DFD provides a platform for influencing policy in the field of migration and development as it is a marketplace of ideas between and among member organizations.  Member-organizations  are able to share their resources, expertise and knowledge, mitigating competition over scarce resources which hinders unity among migrant organizations. DFD members realize only too well   that they can collectively achieve more and reach fellow migrants  effectively by combining efforts and through sharing as they move in unison from strength to strength.

As a platform, DFD believes in a participatory approach to decision-making, the process of arriving at consensual decisions. This is both imperative and necessary in order to stimulate the participation of all stakeholders as well as to enjoy a broad-based support from its member organizations. It promotes the practice of shared leadership through the mandated board, and through the committees and commissions it creates. A great source of its strength lies in the fact that most of the core leaders of the member-organizations have tested leadership skills. Most of the leaders of DFD member-organizations are key players in migrant work in the Netherlands and are acknowledged leaders in their respective communities. Through DFD, the member organizations support each other, pool their resources together and share each other’s expertise.

The following provides an overview of DFD’s rich engagement in development cooperation, as seen through the active participation and involvement of its member organizations in various thematic priorities: