Diaspora as partners: strengthening resilience of health systems and communities amidst aid volatility

Read this BMJ Global Health article here [opens new tab]

The global aid landscape is experiencing unprecedented volatility. Aid has been cut, abruptly, with devastating consequences for health systems and communities across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly aid-dependent fragile settings. These disruptions have spurred critical conversations on domestic resource mobilization and sustainable financing for essential health services and health systems in LMICs. We bring to this conversation an urgent consideration: the critical, overlooked, and underutilised value of diaspora and their contributions for health systems in LMICs and fragile and shock-prone settings.

Diaspora contributions to communities and health systems in countries of origin are historical, substantial, and multifaceted. Financial, human, and social capital represent critical resilience capabilities for communities and health systems in LMICs and aid-dependent fragile settings, but harnessing those capabilities requires recognition, integration, and action. The shifting aid landscape necessitates a reimagining of health financing and global health partnerships, where diaspora are key partners.

Read this BMJ Global Health article here [opens new tab]

Citation

Alaa Dafallah, Sophie Witter, Diaspora as partners: strengthening resilience of health systems and communities amidst aid volatility: BMJ Global Health 2025;10:e019622.

Further information

More on ReBUILD’s study, The role of the diaspora in supporting health system resilience in fragile and shock-prone settings