The North-South Centre has been working on and with youth diaspora for more than 10 years through capacity building, policy development and funding initiatives with the vision of building more inclusive societies.

Youth diaspora is a key target group for the youth cooperation programme since they represent a valuable resource to tackle the actual challenges of the Council of Europe member states such as migration, social inclusion and active participation of young people in vulnerable situations.

Youth diaspora represent an immense richness for host societies since they bridge different countries, cultures and identities, fostering intercultural dialogue, supporting interregional cooperation and promoting social cohesion.

Taking into account the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe resolution 2043(2015) “Democratic participation for migrant diaspora” and the report on Engaging European diasporas, the North-South Centre recognises the need of "engaging diasporas in decision making policies[….]to ensure economic, social and cultural development."

The North-South Centre’s action on youth diaspora follows three main areas: capacity building, research and analysis and seed funding.

The activities are always designed and implemented in cooperation with key stakeholders from civil society and international institutions. In line with this multilevel cooperation approach, the North-South Centre contributed to the foundation of diaspora umbrella organisations, such as the African Diaspora Youth Network Europe (ADYNE) and the African Diaspora Youth Forum Europe (ADYFE).