Guide to Incorporating Family Links Into Contingency Plans

This guide has been developed to help staff working on restoring family links (RFL) and protecting family links (PFL) develop contingency plans based on the needs of the separated, the missing, the dead and their families in emergency situations. It should be read alongside the “Template for incorporating family links into contingency plans” and the Contingency Planning Guide1 produced by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

In this document, addressing the “needs of the dead” means clarifying what has happened to the deceased and not managing their remains. “Emergency” refers to any situation in which RFL/PFL needs exceed the scope of ordinary operations, including disasters, international and non-international armed conflict, technological events, health crises, man-made emergencies and other situations requiring a humanitarian response.