In 2019, G20 countries hosted 61 per cent of all international migrants worldwide. Migrants and diasporas are active in supporting the development of their country of origin or heritage. As such, G20 countries have a key responsibility in shaping the global governance of migration and enabling diaspora engagement.

In 2020, COVID-19 has put to the test the capacity of diasporas to connect with, and support, their families and communities at home. However, the pandemic has also shown the resilience, solidarity, reaction capacity and creativity of these communities, and pointed to the way ahead in terms of innovative solutions, especially in the digital sphere and transfer of knowledge.

The G20 has a key role to play. It should: (a) stress the importance of diasporas for development, emphasising its support for existing and future global and regional initiatives aimed at facilitating international dialogue and partnership on migration; (b) collaborate with the G7, relevant international organisations and other stakeholders to support innovative ways to further reduce the cost of sending remittances; and (c) make an explicit commitment to bolstering global and regional forums and initiatives for dialogue on migration governance.