UN Human Rights Treaties

UNITED NATIONS
A
General Assembly
Distr.
GENERAL
A/48/293
19 August 1993
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Forty-eighth session
Item 110 of the provisional agenda*
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT INCLUDING QUESTIONS RELATING TO
THE WORLD SOCIAL SITUATION AND TO YOUTH, AGEING,
DISABLED PERSONS AND THE FAMILY
International Year of the Family
Report of the Secretary-General
CONTENTS
Paragraphs Page
I. INTRODUCTION ........................................... 1 - 2 4
II. CONCLUSIONS ............................................ 3 - 14 4
III. RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMMENTS MADE BY THE PREPARATORY
AND COORDINATING BODIES AND OTHER INTERGOVERNMENTAL
BODIES ................................................. 15 - 26 7
A. Commission for Social Development .................. 15 - 19 7
B. Economic and Social Council ........................ 20 - 21 9
C. Commission on the Status of Women .................. 22 - 23 9
D. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women ...................................... 24 - 25 9
E. World Health Assembly............................... 26 10
IV. PREPARATORY MEASURES ................................... 27 - 92 10
A. National level ..................................... 28 - 35 10
* A/48/150.
93-43800 (E) 240893 /...
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CONTENTS (continued)
Paragraphs Page
B. Regional level ...................................... 36 - 49 13
C. International level ................................. 50 - 84 16
1. Major international events of specific
relevance to the Year ........................... 50 - 53 16
2. Intergovernmental organizations ................. 54 - 55 17
3. Non-governmental organizations .................. 56 - 66 18
4. Research and academic institutions .............. 67 - 70 22
5. United Nations system and inter-agency
cooperation ..................................... 71 - 76 23
6. Coordinator and secretariat for the International
Year of the Family .............................. 77 - 84 25
D. Voluntary Fund for the International Year of the
Family .............................................. 85 - 92 27
1. Resources of the Fund ........................... 86 - 87 27
2. Allocation of resources ......................... 88 - 89 29
3. Resource balance and requirements ............... 90 - 91 30
4. In-kind contributions ........................... 92 30
V. OBSERVANCE OF THE YEAR .................................. 93 - 95 33
VI. EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP ................................ 96 - 101 34
Annex: Inter-agency statement on the International Year of the Family,
1994 jointly issued by the concerned organizations and
specialized agencies of the United Nations system ................ 37
Tables
1. Resources of the Voluntary Fund for the International Year of the
Family, as at 20 July 1993 ........................................... 28
2. Contributions by Governments to the Voluntary Fund for the
International Year of the Family, as at 20 July 1993 ................. 28
3. Allocation of resources from the Voluntary Fund for the International
Year of the Family, as at 20 July 1993 ............................... 29
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CONTENTS (continued)
Page
4. Total resources deposited, allocation of resources and estimated
balance of resources of the Voluntary Fund for the International
Year of the Family, as at 20 July 1993 ................................ 30
5. In-kind contributions to the Secretariat for the International Year
of the Family by Governments, as at 20 July 1993 ...................... 31
6. In-kind contributions to the Secretariat for the International
Year of the Family by the private sector and individuals, as at
20 July 1993 .......................................................... 32
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I. INTRODUCTION
1. The General Assembly, in its resolution 44/82 of 8 December 1989,
proclaimed 1994 as the International Year of the Family. In its resolution
45/133 of 14 December 1990, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to
finalize a draft programme for the preparation and observance of the Year for
consideration by the Commission for Social Development and the Assembly. At its
forty-sixth session, the Assembly adopted resolution 46/92 of 16 December 1991,
in which it approved for implementation the proposals made by the Secretary-
General in his report entitled "Preparations for and observance of the
International Year of the Family"; 1/ and requested the Secretary-General to
report to the Commission for Social Development at its thirty-third session on
the state of preparations. In the same resolution, the Assembly also decided to
consider the question of the International Year of the Family, on the basis of a
report of the Secretary-General, at its forty-eighth session.
2. The present report is submitted pursuant to that decision of the General
Assembly. It updates the information contained in the Secretary-General’s
report to the Commission for Social Development at its thirty-third session,
entitled "State of preparations for the International Year of the Family", 2/
and should be read in conjunction with that report. Reference should also be
made to the Secretary-General’s earlier report entitled "Progress made in the
preparations for the International Year of the Family" (A/46/362), which
summarized the state of preparations for the Year up to mid-1991.
II. CONCLUSIONS
3. Further to the proclamation of 1994 as the International Year of the Family
by the General Assembly, an intensive and coordinated preparatory process has
been carried out to facilitate the achievement of the Year’s objectives. The
process began with the appointment by the Secretary-General of a Coordinator for
the Year and the establishment of a small organizational secretariat in
June 1990. The central focus of the process has been catalysing local and
national level actions on behalf of families through the coordinated efforts of
as many partners as possible at all levels. Its basic elements have been
dissemination of information on the objectives and substantive orientation of
the Year, provision of support, as necessary, and fostering collaboration,
exchange and coordination.
4. Substantive direction and guidance for the preparatory process was provided
by the successive sessions of the General Assembly as well as the Economic and
Social Council and the Commission for Social Development, which are the
coordinating and preparatory bodies for the Year, respectively. Other
intergovernmental bodies and meetings also contributed to the process, including
the Commission on the Status of Women, the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women and the four regional and interregional preparatory
meetings for the Year.
5. The preparatory process has established a minimum framework of
organizational arrangements, activated significant numbers of crucially
important partners, set in motion a series of substantive and promotional
activities around the world and mobilized some valuable resources.
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6. At the national level, at least 102 countries have established national
coordinating committees or similar mechanisms for the Year; national programmes
for the preparation and observance of the Year have been initiated in more than
90 countries, while more than 90 Governments have designated national focal
points to liaise with the secretariat for the Year. In many countries, the
preparatory measures have resulted in a commitment to long-term strategies in
support of families. For many developing countries, the Year offers an
opportunity to reinforce a people-centred, sustainable and integrated approach
to development, while for many of their developed counterparts, it serves as an
occasion for a fresh look at the traditional view of the welfare state.
Specifically, there is a consensus that a focus on families provides a framework
for an integrated and comprehensive approach in social policy, an operational
approach to sustainable development in all its forms and a much needed
counterforce to fragmentary approaches to societal issues. Special attention
has been called to refugee families, families implicated in wars as well as
civil or ethnic strife, extremely poor families, families with heavy caring
burdens, single-parent families and individuals who are victims of domestic
violence, abuse or exploitation, notably children and women.
7. National efforts are being supported through specific measures at the
regional and international levels. A crucially important measure has been the
holding of four regional and inter-regional preparatory meetings for the Year,
which developed specific action-oriented policy and programme recommendations
regarding families and the Year’s observance and follow-up. The regional
commissions of the United Nations are playing a lead role in activities at the
regional level.
8. At the international level, an impressive array of non-governmental
organizations are major actors and important partners in the preparation and
observance of the Year, reinforced by the non-governmental organizations
committees on the family in Vienna, New York and Paris as well as several other
concerned groups of voluntary organizations. The non-governmental sector has
embarked on a major global initiative of holding a "World NGO Forum on Launching
the International Year of the Family", to be held at Valletta from 28 November
to 2 December 1993. Several intergovernmental organizations are making
significant contributions to the Year. The participation of research and
academic institutions has been intensified and many have launched new
initiatives for the Year.
9. Within the United Nations system, 34 offices, bodies and specialized
agencies, including the regional commissions, are involved in the preparation
and observance of the Year, whose efforts are coordinated through the mechanism
of ad hoc inter-agency meetings on the Year. Three meetings have been held and
a fourth one is scheduled. These meetings initiated several joint projects. A
joint inter-agency statement on the Year was recently issued by these
organizations.
10. The secretariat for the International Year of the Family, which now forms
part of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, has
served as a catalyst, facilitator and coordinator of action. Despite severe
resource constraints, it has set into motion a concerted substantive and
promotional campaign and has provided organizational and substantive support to
numerous initiatives in all parts of the world. It has also been successful in
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mobilizing some resources and in-kind contributions for the Year’s preparation
and observance, from Governments, private sector firms and individuals. More
than US$1.7 million has been raised in contributions to the Voluntary Fund for
the International Year of the Family and numerous projects of direct benefit to
families supported, using the resources of the Fund.
11. The preparatory process has also succeeded in promoting and anchoring the
objectives and orientation of the Year and has resulted in a crystallization of
the substantive concerns regarding families. At early stages of preparations,
some concerns had existed as to the impact of supporting families and family
life on the accomplishments regarding the equal rights of women. It was also
feared that the Year might impose a standard definition of the family and
promote a specific family model; and that the Year, by stressing the rights of
families, might neglect their important responsibilities. These fears have now
been abated by the focus of the Year’s activities, among others, on the
promotion of equal and full enjoyment of human rights of all family members,
both within the family context and the society at large; its broad approach to
all forms of families; and its equal emphasis on rights and responsibilities. A
clear sense of the global nature of many family issues has also evolved,
highlighting the need for regional and international cooperation. Decisive
measures are considered essential to offset the varied and strong pressures
which are undermining the capacity of families to meet the basic needs of their
members and contribute to the development of their communities and society.
12. Moreover, several elements of international consensus regarding families
have now clearly emerged. These include: (a) the family is the natural and
fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and
the State; (b) there exist various concepts of the family in different social,
cultural and political systems; this also includes a recognition that, despite
the variety of family forms within and between societies, families are basic to
the social structure and development of all societies and exhibit many common
problems around the world; (c) gender equality, women’s equal participation in
employment and shared parental responsibilities are essential elements of modern
family policy; (d) families are the fullest reflection, at the grass-roots
level, of the strengths and weaknesses of the social and developmental welfare
environment, and as such offer a uniquely comprehensive approach to social
issues; and (e) families, as basic units of social life, are major agents of
sustainable development at all levels of society, and their contribution is
crucial for its success.
13. The significant achievements of the preparatory process, however, should
not be reason either to ignore some basic problems or to lose sight of some
daunting challenges ahead in ensuring that the hitherto progress will
effectively materialize in a successful observance of the Year. For example, in
a number of countries, notably those in conditions of war or national and ethnic
strife, no action has yet been taken for the observance of the Year and the
danger persists that in several countries the International Year of the Family
may pass away without having been of any particular significance to families.
Also, a perennial shortage of funds and staff for the secretariat for the Year
can only negatively affect the process.
14. The following three measures are considered essential for the International
Year of the Family to achieve its objectives in the short and long term:
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(a) Intensive efforts at all levels for the observance of the Year. The
preparatory process has set in place the organizational, substantive and
promotional background for an effective observance of the Year, with its focus
on national and local levels. It is imperative that Governments promote and
facilitate the actual observance of the Year at these levels, with the full
participation of all segments of society. In order to support national action,
selected complementary measures at the regional and international levels are
also necessary;
(b) Continued support for national activities on behalf of families. The
increased activities in support of families at the national level, generated by
the observance of the Year, will also engender the need for continued support
for national activities favouring families. Specific areas requiring support
are policy and programme development and implementation, institutional
development, research and family law. They also include exchange of information
and expertise, the provision of technical support and mobilization of resources
to finance family-oriented projects and activities;
(c) Follow-up to the Year and the development of long-term strategies to
guide future action in support of families. The Year should be an important
starting-point of a long-term process. Its short- and long-term results should
be monitored. The development of long-term strategies regarding families, which
should focus on actions at the national and local levels, with appropriate and
effective regional and international support mechanisms, ought to contribute to
building up a family-friendly environment in the process of sustained and
sustainable development.
III. RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMMENTS MADE BY THE PREPARATORY AND
COORDINATING BODIES AND OTHER INTERGOVERNMENTAL BODIES
A. Commission for Social Development
15. The Commission for Social Development, the preparatory body for the Year,
at its thirty-third session, reviewed the state of preparations for the Year on
the basis of the Secretary-General’s report dated 21 December 1992. 2/ It
recommended to the General Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council,
the adoption of draft resolution VI. 3/ By that resolution, the Assembly would
decide that, beginning in 1994, 15 May of every year shall be observed as the
International Day of Families; to devote one of its plenary meetings at its
forty-eighth session, in early December 1993, to launching the Year; and to
devote two plenary meetings at its forty-ninth session, in 1994, to the
implementation of the follow-up to the Year and designate those meetings as an
international conference on families, to take place at an appropriate global
policy-making level. It would also request the Secretary-General to seek the
views of Member States of the Commission for Social Development on the
desirability to work out a declaration on the role, responsibilities and rights
of families on the occasion of the Year; and to plan adequate resources,
including staff, in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1994-1995,
with a view to ensuring effective observance of and follow-up to the Year.
16. In that resolution, the Assembly would urge Governments, specialized
agencies, regional commissions and intergovernmental and non-governmental
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organizations to intensify the efforts undertaken, including the identification
of national coordinating mechanisms and elaboration of national programmes of
action, to prepare for and observe the Year. It would welcome the active
involvement of non-governmental organizations in the preparatory process,
including the major global initiative to convene a world non-governmental forum
on launching the Year, to be held at Valletta, Malta, from 28 November to
2 December 1993 and call upon all those concerned to support the event in every
possible manner.
17. The preparatory body expressed its appreciation to the Secretary-General
for a well-coordinated and impressive effort in the preliminary and preparatory
phases to the Year and for the considerable progress made towards its
observance. It commended all Governments, specialized agencies, regional
commissions and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations which have
undertaken special efforts to prepare the observance of the Year. It noted with
satisfaction that the Year had gained increasing support at all levels, and that
the preparatory process has enhanced and strengthened the substantive
orientation of the Year. It welcomed the holding in 1993 of four regional and
interregional preparatory meetings for the Year. The preparatory body also
noted with interest the proposal by the Government of Slovakia that the
Bratislava International Centre for Family Studies be affiliated with the United
Nations.
18. During deliberations of the preparatory body, many representatives of
Governments expressed satisfaction with the achievements of the preparatory
process for the Year, as illustrated by the growing momentum and action at all
levels. Several representatives described extensive plans or actions undertaken
to prepare and observe the Year. Further information on national level
activities is contained in section IV.A, below.
19. Representatives reaffirmed the pivotal role of families in society. The
need to recognize the importance of families and to develop concrete and longrange
approaches to support them in fulfilling their role was stressed as
critical objectives of the Year. Also stressed was the importance of
recognizing the diverse forms of families and changing patterns of family life.
It was pointed out that policies and society should remain open to the diverse
forms that families could take. Special attention was called to the situation
of single-parent families and traditional extended family structures. The
rights of individual family members were frequently mentioned and attention was
called to the changing roles of men and women and the situation of children in
families. Relationships within families should provide a foundation for the
equality of men and women in society, and should be promoted through the Year.
The family was also an important mechanism to cultivate respect for human rights
as well as racial and religious tolerance. Several other key issues and
priorities for the Year were identified, which included child care, preparation
of youth for family life, inter-generational relations, balancing work and
family responsibilities, health and nutrition, poverty and income security,
migrant families and domestic violence. Families and family concerns should be
more fully integrated into broad socio-economic development strategies. The
Year was viewed as a starting-point for long-term strategies in support of
families at the national level and as an opportunity for concerted long-term
action, also at regional and international levels. The importance of United
Nations involvement in a sustained initiative for families was reaffirmed.
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B. Economic and Social Council
20. At its regular session of 1993, the Economic and Social Council, the
coordinating body for the Year, reviewed the recommendations of the preparatory
body and approved its draft resolution VI for transmission to the General
Assembly. Most speakers reaffirmed their active support for the Year and
described new elements of their national programmes of observances.
21. The Council also approved draft resolution II, 3/ recommended by the
Commission for Social Development for transmission to the General Assembly, by
which the Assembly would adopt the Standard Rules on the Equalization of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, which include a specific rule on
family life and personal integrity.
C. Commission on the Status of Women
22. At its thirty-sixth session, the Commission on the Status of Women adopted
resolution 36/1, 4/ entitled "Advancement of women and the family", in which it
recommended to the Commission for Social Development that it take account of a
number of elements when preparing for the International Year of the Family.
23. In its resolution 46/92, the General Assembly requested the Commission for
Social Development to keep the Commission on the Status of Women informed of the
preparations for the Year. Pursuant to that request, the text of draft
resolution VI, entitled "International Year of the Family", which the Commission
for Social Development recommended to the Economic and Social Council for
transmission to the General Assembly, was made available to the Commission on
the Status of Women, at its thirty-seventh session.
D. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
24. At its eleventh session, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women considered the International Year of the Family and agreed to use
its analysis of article 16 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women as a contribution to the Year. In its comments on
article 16, 5/ the Committee observed that family violence was one of the most
insidious forms of violence against women and that within family relationships,
women of all ages were subjected to violence of all kinds, which put women’s
health at risk and impaired their ability to participate in family life and
public life on a basis of equality. In the general comments of its "General
recommendation 19: Violence against women", 6/ the Committee noted that the
human rights and fundamental freedoms of women included the right to equality in
the family. In considering ways and means to expedite its work, the Committee
regarded that research was needed on the causes and the long-term effect of the
development of female-headed households. It further observed that such work
could also serve as a basis for the Committee’s recommendations for the
International Year of the Family and the Fourth World Conference on Women.
25. At its twelfth session, the Committee was briefed by the Coordinator for
the International Year of the Family on its preparations. The Committee noted
with appreciation their level and quality. It expressed concern that, in many
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societies, the family was facing pressure on account of economic and social
problems, including drugs and crime. It noted that in some countries, focus was
placed on the elimination of discrimination within the family between boys and
girls and on the role of women in educating the children.
E. World Health Assembly
26. The World Health Assembly, at its forty-sixth session, adopted a resolution
on the International Year of the Family. The Assembly urged all Member States
to give effect to the objectives of the Year in the health sector, including the
strengthening of inter-sectoral collaboration in support of the goals of health
for all as a crucial means for meeting the health and other development needs of
families; to determine, in collaboration with other sectors, which families are
at risk of not being able to meet the basic needs of their members, and to
develop or strengthen coordinated support to such families; to undertake
operational research on approaches to enhancement of the health, nurturing,
caring and development functions within the family; and to ratify and implement
such international instruments as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child as
vehicles for family health development. It further urged the Director-General
of the World Health Organization to provide support to Member States, with other
organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, for research on methods
for measuring and evaluating the impact of policies and programmes on the health
and functioning of the family and its members, and for determining which
families are at risk of not being able to provide for the basic needs of their
members; and to examine the cost, benefits and social implications of a greater
involvement of the family in health promotion, disease prevention, treatment and
rehabilitation, with particular emphasis on equity and on sharing of family
responsibilities.
IV. PREPARATORY MEASURES
27. Various preparatory measures of organizational, programmatic, substantive
and promotional nature have been carried out for the observance of the Year by
Governments, organizations of the United Nations system, other intergovernmental
organizations, non-governmental organizations, research and academic community
and the private sector. A review of the preparatory process at the national,
regional and international levels until end of November 1992 is contained in the
report of the Secretary-General. 2/ This section updates that information and
provides a brief overview of the major preparatory measures.
A. National level
28. Pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 44/82, 45/133 and 46/92, all
Governments were invited to take three specific organizational measures in
preparation for the International Year of the Family: to establish a national
coordinating mechanism; to formulate a national programme; and to designate a
national focal point to liaise with the secretariat. As may be seen from the
following list, as at 20 July 1993, 102 countries have established national
coordinating mechanisms; national programmes have been formulated in 92
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countries; and 94 Governments have designated national focal points.
Seventy-five countries have taken all the three measures, 24 have taken two of
the measures, while 15 countries have taken one measure. It should be noted
that the data is not definitive, because some countries may not yet have
informed the secretariat of their actions.
Status of preparations for the International Year
of the Family as of 20 July 1993
Albania a/, b/, c/
Antigua and Barbuda a/, c/
Argentina a/, c/
Armenia c/
Australia a/, b/, c/
Austria a/, b/, c/
Bahrain a/, b/, c/
Bangladesh a/, b/, c/
Barbados a/, b/, c/
Belarus a/, b/, c/
Belgium a/, b/, c/
Benin a/, c/
Bolivia a/, b/, c/
Brunei
Darussalam a/, b/, c/
Burkina Faso b/, c/
Cameroon a/, b/, c/
Canada a/, b/, c/
Chile a/, b/, c/
China c/
Colombia a/, b/, c/
Congo a/, b/
Costa Rica a/, b/, c/
Côte d’Ivoire a/, b/, c/
Cuba a/, b/, c/
Cyprus a/, b/, c/
Czech Republic a/
Denmark a/, b/, c/
Dominican Republic c/
Ecuador a/, b/, c/
Egypt b/, c/
El Salvador a/, b/, c/
Equatorial Guinea c/
Ethiopia a/, b/, c/
Finland a/, b/, c/
France a/, b/, c/
Germany a/, b/, c/
Ghana a/, b/
Greece a/, b/, c/
Guinea a/, b/
Guyana a/, b/, c/
Holy See a/, b/, c/
Honduras a/, b/, c/
Hungary a/, b/, c/
Iceland a/, b/, c/
India a/
Indonesia a/, b/, c/
Iran (Islamic
Republic of) c/
Iraq a/, b/, c/
Israel a/, b/, c/
Jamaica a/, b/, c/
Japan b/
Jordan a/, b/, c/
Kyrgyzstan b/
Kuwait b/, c/
Lao People’s Democratic
Republic c/
Lebanon a/, c/
Lesotho b/, c/
Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya a/, b/, c/
Lithuania a/, b/, c/
Luxembourg a/, b/, c/
Madagascar a/, b/, c/
Malawi a/, b/, c/
Malaysia a/, b/, c/
Maldives a/, b/, c/
Malta a/, b/, c/
Mauritania b/, c/
Mauritius a/, b/, c/
Mexico a/, b/, c/
Morocco a/, b/, c/
Myanmar b/, c/
Namibia a/, c/
Nepal a/, c/
Netherlands a/, b/, c/
New Zealand a/, b/, c/
Nicaragua c/
Nigeria a/, b/, c/
Norway a/, b/, c/
Oman a/, c/
Panama a/, b/, c/
Papua New Guinea a/, b/, c/
Philippines a/, b/, c/
Poland a/, b/, c/
Portugal a/, b/, c/
Republic of Korea a/, b/
Romania a/, b/, c/
Russian
Federation a/, b/, c/
Rwanda b/, c/
Saint Kitts and Nevis a/
Saint Lucia a/, c/
Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines c/
Saudi Arabia a/, c/
Senegal a/, b/ c/
Singapore a/, b/ c/
Slovak Republic a/, b/, c/
Slovenia b/
South Africa a/, b/ c/
Spain a/, b/ c/
Sudan a/, b/ c/
Sweden a/, b/ c/
Switzerland a/, b/,c/
Syrian Arab
Republic a/, b/ c/
Thailand b/, c/
Tunisia a/, b/ c/
Turkey a/, b/ c/
Uganda b/, c/
Ukraine a/, b/ c/
United Arab Emirates a/
United Kingdom of
Great Britain and
Northern Ireland a/, b/
United Republic
of Tanzania a/, b/, c/
United States of
America a/, b/, c/
Uruguay a/, b/, c/
Venezuela a/, b/, c/
Zaire a/, c/
Zambia a/, b/, c/
______________
a/ Designation of a national focal point for the Year.
b/ Formulation of a national programme of action for the Year.
c/ Establishment of a national coordinating committee for the Year.
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29. In addition to the above information on organizational measures, in the
course of the preparatory process, numerous countries provided the secretariat
for the Year with details on their national plans of action as well as other
activities related to the Year and family issues. Since the preparation of the
report of the Secretary-General, 2/ which described national plans and
activities in 59 countries, 33 other countries provided information on their
plans and activities, while many others reported on progress made and the
expansion of existing national plans.
30. Based on the information made available, an Inventory of National Action
for the Year was published by its secretariat in December 1992. A revised
edition of the Inventory will be published in late 1993 to reflect recent
information.
31. In most countries, national coordinating mechanisms for the Year have been
established at the senior governmental level, often in close association with
several national ministries, with one of them assuming a lead role. Several are
headed by the head of State or Government. In many countries, they have the
active participation of non-governmental organizations, the private sector, the
academic community, the media and prominent personalities. A large number of
national coordinating mechanisms have established working groups, subcommittees
or complementary mechanisms to deal with particular aspects of the planned
observances or to work with specific sectors in the national setting, such as
coordination with the non-governmental sector. In a number of countries,
coordinating mechanisms have also been established at the sub-national level and
even at the level of local communities.
32. National programmes for the Year encompass a broad range of priorities
based on national assessments of the problems confronting families. Priority
issues identified by Member States for special attention in the context of the
Year include poverty; unemployment of family members and barriers to
participation in the labour market; balancing work and family responsibilities;
the rights of children; the abuse, neglect, impoverishment or exploitation of
children; the role of men in families, particularly regarding the care of
children; the division of domestic responsibilities; gender equality and the
situation of women in families; equal educational opportunities for all family
members; domestic violence; ethnic conflicts and racial tensions; migrant and
refugee families; families with special needs, such as those with caring
responsibilities for elderly members or those with disabilities; housing;
nutrition and food security; sanitation and health; family planning; erosion of
family-based support networks, notably extended family forms; increasing rates
of divorce; urbanization; the impact of economic restructuring and adjustment
processes; and natural calamities and environmental degradation.
33. The national plans of action contain specific measures to address the
priorities identified and often include: (a) a research component, involving
such activities as specific studies, a programme of funding for research in
family issues, refinement of data in official statistics, publications
programmes or expert group meetings; (b) a policy component, which may involve
publicizing existing policies and programmes, a review of existing policies
affecting families, identification of policy "gaps" on family issues or concrete
plans to develop and implement new policies; (c) a legislative component, which
could involve a review of existing legislation, proposed legislative reform or
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the enactment of new laws designed to strengthen and support families;
(d) public education components, which might involve seminars, special
documentary media presentations or campaigns, bulletins or other information
services; (e) support for local initiatives through facilitative services such
as planning or promotional tools, funding programmes, organizational assistance,
information exchanges or network building; (f) specific measures for special
needs groups, including information materials in braille and cassette form, or
in minority languages; (g) a private-sector component, which could involve
publicizing existing corporate policies to benefit families, promoting policybuilding
related to such questions as family leave, flexible working
arrangements or workplace day care and fund raising; (h) promotional and
awareness-raising elements, such as posters and information material based on
the official emblem of the Year, media or other special events, family day
observances, issuing a special stamp, stamp series, or commemoration coin,
publications programmes, contests, art exhibits and specific campaigns geared
for the workplace, government offices, schools or other settings; and
(i) professional development aspects, often geared to groups with a direct
helping role for families with problems such as school or workplace counsellors,
family therapists, social workers, educators, community development or family
planning specialists, and medical personnel.
34. In many countries, concrete programmes and services have been undertaken to
assist families, which include family life education for youth, establishment of
family counselling centres, enhancement of existing services or benefits,
enactment of new family legislation or policies and establishment of
governmental bodies specifically concerned with family issues. National action
plans include specific provisions for evaluation and follow-up to the Year,
including long-term plans for ongoing policies and support to families.
35. In several countries, efforts have been made to develop and implement the
plans for the Year and the family in close coordination with other relevant
national action plans, the implementation of international conventions and
instruments such as the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement
of Women; 7/ the Guiding Principles for Developmental Social Welfare Policies
and Programmes in the Near Future; 8/ the Plan of Action for Implementing the
World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children in the
1990s; 9/ the Global Strategy for Health for All by the Year 2000; 10/ as well
as the national preparations for forthcoming international events, such as the
International Conference on Population and Development; the World Summit for
Social Development; and the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for
Equality, Development and Peace.
B. Regional level
36. In support of national and local activities and to provide further impetus
for them, several preparatory measures at the regional level have been taken and
several others are currently under way. The regional commissions of the United
Nations play a lead role in this regard, in close cooperation with the
secretariat for the Year and in harmony with a number of regional
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations as well as the regional
offices and affiliates of international organizations that are engaged in
preparations for the Year.
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37. A crucially important measure has been the four regional and interregional
preparatory meetings, initiated by the secretariat for the Year, in order to
review the situation of families, identify regional priorities and formulate
specific recommendations regarding policies concerning families and the
observance of the Year. The Secretary-General addressed a special message to
the participants of these meetings. Three such meetings have already been held
and preparations for a fourth meeting finalized, as described below.
38. The United Nations Africa and Western Asia Preparatory Meeting for the
International Year of the Family was held from 29 March to 2 April 1993 at
Tunis. It was organized by the secretariat for the Year in cooperation with the
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Economic and Social Commission for
Western Asia (ESCWA), at the invitation of the Government of Tunisia. It was
attended by representatives of 30 States members of ECA, seven States members of
ESCWA and by observers for one other State, and by representatives of United
Nations system organizations and specialized agencies as well as
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. The Meeting adopted a
political statement of support for the Year, the Declaration of Tunis, and a set
of specific conclusions and recommendations on policies concerning families and
the observance of the Year.
39. The United Nations Europe and North America Preparatory Meeting for the
International Year of the Family was held from 26 to 30 April 1993 at Valletta.
It was organized by the secretariat for the Year in cooperation with the
Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), at the invitation of the Government of
Malta. It was attended by representatives of 28 States members of ECE and by
observers for one other State, and by representatives of United Nations system
organizations and specialized agencies as well as intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations. The Meeting adopted the Valletta Declaration,
containing its specific recommendations.
40. The United Nations Asia and the Pacific Preparatory Meeting for the
International Year of the Family was held from 24 to 28 May 1993 at Beijing. It
was organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(ESCAP) in cooperation with the secretariat for the Year, at the invitation of
the Government of the People’s Republic of China. It was attended by
representatives of 25 States members of ESCAP and by observers from one other
State, and by representatives of United Nations system organizations and
specialized agencies as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations. The Meeting adopted policy recommendations as well as
recommendations on the preparation and the observance of the Year. It also
adopted the Beijing Declaration on the Family in Asia and the Pacific.
41. The United Nations Latin America and the Caribbean Preparatory Meeting for
the International Year of the Family will be held from 9 to 14 August 1993 at
Cartagena. It will be organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in cooperation with the secretariat for the Year, at
the invitation of the Government of Colombia.
42. The regional and interregional meetings reaffirmed the central role of
families as basic units in societies. They highlighted that families everywhere
were affected by the dramatic changes that societies were undergoing, which
often led to stress, reduced ability to meet basic needs as well as the
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emergence of new forms, structures and organization of families. Policies and
programmes needed to take account of these factors. Production, reproduction
and socialization were considered as basic societal functions that families
continued to carry out in all parts of the world. In particular, the nurturing
and caring functions of families were also emphasized. Participants stressed
the crucial importance of supporting families in meeting the basic needs of
their members and in carrying out their socio-economic and cultural functions.
In this regard, they highlighted the relevance of long-term strategies and
identified various elements requiring special attention.
43. The meetings viewed the International Year of the Family as an invaluable
opportunity for a serious reflection on well-conceived national strategies to
benefit families. Its preparation and observance should lead to the integration
of a strong family element in national development strategies and plans. This
was essential despite and because of the difficult socio-economic conditions in
several countries. The meetings recommended various measures that should be
taken for the successful observance of the Year. In this regard, they stressed
the need to link effectively activities for the Year with relevant other events
and emphasized the close interrelatedness of the Year to the implementation of
various international conventions and other instruments.
44. The meetings highlighted the significant role of non-governmental
organizations in the activities for the Year as well as in addressing family
issues and the necessity to provide them with adequate support. They called on
Member States, the United Nations system, all concerned intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations as well as the private sector to support strongly
the World NGO Forum on Launching the International Year of the Family, to be
held at Valletta, from 28 November to 2 December 1993.
45. The meetings also pointed to the need for adequate follow-up measures to
the Year. It was proposed that, in order to provide a framework for follow-up
and direction for future work, an international plan of action regarding
families be developed, which should focus on activities at local and national
level, identify priorities on which consensus could be achieved and suggest
specific measures to foster international cooperation and support on family
matters. Policy-making organs of specialized agencies and other bodies of the
United Nations system were invited to consider follow-up action to the Year.
46. The reports of the four regional and interregional preparatory meetings
will be made available to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session.
47. Regional commissions have continued their active involvement in preparing
for the Year and several measures are being undertaken or planned by them. For
example, ECE, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and
the Council of Europe, organized the European Population Conference at Geneva in
March 1993, which had fertility and family as one of its themes. ESCAP
continues to give special attention to family issues and the Year in the context
of the implementation of the Development Strategy for the ESCAP Region towards
the Year 2000 and Beyond and will undertake several country studies on the role
of the family in development. ECLAC continues to be involved in three major
areas of activities for the Year: promoting national action in the countries
of the region; facilitating up-to-date information; and conducting and
supporting policy-oriented studies. As a follow-up to the United Nations Africa
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and Western Asia Preparatory Meeting for the International Year of the Family,
ECA will convene, in 1993, an expert group meeting on the impact of economic and
social changes on the African family; and ESCWA will organize, in November 1993,
an expert group meeting on the Year. Both meetings are financed by the
Voluntary Fund for the International Year of the Family. The section on social
development and policies in the ESCWA Socio-economic Survey 1992 focused on
family-related issues.
48. The Conference of European Ministers Responsible for Social Affairs, held
from 28 June to 2 July 1993 at Bratislava, Slovakia, discussed as a specific
agenda item "Family policies - gender and generation perspectives toward the
United Nations International Year of the Family". The Conference reaffirmed the
validity of the Valletta Declaration, adopted by the United Nations Europe and
North America Preparatory Meeting for the International Year of the Family, and
the support for the Bratislava International Centre for Family Studies.
49. As part of the global initiative of the First Lady of Costa Rica in support
of the Year, entitled "First Ladies for the Family", the third meeting of the
First Ladies of Latin American and Caribbean Countries, to be held at San José
in September 1993, will have family as the central subject. The two previous
meetings had served to mark the commitment to children, youth, women and the
family within the poor segments of the population of the region.
C. International level
1. Major international events of specific relevance to the Year
50. One of the objectives of the Year is to build upon the international
activities concerning women, children, youth, the elderly, persons with
disabilities as well as other major events of concern to the family or its
individual members. A number of major global events have taken place or are
scheduled to take place during 1992 to 1995, which have a direct relevance to
family issues and the objectives of the Year. Measures are taken to incorporate
and highlight the interrelated substantive concerns of the Year in those events.
To facilitate this process, the ad hoc inter-agency meetings on the Year
included specific agenda items on them and held discussions on the basis of
substantive papers prepared by the respective secretariat units responsible for
their preparations.
51. Relevant events that took place in 1992 and 1993 included the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the tenth anniversary of the
Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, the conclusion of the United
Nations Decade of Disabled Persons and the World Conference on Human Rights.
The forthcoming events include the International Conference on Population and
Development, to be held in 1994; the World Summit for Social Development, to be
held in 1995; the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and
the Treatment of Offenders, to be held in 1995; and the Fourth World Conference
on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, also to be held in 1995.
52. Substantive contributions highlighting the human rights dimensions of
family issues were made to the World Conference on Human Rights. The Conference
stressed the need to ensure the protection of individual’s rights in the
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context of family relationships and to address discrimination, the denial of
equal rights of family members, particularly women, domestic violence and abuse
or neglect of children. It also pointed out the positive role that families
could play in promoting respect, learning and practice of basic human rights and
thereby their actual enjoyment. The joint inter-agency statement on the Year,
issued by the concerned organizations and specialized agencies of the United
Nations system (see annex), was available to the Conference.
53. At its session in 1993, the preparatory body for the Year requested the
Commission on Human Rights, the Population Commission and the Commission on the
Status of Women to include in the agendas for their sessions in 1993 or 1994
consideration of the principles and objectives of the Year in the context of
their major areas of concern, and to propose specific follow-up measures
regarding human rights, population issues and the advancement of women as each
affects or is affected by families, including family-oriented components of the
World Conference on Human Rights, the International Conference on Population and
Development, the World Summit for Social Development and the Fourth World
Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace.
2. Intergovernmental organizations
54. Intergovernmental organizations continue to make a major contribution to
the preparations for the Year through the dissemination of information,
organization of meetings and seminars, research, assistance and guidance in
policy development as well as integration of a more pronounced family focus into
exiting activities. Several of them have identified focal points for the Year
and taken special measures to develop or devote activities specifically to its
observance, while strong expressions of support have also been received from
others in which families do not figure prominently as a focus of activities.
They include: African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Caribbean
Community, Colombo Plan for Cooperative and Social Development in Asia and the
Pacific, Commonwealth Secretariat, Council of Europe, Economic Community of West
African States, Commission of the European Communities, European Economic
Community, League of Arab States, Fund for International Development of the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Organization of African
Unity, Organization of American States, Southern African Development
Coordination Conference and South Pacific Commission. Intergovernmental
organizations have also involved their networks of organizations, affiliates and
national contacts in the preparatory process.
55. Some illustrative activities include the twenty-third session of the
Conference of European Ministers Responsible for Family Affairs, to be convened
on the theme "Family policies, children’s rights and parental responsibilities",
preparation of a draft recommendation on "Coherent and integrated family
policies" as well as a special research project by the Council of Europe; a
panel session entitled "Towards 1994 - the International Year of the Family" at
the thirty-ninth Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference; seminars on "The role of
the father in the family of tomorrow" and on "New ways of working: what
challenges for companies and families" by the Commission of the European
Communities; support for planning national action for the Year by the
Inter-American Children’s Institute of the Organization of American States; and
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the adoption of a special resolution in support of the Year by the fifty-eighth
session of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity.
3. Non-governmental organizations
56. The non-governmental sector has continued and reinforced its significant
partnership role in the preparations for the Year, serving as an effective
advocate and vital force in generating and implementing concrete measures. The
number of national, regional and international non-governmental organizations
engaged in preparing for the Year and the specific measures undertaken by them
have been steadily growing.
57. In addition to the numerous organizations that demonstrate general interest
and involvement, international and regional non-governmental organizations that
have informed the secretariat for the Year of their active participation include
the following: African Association of Education for Development, African
Association for Literacy and Adult Education, All India Women’s Conference,
Associated Country Women of the World, Baha’í International Community, Brahma
Kumaris World Spiritual University, Caritas Internationalis (International
Confederation of Catholic Charities), Catholic International Education Office,
Christian Children’s Fund Inc., Confederation of Family Organisations in the
European Community, Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative
Status with the Economic and Social Council, Crossways International, Defense
for Children International Movement, Disabled Peoples’ International, Eurolink
Age, European Federation for the Welfare of the Elderly, European Union of
Women, Executive Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations associated with the
Department of Public Information of the United Nations Secretariat, Family Life
Education Subcommittee of the Non-Governmental Organizations Development
Committee in Geneva, Friends World Committee for Consultation (Quakers),
Foundation for the Rights of the Family - International Secretariat (PRODEFA),
General Arab Women Federation, General Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventists,
Group on the Family of the Non-Governmental Organizations Standing Committee
(UNESCO), Helpage International, IPS - Inter Press Service International
Cooperative, International Abolitionist Federation, International Academy of
Family Psychology, International Alliance of Women - Equal Rights, Equal
Responsibilities, International Association of Charities, International
Association of Juvenile and Family Court Magistrates, International Association
of Lions Clubs - Lions Club International, International Association of Schools
of Social Work, International Catholic Child Bureau, International Committee of
Catholic Nurses, International Confederation of Christian Family Movement,
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, International Confederation of
Midwives, International Cooperative Alliance, International Council of Jewish
Women, International Council of Nurses, International Council of Psychologists,
International Council of Women, International Council on Alcohol and Addictions,
International Council on Social Welfare, International Council on the Management
of Population Programmes, International Federation for Family Life Promotion,
International Federation for Home Economics, International Federation for Parent
Education, International Federation of Business and Professional Women,
International Federation of Disabled Workers and Civilian Handicapped,
International Federation of Pedestrians, International Federation of Rural Adult
Catholic Movements, International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood
Centres, International Federation of Social Workers, International Federation of
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University Women, International Federation of Women in Legal Careers,
International Federation on Aging, International Friendship League,
International Humanist and Ethical Union, International Inner Wheel,
International Kolping Society, International League of Societies for Persons
with Mental Handicap, International Movement ATD Fourth World, International
Organization of Consumers Unions, International Planned Parenthood Federation,
International Round Table for the Advancement of Counselling, International
Social Science Council, International Social Security Association, International
Social Service, International Society on Family Law, International Sociological
Association, International Study Center for Children and Families, International
Union of Family Organisations, Inter-Parliamentary Union, La Leche League
International Inc., Law Association for Asia and the Western Pacific, League of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Medical Women’s International Association,
Mother and Child International (International Association for Maternal and
Neonatal Health), Movement for a Better World, Muslim World League, National
Council of German Women’s Organizations - Federal Union of Women’s Organizations
and Women’s Groups of German Associations, E.V., New Humanity Focolare Movement,
Non-Governmental Organizations Committee on the Family in New York,
Non-Governmental Organizations Committee on the Family in Vienna,
Non-Governmental Organizations Committee on UNICEF, Pan-Pacific and South-East
Asia Women’s Association, Pax Christi - International Catholic Peace Movement,
Pax Romana, Rehabilitation International, Rotary International, Salvation Army,
Save the Children Fund, Service and Research Foundation of Asia on Family and
Culture, Socialist International, Socialist International Women, Soroptimist
International, SOS - Kinderdorf International, Special NGO Committee on
Development, Steering Group of Catholic Family Organizations in Europe, United
Nations/Non-Governmental Organizations Group on Women and Development, Union of
Arab Jurists, United Schools International, Women for Racial and Economic
Equality, Women’s International Democratic Federation, Women’s International
League for Peace and Freedom, World Alliance of Young Men’s Christian
Associations, World Assembly of Youth, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl
Scouts, World Christian Life Community, World Federation for Mental Health,
World Federation of Methodist Women, World Federation of Trade Unions, World
Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations, World Federation of UNESCO
Centres, Clubs and Associations, World Federation of United Nations
Associations, World Leisure and Recreation Association, World Movement of
Mothers, World Organization for Early Childhood Education, World Peace Council,
World Union for Progressive Judaism, World Union of Catholic Women’s
Organizations, World Vision International, World Young Women’s Christian
Association and Zonta International.
58. As a result of the pioneering work carried out by the non-governmental
organizations, in close cooperation with the secretariat for the Year, there has
lately been a great increase of interest in and action for the Year, both at the
international and, especially, at the local and national levels. At the
international level, numerous organizations have incorporated in their programme
activities specific measures to prepare and observe the Year. The major areas
of activities continue to be spreading the message of the Year to the local and
community levels, promoting awareness about the principles and objectives of the
Year, meetings or seminars on family issues to identify priorities and
strategies to deal with them, information and experience exchange, research and
studies on family issues, training and family-specific projects. Such
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activities are undertaken also at the regional level, by the regional affiliates
of international organizations or the regional organizations.
59. Illustrative descriptions of the numerous activities of the voluntary
sector are contained in the report of the Secretary-General. 2/ Since the
preparation of that report, such activities have been continued and important
new initiatives undertaken, including several international gatherings on family
issues and the Year. For example, the International Union of Family
Organisations held a world conference on the economic rights of families, as
part of its series of meetings on the rights of families; the International
Women’s Rights Action Watch organized a conference on women, family law and
human rights; the Steering Group of Catholic Family Organizations in Europe and
the German Catholic Family Association held an international symposium on
perspectives of family politics; the Hungarian Group of the International
Parliamentary Union conducted a workshop on surviving transition: social
welfare safety nets for children and vulnerable families; the Catholic Child
Bureau held a regional consultation on environment, development and child
survival; Acción Familiar de Sevilla in Spain organized an international meeting
of family organizations; and the Family Law and Family Rights Section of the Law
Association for Asia and the Pacific and the Family Law Section of the Law
Council of Australia held the first world congress on family law and children’s
rights.
60. The meeting of Women Parliamentarians of the 89th Inter-Parliamentary
Conference included a specific agenda item on the International Year of the
Family. The meeting initiated a resolution, entitled "Support for the United
Nations International Year of the Family", which was subsequently adopted by the
Inter-Parliamentary Council at its 152nd session, in April 1993 (see A/48/222,
annex VIII). The resolution invited members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to
associate themselves in a meaningful manner with the Year and called on them to
encourage the identification of appropriate administrative responsibilities and
resources to ensure the active preparation for, and observance of, the Year.
61. On 5 and 6 June 1993, a "Familyfest ’93" was held in Rome by the New
Families Movement of the New Humanity Focolare Movement, in cooperation with the
secretariat for the Year. Held as a preparatory activity for the Year, the
event brought together some 6,000 couples from all over the world and launched a
message for families of different cultural, social and religious traditions,
marking the observance of the International Year of the Family. The major
programme of the event, which included live satellite connections with
simultaneous family gatherings in various cities around the world, was telecast
in different parts of the world to millions of viewers.
62. Voluntary organizations play a significant role in the work of national
coordinating mechanisms in several countries. In some other countries, such as
Canada, Cameroon and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
voluntary organizations have set up coordinating committees on the Year.
63. In addition, a growing number of national, local and community
organizations, including the national associations or committees for the United
Nations, UNICEF and UNESCO, are initiating activities for the Year, as indicated
by the correspondence addressed by them to the secretariat for the Year.
Examples include: Feración Argentina Apoyo Familiar; Austrian Family
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Association, the Austrian National Committee of UNICEF and the Institute for
Marriage and Family in Austria; Australian Family Association, Australian
Catholic Social Welfare Commission and Australian Parents Council; La Ligue des
Familles in Belgium; National Confederation of Natural Family Planning Centres
in Brazil; Youth and Family Counselling of Peel Inc. and Association for Early
Childhood Education in Canada; Danish Family Planning Association; Mannerheim
League for Child Welfare in Finland; Confédération Syndicale des Familles and
Fédération des Familles de France, in France; UNICEF Germany, the German Country
Women’s Association and the German Catholic Family Association; Association
Guinéenne pour le Bien-Etre Familial; the Council of Social Service in Hong
Kong; Hungarian Association of Large Families; Indian Council of Child Welfare,
Indian Medical Association and Family Planning Association of India; Centro
Italiano di Solidarietá and Centro Pastorale per la Famiglia in Italy; Japan
Association for Women’s Education and Japan Family Life Problem Study
Association; Family Life Counselling Association of Kenya and Kenya Alliance for
Advocacy on Children Rights; Malagasy Organization for Parents Education; Senior
Citizen’s Welfare Association of Nepal; Marriage Guidance New Zealand; Family
Planning Association of Pakistan; Papua New Guinea Union Mission of the
Seventh-Day Adventist Church; the National Council of Women of the Philippines;
Unión de Asociaciones Familiares and Pay y Cooperación in Spain; Central Council
of Disabled Persons in Sri Lanka; Pro Familia Schweiz in Switzerland; Family
Life Association of Swaziland; South African Association of Marital and Family
Therapy and South African National Council for Mental Health; Marriage Encounter
in Uganda; Family Centre Network, National Children’s Bureau and National Family
Trust in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and Instituto
de Ciencias Familiares in Uruguay. In the United States of America, the
National Council on Family Relations is carrying out several activities,
including a major publication entitled "One World, Many Families"; the American
Home Economics Association has set up a task force on the Year; and the National
Association of Social Workers has initiated a project on strengthening families
through international innovations transfer. In several countries, the
commissions for the laity and family life of the Catholic Church have initiated
various activities to prepare and observe the Year.
64. Non-governmental organizations also continued their multilateral
cooperation and joint activities for the Year, described in the report of the
Secretary-General, 2/ facilitated by the family committees of non-governmental
organizations in Vienna, New York and Paris as well as other concerned
committees, including the Family Life Education Subcommittee of the
Non-governmental Organizations Development Committee at Geneva, the
Non-Governmental Organizations Committee on UNICEF, the Special Non-Governmental
Organizations Committee on Development, the Executive Committee of
Non-Governmental Organizations associated with the Department of Public
Information of the United Nations Secretariat and the Conference of
Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Status with the Economic and
Social Council. In August 1993, several non-governmental organizations of Latin
America and the Caribbean jointly adopted a Cartagena Declaration on the Year,
in which they pledged to participate forcefully and actively in the regional
work relating to families and outlined specific activities in that regard. They
also decided to establish a non-governmental organizations coordinating
committee for Latin America and the Caribbean.
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65. The Non-Governmental Organizations Committees on the Family in Vienna, New
York and Paris have reinforced their promotional campaign for the Year and
substantive work on family issues. The Committee at Vienna continues to prepare
and widely distribute various promotional and substantive material.
66. The Committee at Vienna has also greatly advanced preparations for holding
the World NGO Forum on Launching the International Year of the Family, which it
will be organizing in Valletta, from 28 November to 2 December 1993, in
collaboration with the Committees in New York and Paris and in cooperation with
the Government of Malta and the secretariat for the Year. The Forum will bring
together persons engaged in the Year from all levels to exchange and generate
ideas and activities that are specifically relevant to the situations of
families in national, local and grass-roots levels, thus serving as a platform
for catalysing effective activities for the Year and its follow-up.
4. Research and academic institutions
67. The preparatory process to the Year has intensified the involvement of
research and academic institutions in family-specific issues and many
initiatives in the field have been launched as specific contributions towards
meeting the objectives of the Year. Several of these initiatives were described
in the report of the Secretary-General. 2/
68. Academic and research institutions continue to make specific plans to
prepare for and observe the Year, including expert meetings, symposia, research
and publications programmes. A number of professional or scholarly associations
have also included themes on the Year in their regular programme of meetings for
1993 and 1994. For example, the Committee on Family Research of the
International Sociological Association convened a seminar on "Social change and
family" and plans to hold another seminar on "Gender and families - choices,
challenges and changing policies". Substantive issues related to family studies
will be discussed during the Thirteenth World Congress on Sociology in 1994. The
Centro Studi e Ricerche Sulla Famiglia and Istituto per lo Studio Della
Multiethnicita in Milan, Italy, will convene a meeting on "The family in a
multi-ethnic society". The Royal Australia and New Zealand College of
Psychiatrists is planning its 1994 conference on the theme "The contribution of
the family to the resiliency of the child". The Association for Psychotherapy
and Family Therapy will host, in collaboration with the Department of Psychology
of the Charles University at Prague, the fourth Family Therapy Symposium on "The
family in the context of changes". The Centro Internazionale Studi Famiglia in
Milan, Italy, held a preliminary seminar in preparation for its planned Congress
in 1994 on "Family associations in Europe: building family associationism
between everyday life and a new citizenship". The Tata Institute for Social
Sciences at Bombay, India, has published a special edition of the Indian Journal
of Social Work on the subject of "Family development" and plans to organize
several seminars in 1993 and 1994 on various issues related to the Year,
including "Family-Centred social work education". International seminars will
be held in 1994 by the Service and Research Foundation of Asia on Family and
Culture at Madras, India, on "Women, family and the new society"; and by the
Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Centre at Haifa, Israel, on
"Women, family and society".
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69. Family-related research also figures prominently in the efforts of
intergovernmental organizations and regional institutes. Illustrative
activities include the publication of a two-volume study of national family
policies in the countries of the European Communities by the European
Observatory of National Family Policies at Brussels; seminars on abandoned
children and women in development organized by the African Centre for Applied
Research and Training in Social Development at Tripoli; publication of a special
bibliography on family by the Inter-American Children’s Institute at Montevideo;
and training or expert gatherings by the Centre for African Family Studies at
Nairobi.
70. At the national level, research is a common feature of plans of action for
the Year. Examples include research on: urban migration in Chile; family
issues among racial and cultural groups in Bolivia and Senegal; database
development in Greece; the situation of families vis-à-vis policy in Panama and
Poland; managing family life and career responsibilities in Denmark; causes of
early school leaving in Jordan; impacts of economic programmes and adjustment
processes in Chile and Ukraine; the situation of children in Finland;
psycho-social aspects of early human development in Malaysia; and home education
in Japan and Malaysia; family problems in Maldives. Research programmes are
also prominent in the national plans of action in other countries, such as
Barbados, Belarus, Canada, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.
5. United Nations system and inter-agency cooperation
71. Within the United Nations Secretariat, the following offices are involved
in the preparations for the Year: Department for Policy Coordination and
Sustainable Development (various units, including the secretariat for the
International Year of the Family, Division for the Advancement of Women and
Social Integration and Welfare Branch), Department for Economic and Social
Information and Policy Analysis (Population Division and Statistical Office),
Department of Administration and Management (Office of Conference Services),
Department of Public Information, ECE, ESCAP, ECLAC, ECA, ESCWA, United Nations
Office at Vienna (Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch), United Nations
Centre for Human Rights, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)
and United Nations Environment Programme. The United Nations bodies concerned
include: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF,
United Nations Development Fund for Women, UNFPA, United Nations Development
Programme, United Nations International Drug Control Programme, United Nations
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and United
Nations University. Research institutes include: United Nations Interregional
Crime and Justice Research Institute, United Nations Research Institute for
Social Development and International Research and Training Institute for the
Advancement of Women. Two joint bodies are involved: the World Food Council
and the World Food Programme. The specialized agencies include: International
Labour Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), UNESCO, WHO, World Bank, Universal Postal Union, World Meteorological
Organization and International Fund for Agricultural Development.
72. The plans and activities of these offices, bodies and agencies for the
preparation and observance of the Year are described in the report of the
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Secretary-General. 2/ Since its preparation, several measures reported therein
as planned have been implemented and many new initiatives undertaken. An
inventory of action for the Year by the United Nations organizations and
agencies is being prepared.
73. Ad hoc inter-agency meetings of the organizations and specialized agencies
of the United Nations system on the International Year of the Family have been
organized to develop a system-wide coordinated approach and actions. The
outcome of the first and second meetings and the several joint projects
undertaken are also described in the report of the Secretary-General. 2/
74. The third ad hoc inter-agency meeting on the Year was held from 10 to
12 March 1993 and was attended by representatives of 17 bodies and agencies.
The meeting reviewed progress made at the mid-point of the preparatory phase of
the Year and identified further measures to be taken. The meeting finalized an
inter-agency statement on the International Year of the Family, which was
subsequently approved by the Administrative Committee on Coordination and issued
as a joint statement by the concerned organizations and specialized agencies of
the United Nations system. The text of the statement is contained in the annex
to the present report. The meeting also agreed on the joint implementation of
eight projects, of substantive and promotional nature. These are: a project on
families at risk, under the shared leadership of WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO and FAO;
three projects under the lead role of the Department of Public Information of
the United Nations Secretariat - an information kit on the Year, a film on the
impact of the ageing of population on the family and a video on female-headed
and single-parent families; two projects under the lead role of UNESCO - a
publication on "Families: courage and hope in a world of change" and a photo
exhibit on families; an inventory of action for the Year by the United Nations
system, under the lead role of the secretariat for the Year; and a manual on the
provisions relating to the family contained in the United Nations Conventions
and other instruments, under the shared leadership of the United Nations Centre
for Human Rights and the secretariat for the Year.
75. Pursuant to the recommendation of the third ad hoc inter-agency meeting, an
inter-agency task force on families at risk met at Geneva on 12 and 13 July
1993, at the invitation of WHO. The task force elaborated the conceptual
framework and measures of implementation for an inter-agency project on families
that are at risk of breakdown or vulnerability. The project will attempt to
pool together system-wide expertise in order to identify indicators of and
circumstances placing families at risk as well as factors that enable families
to cope with problems and stress; identify tools for developing programmes and
activities directed at families at risk; and promote the application of
interventions that would enhance family well-being.
76. Further to its consideration of promotional and information activities for
the Year at its eighteenth session, the Joint United Nations Information
Committee again considered the matter at its nineteenth session, on the basis of
a report by the Department of Public Information containing suggestions for
joint activities.
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6. Coordinator and secretariat for the International Year
of the Family
77. As described in the report of the Secretary-General, 2/ the Coordinator for
the Year, supported by the small secretariat, has been serving as a catalyst,
facilitator and coordinator of action. With the beginning of the observance
phase of the Year only a few months away, efforts have been intensified to
mobilize all potential partners and resources. In approving the Secretary-
General’s proposals regarding the restructuring of the United Nations
Secretariat in the economic and social sector, the General Assembly concurred
that the secretariat for the Year, which is part of the Department for Policy
Coordination and Sustainable Development, will temporarily remain at Vienna so
that organizational continuity can be ensured in implementing the pressing tasks
of the Year’s preparation, observance and immediate follow-up.
78. The secretariat initiated the four regional preparatory meetings for the
Year and organized two of them as a specific means of supporting the efforts of
Governments and action at the national level. In addition to the publication of
a Guide for a National Action Programme for the Year and the Inventory of
National Action, the series of in-depth discussions on the various aspects of
national and international level involvement with senior officials of numerous
Governments have been continued. Collaboration with and support to the national
coordinating mechanisms, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations,
the mass media and the private sector have been reinforced. Substantive support
has been provided to various meetings and events, including participation in
them. The secretariat has worked closely with the various concerned
organizations and agencies of the United Nations system. It organized the
ad hoc inter-agency meetings on the Year and has taken a lead role in their
follow-up. Promotion of family-specific research and study has been another
area of action.
79. Efforts have also been continued and reinforced in the priority area of
promoting the substantive orientation of the Year, in particular regarding the
promotion of human rights within the family, advancement of women, protection
and development of children, as well as other development issues of major
relevance to families. Measures have been pursued to promote research on family
issues and financial assistance from the Voluntary Fund for the Year made
available for research activities. Pursuant to the recommendation of the Eighth
United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of
Offenders to include the issue of domestic violence in the preparations and
observance of the Year and to develop appropriate preventive measures, a
Resource Manual on Strategies for Confronting Domestic Violence (ST/CSDHA/20)
was published by the former Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian
Affairs at Vienna.
80. An Interregional Meeting on the Role of the Family in the Socialization of
Youth was organized by the secretariat and the Youth Policies and Programmes
Unit in the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, in
cooperation with the All-China Youth Federation. The Meeting, held at Beijing
from 31 May to 4 June 1993, identified recommendations and guidelines to enhance
the interactive roles of youth and the family in society. The results of the
Meeting will serve as a major source for a forthcoming issue of the "IYF
Occasional Papers".
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81. Six issues of "IYF Occasional Papers Series" have been published, on
"Family matters", "Family: forms and functions"; "Family and crime"; "Older
persons in the family: facets of empowerment"; "Family as an Environment: an
ecosystem perspective on family life" and "Partnership Families: building the
smallest democracy at the heart of society". Several more issues are being
prepared. "The Family: Bulletin on the International Year of the Family" also
continues to be published quarterly in English, French and Spanish, which serves
as the main source of information on the preparations and observance of the
Year. The wide distribution of all promotional and public information material
has been actively pursued. More individuals, government bodies and
institutions, national coordinating committees for the Year and
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations have been awarded
testimonials, designating them as patrons of the Year.
82. The secretariat continued the substantive management of the Voluntary Fund
for the International Year of the Family by reviewing requests for funding,
preparing funding recommendations and carrying out other relevant tasks for the
allocation of resources. An active fund-raising campaign has also been pursued,
covering both the public and private sectors.
83. As part of a concerted promotional and information campaign for the Year,
the secretariat has initiated or promoted the development of several special
projects in preparation and observance of the Year. This has included the
development of a theme song for the Year and plans for its launching by
well-known entertainment figures; an information campaign addressed to
television and radio networks throughout the world to encourage topical and
special broadcasting events in 1994; the Families of the World Project, a major
international research and multi-media undertaking based in the Netherlands; the
production and distribution of numerous gift and commemorative items displaying
the logo of the Year, including a selection of time-pieces produced by a French
workshop staffed by persons with disabilities and cloth emblems with a Finnish
group supporting special family projects in Finland and Estonia. Souvenir items
marking the Year have been developed with the United Nations Sales Section and
UNICEF Greetings Card Operations. Contacts have been taken up with major
producers and broadcast networks regarding film projects to complement
publications or other activities. Support has also been provided for newspaper
and magazine feature articles on the Year and plans are developed in many areas
of the world for regular reports to be provided through these media during 1994.
One of them is a series of national seminars in India to sensitize
representatives of the mass media to the International Year of the Family.
84. Other initiatives for which the secretariat has played a supportive or
facilitative role include a major art exhibition entitled "(Familie): Ideal und
Realität", organized by the Niederösterreichischer Landesausstellung and
displayed at the Barockschloss Riegersburg in Austria; a publication in
association with Catticus Corporation on the theme of the "Material World" based
on photographs and information from 40 countries focusing on the family and its
possessions in relation to their home and environment; a cookbook based on
family anecdotes and recipes from celebrity contributors in cooperation with the
World Leisure and Recreation Association; an international benefit concert with
the Leipzinger Gewandhaus Orchester conducted by Kurt Masur, planned for
October 1994 in association with PRO VITA SANA, Luxembourg; a series of books
being explored for young readers on the subject of families and customs in
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collaboration with Dragons World Publishing and the Department of Public
Information of the United Nations Secretariat as well as other materials and
books designed for pre-literate children and a study trip of 36 Swiss students,
ages 12 to 15, to French-speaking countries of Africa to produce educational
materials for use in schools on the theme of families and migration.
D. Voluntary Fund for the International Year of the Family
85. The Voluntary Fund for the International Year of the Family was established
pursuant to General Assembly resolution 45/133. In that resolution, the
Assembly invited all States and interested organizations to make voluntary
contributions to the Fund. The resources of the Fund are being used to carry
out preparatory activities for the Year; to support national action and
projects, especially in developing countries, that directly promote the
objectives of the Year; to carry out technical assistance programmes; to support
national capacity-building for long-term family-oriented policies; and to
support research, data collection, information exchange and experience-sharing
between countries on family issues.
1. Resources of the Fund
86. As at 20 July 1993, a total cash contribution of US$ 1,444,540 has been
received to the Fund, of which $234,060 is from Governments, $1,182,533 from
organizations and individuals and $27,947 from other sources. A group of
business and professional leaders from Hong Kong contributed over $1 million
dollars to the Fund. An additional $274,988 has been pledged by Governments.
This brings the deposited and pledged contributions from Governments to a total
of $509,048, a bulk of which is for earmarked projects. The total resources of
the Fund, deposited and pledged, amount to $1,719,528.
87. Table 1 provides an overview of the resources of the Fund and a breakdown
of contributions deposited and pledged by Governments, contributions deposited
by individuals and organizations as well as income from other sources, such as
administrative overhead earnings and sale of souvenirs. Table 2 lists the
contributions deposited and pledged by Governments.
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Table 1. Resources of the Voluntary Fund for the International
Year of the Family, as at 20 July 1993
(United States dollars)
Source Deposited Pledged Total
Governments 234 060 274 988 509 048
Organizations and individuals 1 182 533 - 1 182 533
Other sources 27 947 - 27 947
Total 1 444 540 274 988 1 719 528
Table 2. Contributions by Governments to the Voluntary Fund
for the International Year of the Family, as at
20 July 1993
(United States dollars)
Country Deposited Pledged Total
Austria 30 435 - 30 435
Belgium - 20 000 20 000
Benin - 1 000 1 000
China - 20 000 20 000
Cyprus 2 000 - 2 000
France - 38 460 38 460
Germany 151 528 151 528 303 056
Greece 10 505 - 10 505
Holy See 2 073 - 2 073
Jordan 2 000 - 2 000
Morocco - 5 000 5 000
Namibia 1 000 - 1 000
Panama 5 000 10 000 15 000
Philippines 500 1 000 1 500
Poland 4 500 - 4 500
Portugal 8 123 - 8 123
Republic of Korea - 2 000 2 000
Saint Lucia - 1 000 1 000
Spain (Province of Balear) 500 - 500
Switzerland 4 227 - 4 227
Tunisia 2 000 - 2 000
Turkey 9 669 25 000 34 669
Total 234 060 274 988 509 048
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2. Allocation of resources
88. As at 20 July 1993, resource allocations totalling $1,061,600 have been
made from the Fund to carry out preparatory activities and to support projects.
89. Major elements of the expenditures undertaken so far have comprised the
four regional preparatory meetings for the Year, including participation costs
for least developed countries; expert group meetings, including those to be
organized by regional commissions; support to projects of the United Nations
system, such as a statistical chart and a world atlas on the family, video
production on single-parent families and on family and ageing as well as a photo
contest and exhibit; and grants to projects of non-governmental organizations
and others. Table 3 lists the allocation of resources from the Fund into eight
major categories.
Table 3. Allocation of resources from the Voluntary Fund
for the International Year of the Family, as at
20 July 1993
(United States dollars)
Regional and interregional preparatory meetings,
including participation by least developed countries 314 986
Expert group meetings, including those to be organized
by regional commissions 55 000
Support to projects of bodies and organizations
in the United Nations system 110 200
Grants and support to projects of non-governmental
organizations and others 270 400
Substantive studies and publications 110 000
Public information and promotion 88 014
Database on the family 61 000
Technical, advisory and substantive services 52 000
Total 1 061 600
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3. Resource balance and requirements
90. Table 4 provides an overview of total resources deposited, allocation of
resources made and the estimated balance of resources of the Fund.
Table 4. Total resources deposited, allocation of resources
and estimated balance of resources of the Voluntary
Fund for the International Year of the Family, as
at 20 July 1993
(United States dollars)
Resources received 1 444 540
Estimated total resources available for allocation,
after provision for overhead costs 1 278 354
Resource allocations made 1 061 600
Estimated balance of resources 216 754
91. As may be noted from table 4, the bulk of the deposited resources of the
Fund has already been committed to carry out basic preparatory measures and in
support of selected projects. Notwithstanding the pledged contributions from
Governments for an additional $274,988, which includes an earmarked contribution
of $150,000, unless additional resources are mobilized and more generous
contributions made, the Fund will not be able to provide even seed money grants
to the highly deserving projects, in fulfilment of its mandates. Numerous
deserving projects from the national and local levels have been submitted to the
secretariat for the Year for funding and several more are likely to follow as
Governments and organizations finalize their plans for the observance as well as
follow-up of the Year.
4. In-kind contributions
92. In addition to cash contributions to the Voluntary Fund, several
Governments, firms in the private sector and individuals have made in-kind
contributions to the secretariat for the Year. These contributions are
recapitulated in tables 5 and 6 below. Table 5 lists the in-kind contributions
made by Governments. Table 6 lists the in-kind contributions made by the
private sector and individuals.
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Table 5. In-kind contributions to the Secretariat for the
International Year of the Family by Governments,
as at 20 July 1993
Country Type of contribution
Austria a/ Associate expert, initially for one year
Canada Non-reimbursable loan of staff for three years and
five months
China Hosting the United Nations Asia and Pacific
Preparatory Meeting for the Year
Colombia Hosting the United Nations Latin America and
Caribbean Preparatory Meeting for the Year
Finland Non-reimbursable loan of staff for six months
Printing of booklet on the Year in English,
60,000 copies
France Printing of booklet on the Year in French,
11,000 copies
Italy Associate expert, initially for one year
Malta Hosting the United Nations Europe and North America
Preparatory Meeting for the Year
Spain Printing of booklet on the Year in Spanish,
15,000 copies
Tunisia Hosting the United Nations Africa and Western Asia
Preparatory Meeting for the Year
a/ The Government of Austria has also supported the work of the
Non-Governmental Organizations Committee on the Family at Vienna through
financial assistance amounting to S 900,000 (approximately US$ 75,000) during
1992 and 1993.
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Table 6. In-kind contributions to the secretariat for the
International Year of the Family by the private
sector and individuals, as at 20 July 1993
Firm or individual Type of contribution
Austrian Worker’s Printing of booklet on the Year in
Compensation Board English, 7,500 copies
Floraprint Austria 50,000 IYF miniature poster bags
Hans Helf KG IYF stickers, 50,000 copies
Littasy-Rollier, Cathérine Designed and donated logo-type of the
International Year of the Family
Olivetti Austria GmbH Data-processing equipment
(6 workstations plus server, 1 laser
printer, 1 docking station and
1 monitor)
Philips Dictation Systems Voice Manager dictation system
Piatnik-Playing Cards 8,000 IYF Seasons’ Greetings cards
Reinach, Jacqueline Wrote, composed and donated the theme
song for the International Year of the
Family
Wiener Graphische Kunstanstalt, Paper for and printing of a large
Kunstanstalt, Otto Sares GmbH quantity of stationery for the Year
Wiener Papier Grosshandlung GmbH A large quantity of Pacific paper for
producing a special folder for the
Year
Wang Austria Loan of word-processing workstation
for three years
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V. OBSERVANCE OF THE YEAR
93. Pursuant to the General Assembly decision in paragraph 2 of its resolution
44/82, the focus of activities for the observance of the Year is at the local
and national levels. In keeping with the strategy regarding the programme of
the Year, appropriate specific measures must be determined at these levels.
Governments have been requested to develop and implement national activities in
observance of the Year, with the involvement and collaboration of the voluntary
and private sectors. In order to facilitate and support the national level
observance of the Year, its secretariat has taken various steps, including the
organization of regional preparatory meetings, publication of a Guide for a
National Action Programme on the Year as well as making available numerous other
substantive and promotional material.
94. As indicated by the information available to the secretariat, a large
spectrum of measures are planned in various countries for the observance of the
Year. A wide variety of promotional and information activities form an integral
part of these measures. Attention is being given to make effective and
extensive use of the channels of communication and to achieve the active
participation of all segments of population in the observances of the Year. A
priority consideration is to ensure that the observance of the Year leads to a
long-term process of integrating a strong family component in national
development strategies and plans, so that the substantive objectives of the Year
can be met, particularly in light of the statement by the preparatory body that
families are the fullest reflection of the strengths and weaknesses of the
social and developmental welfare environment and, as such, offer a unique
comprehensive and synthesizing approach to social issues.
95. While the focus of action for the Year remains to be at local and national
levels, in order to lend support to those efforts and to bridge globally the
Year’s observances, several measures are being developed at the regional and
international levels. The secretariat for the Year continues to receive
information and requests for support on new initiatives from around the world.
It has compiled and widely distributed a calendar of events related to the Year,
containing detailed information on world-wide action. While a complete listing
of all global events planned in observance of the Year by its various partners
is beyond the scope of this report, they include the following:
(a) A special concert and children’s art exhibition to launch the Year,
during the General Conference of UNESCO, Paris, October-November 1993;
(b) The World NGO Forum on Launching the International Year of the Family,
to be held at Valletta from 28 November to 2 December 1993;
(c) Launching of the International Year of the Family, in early
December 1993, at the forty-eighth session of the General Assembly;
(d) Launching of a series of United Nations stamps on families;
(e) Launching of the theme song for the Year;
(f) Observance of the first International Day of Families, on 15 May 1994;
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(g) The production of films, videos and publications on various aspects of
family life and family issues and their public launching during 1994;
(h) Several family-oriented projects directly benefiting families in need;
(i) Numerous international meetings devoted to substantive family issues;
(j) Two plenary meetings of the General Assembly, at its forty-ninth
session in 1994, designated as the international conference on families and
devoted to the implementation of the follow-up to the Year.
VI. EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
96. The principles adopted by the General Assembly for the International Year
of the Family include that the "Year should constitute an event within a
continuing process: measures will be needed to ensure appropriate evaluation of
progress made and obstacles encountered both prior to and during the Year, in
order to ensure its success and adequate follow-up". The comprehensive outline
of a programme for the Year, contained in document A/44/407 and endorsed by the
Assembly in its resolution 44/82, called for adequate evaluation and follow-up
activities and suggested that evaluation should form part of follow-up measures.
97. In their recommendations to the General Assembly, the preparatory and
coordinating bodies of the Year proposed that the Assembly request the
Secretary-General to ensure effective observance of and follow-up to the Year,
commensurate with its important principles and objectives; to report on its
observance at the national, regional and international levels; and to submit
specific proposals on the follow-up to the Year, including a draft plan of
action, if deemed appropriate, to its fiftieth session.
98. The regional and interregional preparatory meetings for the International
Year of the Family invited policy-making organs of the United Nations system to
consider follow-up action to the Year and proposed to develop, in order to
provide a framework for follow-up and direction for future work, an
international plan of action regarding families.
99. It is the intention of the Secretary-General to conduct, in early 1995, an
assessment of the impact of the International Year of the Family. It is planned
to seek, at the conclusion of the observance phase of the Year, information and
views from Member States and others concerned on the appraisal of the Year’s
observance, its follow-up and the need for and content of a follow-up plan of
action on families. It is also planned to hold an interregional expert group
meeting, in early 1995, in order to identify and elaborate appropriate follow-up
strategies.
100. In elaborating proposals, the Secretary-General will be guided by the
decisions, recommendations and views of the General Assembly, the preparatory
and coordinating bodies of the Year and the four regional and interregional
preparatory meetings. Important elements in this regard will be:
(a) The impact of the International Year of the Family as a special event
benefiting families all over the world in their quest for a better life for all
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their members, based on the principle of subsidiarity, which seeks solutions to
problems at the lowest level of societal structures;
(b) The responses of the policy-making organs of specialized agencies and
other bodies in the United Nations system to the request to consider, in the
context of their substantive mandates, the principles and objectives of the Year
and follow-up action to the Year;
(c) The family-oriented components of the World Conference on Human
Rights, held in 1993; the International Conference on Population and
Development, to be held in 1994; the World Summit for Social Development, to be
held in 1995; the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and
Treatment of Offenders, to be held in 1995; and the Fourth World Conference on
Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, to be held in 1995;
(d) The contribution of the international conference on families,
scheduled to take place at the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly in
1994 at an appropriate global policy-making level and devoted to the
implementation of the follow-up to the Year;
(e) The views of the Member States of the Commission for Social
Development on the desirability to work out a declaration on the role,
responsibilities and rights of families;
(f) The observance of 15 May every year as the International Day of
Families.
101. Pursuant to the principle of the International Year of the Family that its
activities should focus at the national and local levels, its follow-up as well
as any plan of action on families deemed necessary should focus on action at the
national and local levels, with appropriate measures for effective support from
regional and international levels. In accordance with the recommendation of the
preparatory and coordinating bodies for the Year, specific proposals in this
regard will be submitted to the fiftieth session of the General Assembly.
Notes
1/ E/CN.5/1991/2.
2/ E/CN.5/1993/3.
3/ See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1993,
Supplement No. 4 (E/1993/24), chap. I, sect. A.
4/ Ibid., 1992, Supplement No. 4 (E/1992/24), chap. I, sect. C.
5/ Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-seventh Session,
Supplement No. 38 (A/47/38), para. 23.
6/ Ibid., para. 7 (f).
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7/ Report of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements
of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace,
Nairobi, 15-26 July 1985 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.85.IV.10),
chap. I, sect. A.
8/ E/CONF.80/10, chap. III.
9/ A/45/625, annex.
10/ World Health Assembly resolution WHA 34.36 of 22 May 1981.
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ANNEX
Inter-agency statement on the International Year of
the Family, 1994, jointly issued by the concerned
organizations and specialized agencies of the
United Nations system
1. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 1994 as the International
Year of the Family (IYF), with the aim of creating among Governments,
policy-makers and the public a greater awareness of the family as the
fundamental unit of society and of promoting activities in support of families.
The Assembly called on all concerned organizations and specialized agencies of
the United Nations system to exert every effort in the preparations for the
Year, in its observance and in the achievement of its objectives.
2. This joint statement, issued by the concerned organizations and specialized
agencies of the United Nations system, is an expression of intent about our
respective organizations’ commitment to the objectives of the Year.
3. As basic units of society, families and their well-being are germane to all
our organizations. Our programmes affect them, in one way or another, even if
this is not always, or immediately, apparent.
4. Families are entitled to protection by society and State in order to be
able to fully assume their responsibilities as fundamental group units of
society. The need for such protection has been recognized in relevant
international instruments which make it a duty for States parties to adopt
legislative, administrative and other measures to ensure adequate protection to
the family and its unity, either directly or through support to the activities
of the relevant social institutions.
5. In spite of the many changes in society that have altered their forms and
functions, families can provide a vital nurturing framework for the emotional
and material support essential to the growth and well-being of their members.
Families play an important role in formal and informal education and are active
agents for transmitting human values and cultural identity as well as preserving
inter-generational links. In this, families are vital to sustainable
development. The process of development, however, tends to change the nature of
the family. While many of these changes are generally accepted as positive,
these and other changes have often constrained the ability of many families to
meet their basic human rights and needs. These constraints have increased in
many countries, as programmes of retrenchment, adjustment and economic
transition take place.
6. The pace and prevalence of change have also differed in different
countries, just as families differ in their types, strengths and weaknesses.
There is, therefore, no simple view and no easy definition of the family or of
family policy. Yet, despite the major changes most societies have undergone in
recent decades, policies and programmes still tend to be based on concepts and
family models that may no longer reflect reality, notably with respect to gender
equality as well as the rights of most of their vulnerable members, especially
children.
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7. In the positive sense, families are primary agents of socialization and are
capable of enabling constructive change and development. They can constitute an
essential mechanism for promoting respect for human rights of all individuals.
But negative aspects, including social problems, exploitation and abuse, are
also often evident within family relationships, hindering individual initiative
and personal development. There is a constant need, therefore, to foster the
development of perceptions and perspectives regarding families and
intra-familial relationships that are consistent with basic human rights,
fundamental freedoms and internationally accepted social policy standards and
principles. The traditional gender-based division of productive and
reproductive functions in the family does not reflect current realities. More
and more women in all parts of the world take up productive employment outside
the home. Yet they continue to have the major responsibility for reproductive,
caring and household functions. A partnership between men and women on the
basis of equal rights and responsibilities is the challenge for the modern
family. Basic to this challenge is gender equality in the household, equal
sharing of family responsibilities between men and women as well as
participation of women in employment.
8. We welcome the opportunity offered by the International Year of the Family
to focus attention on the numerous family issues and, in particular, on
vulnerable families. Single-parent families, especially the growing number of
households headed by females, are among the poorest families. The poverty level
of families with disabled members is also high. Labour migration to secure a
livelihood is frequently a source of family tension and disintegration, also
leading to intensified responsibilities for female members. Refugee and
internationally displaced families, both political and environmental, call for
particular attention. The plight of people forced to flee for fear of their
lives and liberty or because of the destruction of their livelihoods as a result
of environmental degradation is one of the greatest tragedies of our times,
which disrupts the unity and role of the family. Families affected by the
HIV/AIDS virus are another group requiring attention. Family breakdown is
reflected in increasing domestic violence, drug addiction, sexual abuse, child
abuse and neglect. There is much to be done to raise awareness of these
problems and their effects. Similarly, access to family planning information
and quality services, long recognized as a basic right for all individuals,
needs to be improved. The role of the family in achieving "health for all by
the year 2000" and "education for all" should be further reinforced.
9. In seeking to achieve the objectives the General Assembly has set for the
Year, the first goal should be to recognize the participation of families in the
achievement of fundamental human development aims, such as poverty alleviation,
health, nutrition, education, shelter and employment. A second goal might then
be to formulate "family-sensitive" policies and help to improve national
capacities to monitor their implementation. A third goal should be to encourage
organizations and agencies, whether governmental or non-governmental, national
or international, to assess how their decisions and actions will affect
families. Without the full involvement of families and community organizations,
there can be no sustained improvement of people’s living conditions and quality
of life. While families are targets of social welfare policies, they also
contribute to the stability of rural and urban communities and, as such, should
be seen as chosen partners of participatory development initiatives, including
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those aimed at improving the local environment. The Year offers an opportunity
to link family well-being to the goals of sustainable development.
10. Pursuant to the General Assembly’s request, and within the parameters of
the mandates of our organizations and agencies, we have been extending our
support and cooperation for the preparation of the Year. In order to better
coordinate activities and develop a system-wide approach, ad hoc inter-agency
meetings have been instituted, and various kinds of multilateral activities are
growing.
11. These efforts will be strengthened, as far as programmatic considerations
permit, so that the objectives of the Year can be achieved. Where it is not
possible to develop and implement new programmes in the context of the Year,
efforts will be made to incorporate IYF elements into existing programmes. This
could include introducing the concept of "family impact" in programme planning
and evaluation. Existing channels of information dissemination will be used to
promote the objectives of the Year. The field/country office networks will be
encouraged to support national and local IYF efforts, in order to strengthen the
national and local level focus of the Year.
12. The subject of the family provides a unique convergence of numerous issues
of social policy, human rights and development. The International Year of the
Family can contribute significantly to the consolidation of achievements in the
numerous areas of direct concern to our respective programmes. It is an
occasion to promote the concept of the family as the smallest democracy at the
heart of society. We solicit the active participation and support of all our
partners and collaborators in the observance of the International Year of the
Family.
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