Africans in Boston at the United Nations
AiB Executive Director Vivian Birchall at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
New York- November 27th, 2018
AiB Executive Director Vivian Birchall participated as a presenter and panelist at a side event, organized on the margins of the Global South-South Development Expo 2018. The event theme was “Implementing the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration through south-south cooperation.” The dialogue was intended to discuss issues and to mobilize, promote and improve access to the technical and policy expertise needed to support the Global Compact for Migration implementation, of which South-South expertise and experience will be an important component. A summary of discussions will be produced by the IOM office as a contribution to the preparatory process of the BAPA + 40 outcome document and to inform the preparations for the Marrakesh Conference to adopt the GCM.
The session featured:
- Tarik Iziraren, UNOSSC Deputy Director, Policy and Strategic Partnership (Moderator)
- Philip Odida, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Uganda to the United Nations
- Tareq Md. Ariful Islam, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations
- Elisabeth Pape, Minister Counsellor, Delegation of the EU to the United Nations
Panelists
- Stephanie J. Nawyn, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Michigan State University
- Luisa Feline Freier, Professor, Department of Social and Political Sciences, Univsersidad del Pacifico
- Vivian Birchall, Executive Director, Africans in Boston
- Khatharya Um, Associate Professor, Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, UC Berkeley
Her presentation highlighted contributions the diaspora has made to our home country and lessons for countries in Africa to work with their citizens living overseas to improve development at home, pulling from experiences from working with Africans in Boston and Africans in New England, collectively.