Mr. Chair, even as you note that current realities make it time to increase our focus on cities in thinking and programming, what we, our members and partners also see on the ground is the reality and role of family, of powerful family dynamics—in their multiplicity as well as in rupture—in situations of displacement. In this direction, we have been impressed with the attention given to family in several of the processes connected to this Dialogue and in the discussion groups these two days, including by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

This past year, we have worked directly with over 36,000 refugees and IDPs in towns and cities in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan and Turkey, with health, education, livelihood and other supports, including of host families and nationals, as well as in outreach, identification, protection and resettlement of fragilised families and other refugees, regardless of faith and largely with funding from the US, EU and church donors.  Since last September, we conducted two studies specifically focused on the urban aspects of such displacements, one with UNHCR and one with support from the Swiss government.  In particular, the evidence demonstrates that:

• Migration is typically a family strategy
• Access to decent livelihoods is unequivocally a key to protection of the family, especially for families headed by mothers
• It is time to return to the recognition that family is the most natural unit of protection, normally the very “foyer” and fulcrum of protection

To read the full statement, please see the pdf attachment below.

Revluaing family as the first centre of protection (407.81 KB)