Attachments
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Pacific diaspora humanitarianism in response to natural disasters in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) remains largely unexplored and often misunderstood due to the gap in the knowledge of how and why Pacific diaspora engage in the humanitarian response. This report is the first output of the exploratory research carried out in 2018 to study the role of Pacific diaspora leaders in localising humanitarian response to natural disasters in PICs. The research was initially designed to understand Pacific diaspora humanitarianism based on a comparative analysis of perspectives of Pacific diaspora leaders, traditional humanitarian actors and national disaster management officials. However, it became apparent during the early stages of data collection that a comparative analysis of perspectives cannot be methodologically justified due to the lack of knowledge about Pacific diaspora in humanitarian response and their invisibility in the traditional humanitarian system.
The purpose of this report is, therefore, to understand Pacific diaspora humanitarianism from a diasporic perspective. It seeks to answer the following research questions from a diasporic perspective:
• What factors drive Pacific diaspora humanitarianism?
• How does Pacific diaspora respond to natural disasters in PICs?
• What does Pacific diaspora bring to the Pacific humanitarian eco-system?
The report does not include data from international and national actors. It attempts to depict what diaspora humanitarianism is through the worldviews and voices of Pacific diaspora leaders. It does not evaluate diaspora humanitarianism, and it does not compare diaspora humanitarianism with traditional humanitarianism. It is written in a way that is convenient for diaspora humanitarians and other non-traditional humanitarians to read and understand. This report encourages traditional humanitarians to understand diaspora humanitarianism outside of the dominant humanitarian narrative.
The research findings provide insights into what motivates Pacific diaspora to respond to natural disasters in PICs, how they respond, and what makes them unique as diasporic humanitarians. The report presents the characteristics of Pacific diaspora humanitarianism and links them with the localisation agenda. For the first time in Australia, it brings Pacific diaspora perspectives to the sectoral discussions and policy debates in humanitarian assistance.
Methodology Pacific diaspora humanitarianism is an unexplored territory. This research was designed to be explorative and informative. A large part of the research process focused on learning how to connect with the Pacific diaspora communities in Australia, translating humanitarian jargon and academic terms into a language that could be understood by the diaspora communities and building relationships of trust with diaspora community leaders.
The research targeted Pacific diaspora leaders in Australia. They are leaders of various diaspora organisations, diaspora networks and diaspora communities. This report acknowledges the diversity in diaspora grouping and modes of diaspora humanitarian interventions.
The primary data was collected through an online survey and in-depth interviews. Secondary data sources such as diaspora websites, media releases and Facebook pages were also used to validate the primary data wherever it was available. The report acknowledges that the online survey was not a convenient tool for many diaspora participants. Most of the drawbacks of using online surveys were addressed during the interviews. In-depth interviews were conducted in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The face-to-face interview was acknowledged as an effective method by the researchers.
It is important to highlight that trust and cultural understanding played considerable roles in conducting in-depth interviews.
The research used an inductive approach to the qualitative analysis of research inputs since Pacific diaspora humanitarianism has not been previously explored. This report uses as many quotes as possible from the interview transcripts to present the worldviews and voices of Pacific diaspora leaders.