Family Reunion: Uniting Hearts, Minds, and Nations. Community Of Practice.
- Mary
- Oct 6, 2023
- 2 min read
To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the EU Directive on Family Reunification, a coalition comprising UNHCR, IOM, ARCI, CIR, the Italian Red Cross, and Save the Children has introduced the Family Reunification Community of Practice.
This innovative online platform has been established with the goal of promoting and streamlining access to family reunification by fostering collaboration among international and non-governmental organizations, governmental institutions, social and legal professionals, and experts in the field.
In the backdrop of an unprecedented global crisis, as outlined in a statement released by the organizers, which has compelled over 100 million individuals to flee their homes due to conflicts and violence, and with the total number of international migrants worldwide exceeding 280 million, there is an urgent need to fortify mechanisms for family reunification.
When individuals are compelled to leave their home countries for various reasons, they often face the heart-wrenching dilemma of being separated from their families for extended periods. This separation can have devastating consequences on their well-being. In such circumstances, family reunification serves not only as a means to protect the integrity of the family unit but also as a vital tool for facilitating the integration of individuals into their host countries.
Furthermore, family reunions represent one of the safest and most regulated channels for entry among the available options. Consequently, they play a pivotal role in offering refugees and migrants legal and secure alternatives, thus deterring them from embarking on perilous journeys facilitated by human traffickers.
In recent years, the surge in requests for family reunification has been accompanied by new challenges linked to the circumstances in the home countries, transit routes, and host nations of the family members. Delays in accessing procedures or obtaining necessary documents often present formidable obstacles or even outright barriers to successful reunification.
The Family Reunification Community of Practice is designed to proactively address these challenges by facilitating the organization of training sessions, information sharing, the exchange of best practices, and the examination of pertinent legal precedents.
Membership in this community of practice is open to organizations, entities, institutions, and individuals interested in this vital cause.
Interested parties can subscribe to the newsletter on the website to stay informed and become a part of this collaborative effort.
For more detailed information, I recommend the links provided below: 👇
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