WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) shared the lessons drawn from more than a century of Armenian American efforts to foster a culture of caring and building durable, resilient and responsive community institutions at a Diaspora in Development forum in Washington, DC, that attracted hundreds of American diasporan civic, development and economic leaders with roots across Asia, Africa, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe.

The day-long forum, held in the Knight Conference Center of the iconic Newseum in the nation’s capital, was jointly hosted by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the International Organization for Migration, and the George Washington University.

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian participated in the conference, taking part in a panel discussion titled: “Case Study: Creating Powerful Diaspora Networks.” He spoke alongside two internationally respected experts in diasporan development, Jo Addy of the African Diaspora Network and Magalie Emile-Backer of Haitian Renewal Alliance. The panel was moderated by Nicolas Bassey, USAID’s innovative Division Chief for Frontier Partnerships.

Among the themes stressed by Hamparian were the long-term benefits of constructively managing diversity and consensus building, standing up sustainable, multi-generational models of community engagement, and developing smart solutions to transform the challenges of diasporan life into opportunities to promote more robust community engagement and civic advocacy. The panel discussion was held in an open, interactive format, featuring an open discussion among the participants and panelists.

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