NCFA

“The International Year of the Family is a global call for action… in order to disseminate awareness on family-related issues and reach a better understanding of such issues.”

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Proclamation and Objectives

The United Nations General Assembly:

Declared the 15th of May of every year as the International Day of the Family in Resolution 47/237 of September 20, 1993.
Proclaimed 1994 as the International Year of the Family in Resolution 44/82 9 December 9, 1989.
Proclaimed 2004 as the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family in Resolution 54/124.

International Year of the Family 2004 Objectives

a. Increase awareness of family-related issues among government and private sector organizations.
b. Strengthen the capacity of national institutions to formulate, implement and monitor policies on family-related issues.
c. Stimulate efforts to respond to problems affecting families.
d. Conduct reviews and assessments of the state and needs of families, identifying specific issues and problems.
e. Enhance the effectiveness of local, national and regional programs to help the family, generate new activities, and strengthen existing ones.
f. Improve collaboration among national and international non-governmental organizations in support of families.

Preparations

Preparations for the International Year of the Family were made on three levels:

International Preparations – The United Nations

Preparations for the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family (2004) are the responsibility of the Family Unit, Division for Social Policy and Development within the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations (http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/)

Calling for the active involvement of all concerned, the UN set national guidelines for member states to begin their observance. Accordingly, each government was invited to establish a national coordinating committee to plan, stimulate and coordinate activities among governmental agencies and NGOs to ensure nation-wide advocacy for family issues to gain priority in planning and development.

UN guidelines proposed a range of activities, from speeches by heads of states, announcements of policy/program intentions on family issues, to daily/weekly festivals promoting the UN’s theme of the International Year of the Family “Families: Resources and Responsibilities in a Changing World.”

More information on the UN’s preparations and observance of the Year can be found at: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/TenthAnv/10th_anvrsry.htm

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2004 NCFA, Legal Notice -