The role of diaspora in supporting health systems resilience in fragile and shock-prone settings: findings from a multi-country study – webinar
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This is a recording a webinar held in January 2026.
Global crises driven by conflict, climate change, and mass displacement are intensifying, placing unprecedented strain on health systems worldwide. These pressures are especially acute in fragile and shock-prone settings (FASPs), where overlapping crises intersect with weak systems, severely limited resources, and the recent wave of major aid cuts.
In this context, diaspora communities have emerged as pivotal actors, supporting health systems, and delivering critical services to communities in FASPs. Yet, despite growing recognition of their importance, research on how diaspora contribute to health systems resilience remains limited.
Researchers at REBUILD for Resilience sought to address this gap through a multi-country study, and this webinar marked the first opportunity to share emerging findings. Drawing on empirical evidence from five fragile settings – Nepal, Myanmar, Sudan, Sierra Leone, and Lebanon – alongside global evidence, the webinar explored the diverse ways diaspora mobilise financial, human, and social capital to strengthen the absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities of health systems. The discussion also highlighted key factors shaping diaspora engagement and early insights on how to better leverage diaspora contributions for resilient health systems.
The speakers were
Prof Sophie Witter – Queen Margaret University, UK
Dr Kyu Kyu Than – Burnet Institute, Myanmar
Dr Ghanshyam Gautam – HERD International, Nepal
Dr Rouham Yamout – American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Halimatu Kamara – Institute for Development, Sierra Leone
Alaa Dafallah [opens new tab] – University of Oxford
Dr Elsheikh Badr [opens new tab] – Center for Health Workforce Development and Community Medicine, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University
Further information
There’s more on ReBUILD’s research into diaspora and health systems here:
Study: The role of the diaspora in supporting health system resilience in fragile and shock-prone settings
Presentation: Transnational lifelines: the role of diaspora capital on health system resilience in fragile and shock-prone settings