Jordan: Second regional meeting on restoring family links

09 February 2019
Jordan: Second regional meeting on restoring family links
CC BY-NC-ND/ Monther Humaidi/ JRCS

Amman (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Jordan Red Crescent Society (JRCS) organized a two-day regional meeting on Restoring Family Links (RFL) in Amman on 5 and 6 February.  The meeting brought together 42 participants from 14 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and nine ICRC delegations from the Middle East and North Africa.

During the meeting, participants exchanged experiences and shared good practices that have been implemented in the region aimed at strengthening RFL preparedness and response.

 “The number of families separated in the region as well as of missing persons remains an extraordinary humanitarian challenge that we collectively in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are continuing to address”, said Juerg Montani, head of the ICRC delegation in Jordan.

“Despite Internet connectivity and modern means of communication we are witnessing nowadays, people are still going missing and families are being separated following natural disasters, conflicts, or when taking hazardous migration routes,” he added.

 The meeting tackled issues related to the development of a new RFL strategy for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (2019-2025), the current challenges facing missing persons and their families, the assessment of RFL needs and capacities, response to the needs of migrants and their families, as well as the protection of data of the individuals using RFL services.

Dr. Mohammed Mitlek Al-Hadid, president of the JRCS, said, "To alleviate human suffering, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement must unify and intensify its efforts to strengthen the Family Links Network in order to protect family unity and prevent family separation."

The ICRC and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies work together around the world to locate people and put them back into contact with their relatives. This work includes looking for family members, restoring contact, reuniting families and seeking to clarify the fate of those who remain missing.

 

For further information, please contact:

Hala Shamlawi, ICRC Amman, Tel: +962 777 398 794

Know more about our restoring family links activities here