Iran: National Societies share ideas on helping migrants stay in touch
| Publisher | International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) |
| Publication Date | 15 January 2013 |
| Cite as | International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Iran: National Societies share ideas on helping migrants stay in touch, 15 January 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/50f94e7f2.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
"Migrants face a variety of problems, including separation from their families, that make them very vulnerable," said Olivier Dubois, deputy head of the Central Tracing Agency and Protection Division of the ICRC. "The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has a unique network of National Societies along migration routes that are committed to providing humanitarian services to migrants in need, regardless of their status."
Representatives of the National Societies of Afghanistan, Australia, Britain, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden and Turkey, of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and of the Platform for European Red Cross Cooperation on Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers (PERCO) will attend the meeting.
"The ICRC and the Iranian Red Crescent Society have years of experience in this area. Since the beginning of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, the ICRC has exchanged millions of Red Cross messages between prisoners of war and their families in cooperation with the Iranian Red Crescent," said Joanna Durao Caruio Trindade, an ICRC delegate in Iran. "This is the first time that the two organizations are jointly holding an event in which the National Societies directly concerned by migration routes gather to discuss their current practices, identifying strengths and limitations, in order to improve the services they can offer the migrants most in need."
Issues such as the recognition of the needs of migrants and the identification of the main challenges that National Societies are facing in their efforts to meet those needs are being discussed, and the tools and methodology used by participants to trace members of migrant families are being shared. Now as ever, strengthened cooperation among National Societies and ICRC delegations is a top priority.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has a 10-year strategy to better meet the needs of people separated from their families. The strategy involves enhanced coordination and cooperation within the Movement, and strengthened support for tracing services.
