Please visit www.FamilyRemittances.org for all details on the 2020 campaign, and connect to the dedicated observance event

The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) is a universally-recognized observance adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/72/281) and observed on 16 June each year. The day recognizes the contribution of over 200 million migrant workers to improve the lives of their 800 million family members back home, and to create a future of hope for their children.

Through this observance, the United Nations aim at bringing greater awareness on the impact that these contributions have on millions of households, but also on communities, countries, and entire regions. The Day also calls upon governments, private sector entities, and the civil society to find ways that can maximize the impact of remittances through individual, and/or collective actions.

The IDFR is fully recognized at global level, and included as one of the key initiatives to implement the newly-adopted Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (Objective 20), also calling for the reduction of remittance transfer costs, and greater financial inclusion through remittances. The Day is also functional to the pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This year, the IDFR will be observed under unprecedented conditions. COVID-19 has changed the world. Millions of migrant workers are losing their jobs, and many remittance families are suddenly pushed below the poverty line, bringing to a halt efforts to reach their own individual SDGs.

Remittance families are typically both resourceful and resilient in the face of difficult circumstances and changing conditions. But COVID-19 is disrupting an entire system that directly involves 200 million migrant workers, half of them women, around the world and their 800 million family members back home.

Migrant workers are essential contributors to both the places where they currently live and to their communities back home, having a ripple effect in about 40 sending and more than 125 receiving countries world-wide. Global remittances to developing countries are projected to fall by US$ 110 billion in 2020, and not return to pre-pandemic levels for many years thereafter.

On 19 March 2020, the UN Secretary-General called for global solidarity in responding to the coronavirus crisis stating “remittances are a lifeline in the developing world – especially now”.

Now, more than ever, the IDFR observance presents an invaluable opportunity to recognize the key role family remittances play on the wellbeing of millions of families and on the sustainable development of their local communities. That is why this year´s IDFR is calling upon governments, the private sector, and civil society organizations to support migrant workers and their families in building resilience at this time of crisis.

ACTING AS ONE. IDFR2020 is a unique opportunity to come together to address the needs of ONE BILLION people on earth. In doing so, we must build a system that prepares for the future beyond immediate needs. The new reality will require innovative thinking and structural changes in response to the likely prolonged and pervasive impact of COVID-19.

RAISE AWARENESS about the IDFR 

• Prepare for 16 June! You can start by building your own social media package, draft a thematic newsletter for your network or organize an online event. Take part in the global discussion by using the hashtag #familyremittances.
• Think creatively on how you can bring this opportunity to the world’s attention. Use personal stories and compelling photos to illustrate the reality of the one billion people directly involved in remittances.
• Take advantage of the IDFR official graphics on this Trello board following the logo guidelines.

SHARE HOW YOU ARE TAKING ACTION to support remittance families build resilience in times of crisis and inspire others

We are particularly eager to hear from:

• The private sector – How remittance service providers (RSPs) are maintaining continuity of services, and how they are adapting to make financial services more accessible and affordable to migrants and their families.
• The public sector – How policy makers and regulators on both sending and receving countries are mitigating the effects of the crisis on family remittances and specifically how they are linking financial inclusion and remittances to benefit migrant workers and their families.
• The civil society – How diaspora organizations and migrants´ associations are raising awareness on the contribution of remittance families to local development, and providing support through the crisis.

To share your achievements, current initiatives and ideas, send an email to familyremittances@ifad.org by 8 June. We will help you disseminate them.

Please include:

• Subject line: “IDFR 2020”
• A message with a brief explanation of what your organization is doing to support migrant families build resilience
• A video, a photo or any link illustrating your action
• Your organization's high-resolution logo.

STAY TUNED!! We will publish all best practices, actions, events, and support messages on: www.familyremittances.org

All messages are being included on our web and social media channels – using the #FamilyRemittances hashtag – as well as our partners'.

Read the IDFR booklet for 2019 and past endorsements for 2018 | 2017 | 2016

For further information: www.FamilyRemittances.org and the IDFR webpage on the UN website.

Thank you for supporting the IDFR!

• The vast contribution that remittances can make to the achievement of the SDGs is clear: before the crisis, the projected sum of money in international remittances to be sent to developing countries between 2015 and 2030, was US$6.5 trillion.
• Family remittances have a direct impact on the lives of 1 billion people – one out of seven individuals on earth. Added together, remittances are three times greater than Official Development Assistance and surpass Foreign Direct Investment.
• In 2019, there were approximately 200 million migrant workers providing essential services to important economic sectors in more than 40 high income countries, and sending needed financial resources to support an estimated 800 million relatives living back home in more than 125  countries. Almost half of those families live in rural areas, where remittances “count the most.”
• The full impact of this pandemic remains unknown. However, lessons learned from the global reaction to the events of 2008 and 2001 point towards a dramatic reduction in the more than US$500 billion in family remittances sent home annually.
• For the first time, both sides of remittance corridors have been impacted simultaneously, likely pushing millions of families below poverty lines resulting in food insecurity and other challenges in the small towns and villages of developing countries.
• Beyond these enormous aggregate numbers, and their societal consequences, lies the most important number of all— the US $200 or US $300 monthly remittance, the financial measure of affection and commitment that generates on average over 60% of household income, and allows tens of millions of families to reach for their own individual SDGs.

Contact us

For questions, please contact familyremittances@ifad.org