About Us

Who We Are

The International Federation for Family Development (IFFD) is a non-governmental, independent and non-profit umbrella organization that operates in 68 countries with the help of thousands of volunteers and benefits over 30,000 families annually through our parenting courses.

Founded in 1978, it was granted in 2011 the reclassification of the consultative status at United Nations (ECOSOC) from special to general, reserved for large international NGOs whose area of work cover most of the issues on the agenda of ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies.

International Board

Elected by the General Assembly on 1st December 2022.

Olivier Yao

President

Nora Urrea

Vice President

Javier Vidal-Quadras

Secretary General

Antonio Tuñon

Treasurer

Blanca Bonet

Member Europe

Jorge Correa

Member America

Andrea Floris

Member Europe

Guillermo Fraile

Member America

Diosdado Marasigan

Member Asia

Raymond Mutura

Member Africa

Daniella Oliva

Member America

Ruza Rebac

Member Europe

Jacqueline Scheidl

Member America

Conan Shek

Member Asia

Caitlin West

Member Australia

  

Our representatives are opening lines of communication between Member States, the Academia, the UN-System, families and various Civil Society actors to highlight a family perspective and child protection scope in the design of various social policy recommendations. They bring a substantial contribution to the global discussion and a practical engagement among stakeholders on family-friendly policies. Our team works at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the European Union Headquarters in Brussels and in various intergovernmental institutions around the globe.

Alex Vázquez, Ignacio Socías and Cristina Napolitano at the Summit on Family-friendly Policies at the UNICEF Headquarters.

What We Do

All over the world, we advocate for a family perspective on policymaking as the best social strategy. This work is made based on scientific evidence and social development approach:

  • Identifies obstacles to family life on Programs in 70 countries
  • Promotes academic research and experts network
  • Recommends evidence-based policies and best practices
  • Raise awareness about family’s impact on social development

Our endeavor involves the design, team coordination and direction of activities with UN ECOSOC, UNICEF, UN Women and other agencies; in the European Union, through our participation in research and dissemination programmes, as well as negotiation and intermediation with European Parliament members and intergroups; and with local, regional and national governments. It involves the participation of academics and other civil society representatives, expressed in different outcomes:

Statements

Papers

Projects

Events

The International Federation for Family Development is an umbrella organization for more than 250 Family Enrichment Centers started in Barcelona in 1968 and formally established in Orlando in 1978. 

Family Enrichment. It is our local contribution to families. Our courses for parents are designed to match the different stages of child development. They are structured using the case-study method. Real situations are first analyzed by small teams and then discussed in general sessions conducted by our experts as moderators. These programs aim to prevent conflicts and violence within the family environment and promote better communication and intergenerational solidarity.

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Family Perspective. At the global level, we advocate at international organizations for parenting education and engage with governments, academia and the private sector for family-friendly policies. General consultative status provides IFFD with access to not only ECOSOC, but also to its many subsidiary bodies, to the various human rights mechanisms of the United Nations, ad-hoc processes, as well as special events organized by the General Assembly. Our work also involves the design, team coordination and direction of activities with the European Union, through our participation in research and dissemination programmes; and with local, regional and national governments.

IFFD IN 10 POINTS

  • We are a Federation of non-governmental, non-denominational, non-profit, independent and private Family Enrichment centers.
  • We work in 68 countries on the 5 continents.
  • Our mission is to empower families around the world; we do not discriminate by race, color, religion, gender, or country of origin.
  • Our experience shows that parents need to learn how to fulfill their task. Both parents are meant to be involved in our programs, so that each one makes their own contribution at an individual, parental and family level.
  • Our courses use the ‘case method’, which promotes dialogue about real situations without imposing our own ideas or dismissing what others may think about them.
  • Our moderators are volunteers who do not act as teachers, but as parents who are experts at facilitating and guiding these debates in small groups.
  • The courses are aimed at groups of parents with children of the same age, and are focused on acquiring the appropriate skills for that stage of their development.
  • Through our advocacy professional activities, we aim to integrate a family perspective into national, regional and international development agendas through the design and implementation of evidence-based laws, policies and programs.
  • We organize regional and worldwide congresses, which reinforce our identity and help us to share knowledge and best practices.
  • We also promote research projects and other activities to raise awareness of scientific findings and publications to disseminate them.