February,No.12

Family Matters

Circular No. 12

Follow-up to the International Year of the Family

February 1998

The Family Unit

The Follow up to the International Year of the Family is the responsibility of the Division for Social Policy and Development within the Department for Economic and Social Affairs. The follow-up activities to the International Year of the Family are in accordance with intergovernmental mandates e.g. General Assembly resolution 50/142 of 21 December 1995 and 52/81 of 12 December 1997 respectively.

Japan

The National Women's Education Centre has undertaken two important family-related initiatives. The first one is the @Forum on Family Education@, which targets parents of children, future parents, leaders on classes in family education, networkers related to family education, persons related to social education (non-formal education for adults and youth), business-related persons, and persons interested in family education. It provides an opportunity for an exchange of opinions on women and men actively participating together in the raising of children and the raising of children in co-operation with society

The other initiative is the ASurvey of Education Programmes for Women and the Family@. This entails a collection of information on women and the family, surveys, database construction, and an on-line service. It aims at promoting dissemination of women=s information and expanding women=s learning opportunities. The survey will be conducted over a four-year period, focusing on one of the following themes each year: Aeducation programmes for women and the family@, Awomen=s centres and organisations@, Awomen=s studies courses@ and Ainternational exchange organisations.@

People's Republic of China

In 1996, the All-China Women=s Federation, together with 18 relevant government departments, set up a coordinating group for the National Five-Good Civilized Families campaign. By the end of 1997, such coordinating groups have been set up in 21 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. The emphasis is on the spread of Shanghai=s advanced experience of family volunteers, which combines the promotion of family morals and community civilization in order to encourage family members to actively participate in the public welfare activities, plant trees and flowers to improve the social surrounding, and offer help and voluntary services to the public.

The All-China Women=s Federation, together with the National Environmental Protection Agency, launched an educational campaign, AWomen, Family and Environment@, to combine education efforts for the improvement of family morals, professional ethics and social morality.

The Federation also launched an Activity Month of Respecting the Old and Loving the Young from January 3, 1998. Experts were mobilized to provide legal, health care, psychological, marital and other information services for older people. Gifts were sent to the Beijing Welfare Institution and Beijing Children=s Welfare Institution.

Nepal

The Social Welfare Council has been designated as the ANational Focal Point@ to monitor the follow up to the International Year of the Family. Mr. Prem Nath Silwal has been appointed to review such programmes. This mainly includes preparing family awareness programmes for strengthening the role of families in Nepal.

First United Nations Consultative Meeting of Regional and International NGOs on the Family

The first United Nations Consultative Meeeting of Regional and International NGOs on the Family was held on 9 February 1998 in New York. The Meeting was held in conjunction with the 36th session of the Commission for Social Development, held from 10-20 February 1998. The Meeting was organized by the Family Unit of the Division of Social Policy and Development of the Department for Economic and Social Affairs. The Meeting was attended by seven major NGOs dealing with the family [Asia-Pacific Forum for Families, International Family Policy Forum, New York NGO Committee on the Family, Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, International Federation for Parent Education, and the International Union of Family Organizations.

The Participants reported on their various activities and programmes. They exchanged information on activities foreseen in 1998-2000 in light of the follow up to the International Year of the Family. The overviews presented underlined the importance of the objectives of the International Year of the Family such as: (a) Increase awareness of family issues among Governments as well as in the private sector and highlight the importance of families; increase a better understanding of their functions and problems; (b) Strengthen national institutions to formulate, implement and monitor policies in respect of families; (c) Stimulate efforts to respond to problems affecting, and affected by, the situation of families; and (d) Enhance the effectiveness of local, regional and national efforts to carry out specific programmes concerning families.

It was affirmed that this Regional and International NGO Consultation was useful and that the Group should continue to meet and address modalities of cooperation. It was agreed that (a) the Group must have a better awareness of individual and collective objectives of each of the member organizations; (b) the Group must focus collectively on national capacity building in the area of families; (c) the Group must have a better understanding of the UN intergovernmental processes; and (d) the Group must seek to develop a joint, long-term strategy for the year 2000 and strengthen the family program within the United Nations Secretariat.

The participants decided that with respect to the multiplicity of family issues, an integrating framework for collaboration could be AGlobal Social and Economic Trends that Affect Families@. There was consensus on the need to identify specific issues to be explored. The Family Unit was requested to initiate action in this regard.

The participants underlined that the areas of cooperation should entail: (a) Lobbying and advocacy; (b) Research; (c) Technical assistance/cooperation/project formulation, particularly at the grassroots level;

(d) Collective inputs into the forthcoming sessions of the Commission for Social Development and General Assembly; and (e) Fundraising and provision of technical assistance to projects. National capacity building was viewed as a strategic focus for the deliberations of the Group. There is a need to review capacity building more fully, to benefit from collaborative efforts. There was agreement on the importance of lobbying and networking, with particular focus on the UN intergovernmental bodies. In this regard, priority should be given to promoting family topics as an integral part of the review process for the year 2000 at the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The participants called upon the Family Unit to coordinate the dissemination of work plans of the member organizations and to facilitate information sharing between them. There was a firm commitment by the Group to support the work programme of the Family Unit, and it welcomed the subregional approach of the Family Unit. The Group also agreed with the Family Unit=s focus on a 3-year strategy i.e. 1998-2000.

The Group reaffirmed that strengthening NGO-UN Secretariat relations in the area of the family necessitates a conceptual and operational framework. The group called upon the Family Unit to act as a facilitator of the Group in this regard.