Africa-Europe Development Platform Africa-Europe Development Platform As African Diaspora organisations seek an adequate framework to engage migration and development stakeholders, the European Commission in cooperation with the Swiss SDC, the Dutch MFA and the German GIZ have facilitated the Africa-Europe Platform‘s creation as part of the European-wide African Diaspora Platform for Development (EADPD) Project. As an EC funded initiative the creation of the Africa-Europe Platform will foster the valuable contribution to African Development by already established African Diaspora/Migrant organisation based in all 27 EU states including Norway and Switzerland. The Africa-Europe Platform (AEP) is designed to be an inclusive interactive and informative space reflecting the interconnectivity at the heart of migration and development issues. The platform aims are as follow: To strengthen the contributions of the African Diaspora as contributors in Africa’s development via the establishment of an interactive inclusive European-wide platform of African Diaspora/migrant organizations To enhance the coordination, communication and cooperation of development activities undertaken by African Migrant organisations through the development of best practice and knowledge exchange tools and mechanisms. To improve migrant organisations’ capacities to actively take part in platform activities, involve themselves in policy processes and effectively implement development projects. To reinforce channels between Diaspora organisations and their local partners in Africa This initiative is the result of a partnership between the African Diaspora Policy Centre (ADPC) from the Netherland, Forum des Organisations de Solidarité Internationale (FORIM) from France, Coordination Générale des Migrants pour le Développement (CGMD) from Belgium, the African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) from the UK, and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). The project kicked-off following a series of meeting in March 2011 and begun its activities through the collaboration of the five organisations. The Africa-Europe’s creation marks a significant step in cementing the African Diaspora’s position into the international development arena and reflects the endorsement of the migration and development sector by International development leaders particularly the European Union.