda. [Dissertation]. [PDF File]. Retrieved May 31, 2013 from http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/pdfs/Bulwaka.pdf Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO). (2013). Diaspora to Development. Retrieved May 30, 2013 from http://cfo.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1359:diaspora-todevelopment&catid=144:socio-economic-development Feltham, R. G. (1998). Diplomatic Handbook. New York: Addison Wesley Longman Inc., p.132 Foreign Service Institute, U.S Department of State. 2007. [PDF file]. Retrieved May 30, 2013 from http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/99260.pdf Gonzales, J.J. (2012). Diaspora Diplomacy: Philippine Migration and its Soft Power Influences. [PDF version]. Minneapolis: Mill City Press International Organization for Migration (IOM). (2013). Facts and Figures: Global Estimates and Trends. Retrieved May 30, 2013 from http://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/about-migration/facts--figures-1.html Levitt, P. (2001). The Transnational Villagers. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.

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UNDERSTANDING DIASPORA DIPLOMACY Levitt, P. (2010). “It’s Not Just About the Economy, Stupid” – Social Remittances Revisited. Migration Information Source. Retrieved May 30, 2013 from http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=783 Medina, A., & Pulumbarit, V. (2013), Fast Facts on Top 10 Destinations of Pinoys Abroad. GMA News Online. Retrieved May 30, 2013 from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/293843/pinoyabroad/ofwguide/ofw-guide-fastfacts-on-top-10-destinations-of-pinoys-abroad Nye, J. (2008). Public Diplomacy and Soft Power. Retrieved June 1, 2013 from http://ann.sagepub.com/content/616/1/94.abstract Shah, A. (2005). Duties of an Ambassador. UCLA International Instiute. Retrieved June 1, 2013 from http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=29741 U.S Department of State: Diplomacy in Action. Department Organization. 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2013 from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/rls/dos/436.htm Veniles, C.J. (2013). Immigrants Outnumber OFWs. Inquirer Global Nation. Retrieved May 30, 2013 from http://globalnation.inquirer.net/69339/immigrants-outnumber-ofws Vertovec, S. (2005). The Political Importance of Diasporas. Migration Information Resource Retrieved May 30, 2013 from http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?ID=313

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