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Report on – 33rd IC Resolution 4: Restoring Family Links while respecting privacy, including as it relates to personal data protection (33IC/19/R4) – American Red Cross

Statutory Meetings / 33rd IC Resolution Report / 33rd International Conference / Report on – 33rd IC Resolution 4: Restoring Family Links while respecting privacy, including as it relates to personal data protection (33IC/19/R4) – American Red Cross

  1. Has your State/National Society/Institution incorporated the commitments contained in this resolution into the relevant strategic or operational plans?

    Yes

    The commitments are incorporated into:
    Strategy
    Policy
    Operational plan

    At the International, Regional, National level

    Explanation:

    The RFL team at NHQ and in the regions is using a secure application (FLA) for case management that is protected by multifactor authentication along with our Single Sign On to add an additional layer of protection. This system is an internal secure environment that is used for data transfer by 70+ national societies and all ICRC delegations. We also use an ICRC managed tool for secure file transfers that has also been, through our assistance, adopted by SAF to use when working with national societies. We have implemented use of the Information Notice and Authorization Forms that inform clients of their rights on data protection and how their information is managed. We work with our federal government partners to ensure access to unaccompanied and separated children in custody of the federal government to work toward reunifying them with their families. Since October 2023 we started to require completion of the data and privacy awareness trainings for anyone who has access to PII for clients. Two RFL staff at NHQ attended a week-long Data Protection Officer in Humanitarian Action training hosted by ICRC and Maastricht University.

  2. Has your State/National Society/Institution been working with other partners to implement the commitments contained in this resolution?

    Yes

    Partner with:
    National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society in your country
    Government and/or public authorities
    ICRC/IFRC
    Other National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies

    Examples of cooperation:

    Internally, in FY23 the RFL team coordinated with the SAF Hero Care Center to facilitate access to the Secure File Exchange (SFE) tool managed by ICRC to ensure continuity of service to service members with families overseas.

    MOA signed with ORR in 2023 to ensure access to unaccompanied and separated children in the custody of the US Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). As children they fall under a particularly sensitive category of beneficiaries.

    Ongoing relationship with ICRC in development of the case management tool. The American Red Cross is a member the Implementation Group. Vicente Baamonde-Antelo through January 2024 and now Jemina Shikany.

    The American Red Cross was in a leadership role until January 2024 in the regional RFL group comprised of the US and all countries in Central America and Mexico, AmerCAN. This role involved leadership to support these national societies as they navigated adopting the use of the SFE exchange, FLA, and the Information Notice and Authorization forms.

  3. Have you encountered any challenges in implementing the commitments contained in this resolution?

    Yes

    With challenges on:
    Human resources
    Competing priorities
    Lack of capacity and/or support (technical, financial, or other)

    Details about challenges:

    The RFL team size was reduced. The RFL team had a full-time manager position until 2021.

  4. Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the work and direction of your State/National Society/Institution?

    Yes

    Type of Impact:
    Cooperation between Government/public authorities and National Society has been strengthened
    Training and capacity of staff and volunteers has increased (for National Societies)

    Details about the impact:

    The MOA with ORR increased cooperation with ORR and requiring the completion of the data and privacy awareness trainings for anyone who has access to PII for clients increased training level of both paid and volunteer staff.

  5. Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the communities that your State/National Society/Institution serves?

    No
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