April 2001, No. 39

Deadline for contributions: 20 May 2001
					
THIS BULLETIN ABSTRACTS THE COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED BY THE VIENNA NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILY. IT DOES NOT REFLECT ALL FAMILY-ORIENTED ACTIVITIES. NOR DOES IT INTEND TO GIVE EMPHASIS TO ONE ORGANIZATION, COUNTRY OR ATTITUDE OVER ANOTHER. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOUR NEWS AND VIEWS REFLECTED, PLEASE SHARE THEM WITH US. WE WILL ENDEAVOR TO REPORT ON THEM WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THIS PUBLICATION.

Vienna NGO Committee on the Family
*Martinstrasse 92/3, A-1180 Vienna, Austria
(Phone/Fax: 43-1-405 89 01
Email: famcom.vienna@utanet.at
Web: http://www.viennafamilycommittee.org
For contributions to ‘Families International’:
Email: ematt@vki.or.at

From The Desk Of The Editors
Dear Reader, please let us know of the many ways in which you observed or celebrated the International Day of Families. We are also sure that you are aware that the mailing of our bulletin is costly. In order to reduce our expenses we would like to ask those who can be reached by email to send your email address to:
famcom.vienna@utanet.at

special feature:
International Day of Families and
the International Year of Volunteers

Families And Volunteerism
By Winston Sims
Issues of families and volunteerism enjoy an unusual opportunity to come together and support and reinforce each other this year and more particularly May 15th, the International Day of Families. And the year 2001 has been designated the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) by the United Nations General Assembly. First a word about the IYV. Volunteerism refers to the propensity to volunteer, the culture of volunteering and to the spirit, values and the attitudes that underlie it. Quite obviously, it includes volunteers. But it also includes the vast resources spiritual and financial as well as the knowledge, skills, experience, devotion and commitment that propel them and that they bring to their tasks. 

In a wider sense, volunteerism is seen as "... an expression of people's willingness and capacity to freely undertake to help others and improve society in the spirit of reciprocity." It is also seen as being "... both a habit of the heart and a civic virtue. It is an action deeply rooted in the human spirit with a far-reaching social and cultural impact. Listening to, being concerned with and responding to the needs of others are evidence of the highest human motivation. Human beings help each other out of love and compassion. Yet, in its deepest spiritual dimension and symbolic meaning, volunteering is not simply something that we do for others. Our own values and humanity are at stake: we are what we give."

"Volunteering is a freely assumed moral obligation. We help one another because we feel a sense of satisfaction in fulfilling a moral compulsion to do so. It is not an action imposed by an external authority. By caring and sharing, we become more fully human while, at the same time, enhancing the moral texture of our communities, the social fabric of our societies .... Caring and sharing have been a major component of human behaviour throughout civilisation .... Caring and sharing are a necessity, not a charitable act."

"Volunteering takes many shapes and forms. From one-on-one support at a personal level to community service, from mutual support in self-help groups to participation in broad-based movements and campaigns, voluntary action is as varied as the creativity of the volunteers, the nature of national settings and the breadth of problems."

Volunteerism involves giving expression to the concerns of people; demonstrating the validity of a concern for the condition of others; an ability to share with them; an expression of commitment, devotion and dedication; fostering the involvement of others; fostering of relationships; reflecting a the sense of community; an expression of trust and faith in the value of others and community. All of these are fundamental to the formation of social capital. And it is social capital that results from the quality of our relationships; our involvement in the lives of others; concerns for our mutual well-being; our sense of trust and confidence in each other; our sense of community; our willingness to support each other, and our sense of cohesion. These all serve to bind our society together, to give it coherence and strength, an acceptance of others, an appreciation of diversity, an appreciation of and respect for the strength that derives from inclusion rather than from exclusion. All these result from and give rise to participation, involvement, engagement, mutual trust, respect, support, commitment, ... all of which are absolutely vital for the strength and well-being of society.

The UN's Administrative Committee on Co-ordination noted that volunteer service has been a part of virtually every civilisation and society. Defined in the broadest terms as the contribution that individuals make as non-profit, non-wage and non-career action for the well being of their neighbours, community or society at large, it takes many forms, from traditional customs of mutual self-help to community coping responses in times of crisis, and spearheading effort for relief, conflict resolution and the eradication of poverty.

Among the premises underlying the designation of an International Year of Volunteers by the UN General Assembly (www.iyv2001.org) is that it provides a valuable framework and establishes a favourable environment for the growth and yet more strategic use of volunteer contributions.

A first objective of IYV 2001 is increased recognition of the efforts of individuals and groups engaged in volunteering. Second is increased facilitation of volunteer work by building on factors which encourage, and addressing issues which inhibit volunteer service. Third is enhanced networking whereby volunteer achievements can be disseminated and shared. The final objective is the promotion of volunteering with a view to more requests for the deployment of volunteers and to offers of volunteer service from even more individuals.

From the above, it has already been noted by many of you that there has been no mention of families. In many ways the activities carried out within families are seen not as examples of volunteerism but as expressions of the loving, caring, sharing, compassion, trust, support, willingness and co-operating that take place and are even expected among family members. These same activities are seen both as examples of time, energy and skill freely given and as activities that are fundamental responsibilities of family members.

The concept of volunteering seems to be applied to activities discharged by family members in providing assistance to other families or in the community. It is almost never applied to activities within families. We are all familiar with family members who will gladly, even eagerly, do many of the family tasks and help fulfil its responsibilities. And, at the same time, we are familiar with those who will resist these tasks mightily. 

Even if all this familial activity is not seen by some as volunteerism, it should be apparent that families are the fertile ground in which the values, devotion and commitment essential for volunteerism germinate and take root. It is within families that these values, attitudes and skills, in other words, the ability or capacity, and willingness should be introduced, fostered and cultivated to enable improvement, to foster growth and development, to build relationships, to build self-confidence and trust.

The lead article of the previous issue of Families International (No. 38, December 2000) on the valuation of men and women's work within families was an argument that there is a vast reservoir of creative, thoughtful, caring activity that takes place within our societies to which little if any recognition is ever given. Over time this activity often shifts such that child care, education of children, and elder care, among others, are often undertaken by families to a markedly reduced level in the "more advanced societies". Instead, they are given over to more "specialised" care givers.

Often these activities might seem to be rather mundane such as domestic or household activities, all of which have economic implications, including the production of goods and services involved in getting water, sewing to mend or make clothes, washing clothes, ironing, preparing the fields or gardens for planting, mending tools, ensuring facilities for harvesting and storage of the harvest, raising food, processing of food, preparation of food, cooking, washing dishes and clothes, caring for children, spouse or partner, parents or elderly, community activities, undertaking of any cottage industries, building, repairing and maintenance of the home and so forth. While these all have economic implications they are crucial for familial well-being.

In one case, a valuation of volunteerism has been undertaken. Justin Davis Smith, founding director of the Institute for Volunteering Research (United Kingdom), noted that volunteerism was being portrayed in a much more favourable light and shedding some of its negative images. In the United Kingdom, for example, volunteerism was one of the top five contributors to the gross domestic product (GDP).

Economics, which is often called "the dismal science", is truly dismal to the extent that it can value the most trivial commodities but is not capable of even recognising, much less valuating, the most fundamental human endeavours.

But of far greater importance is the fact that by focusing on our valuations of only those goods and services that enter the market place, we have implicitly devalued and ignored the far more important activities taking place within our families and communities. And by not having valuations of these activities, we often reveal the most misplaced priorities in our public policy decisions since we often "waste" the investments, the social capital, made by our family members and communities by failing to support and reinforce their crucial undertakings.

Because families can do things that no other social institution can, there is a tendency on the part of governments and communities to believe that families possess inexhaustible resources. Because of this, families tend to become over-burdened and under-resourced with the ever-increasing demands on family members to work and earn outside the home, coupled with the desire of so many political decision-makers to avoid the costs of supporting families with their tasks and functions.

If activities undertaken within the context of families are not seen as being undertaken on a voluntary basis, families are, at the very least, the cradle within which volunteerism is nourished.
Contact: Winston Sims, Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, Martinstrasse 92/3, A-1180 Vienna, Austria, Phone/Fax: 43-1-405 89 01, Email: famcom.vienna@utanet.at

NEWS FROM THE UNITED NATIONS

Thirty-Ninth Session Of The Commission For Social Development
New York, USA, 13-23 February 2001
Peter Crowley, Chairperson of the Vienna NGO Committee in the Family, made a statement to the 39th Session of the Commission for Social Development on 14 February 2001 at the UN Headquarters in New York. The following text is an excerpt from that statement:

We, in the Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, serve a network which encompasses 1,000 family-oriented organisations, who come from NGOs, research and university institutions. This world-wide network could be encouraged and integrated into a concerted concept to further the aims of the resolution (General Assembly resolution 54/124 entitled Follow-up to the International Year of the Family) and to collaborate intensively with the Family Unit of the United Nations in the preparations for, and observance of, the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family 2004.

May I respectfully draw your attention to our joint INGO Statement, conference document E/CN.5/2001/NGO/4, prepared by our Committee and signed by 32 INGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC.

We maintain that families, and NGOs who truly represent their interests, should be seen as a bridge to civil society by governments, and not only as an area or issue of concern;
The family is the fundamental institution of society and its uniqueness is the reality that it is the main social institution dealing with our own personal vulnerability. Families are important in fostering the individuality of their members as the first school of social relations and of education in human rights and gender equity, as well as a sense of community, and it must be acknowledged that families require support for these responsibilities;

Families are a focus of external factors and social change, and at the same time an agent for these changes. Decent living conditions, including adequate income, nutrition and health, are necessary for family well-being, strength and security;

Families are also presently at risk against the negative effects of globalisation and the impact of sanctions in deprived countries;

At the General Assembly Special Session entitled World Summit for Social Development and Beyond: Achieving Social Development for all in a Globalised World, held in Geneva in June 2000, a number of speakers expressed the view that, five years after the World Summit in Copenhagen in 1995, poverty continued to be a scourge for millions of people;

1	We therefore ask the United Nations and the Governments of the world to centre their attention, as a priority issue, on ways and means to eradicate poverty in the world, in the nearest possible future, as a first step in relieving the vulnerability of families.

2	We emphasise that social support should especially meet the needs of disadvantaged and poor families as well as families with ageing or disabled members. It should assist women and men in reconciling employment and family life and inherent responsibilities, providing flexible working hours for parents who participate in the labour force as well as quality child-care facilities, and that social security should also make provisions for those who choose to work and care for the family at home;
 
3	We urge that children be protected against all kinds of exploitation and trafficking, sexual abuse, domestic violence and the consequences of armed conflict, and that families be supported to ensure a safe and stable environment for their children;
 
4	We request that issues of families be mainstreamed into United Nations Programmes related to social development and, especially, to issues impinging on families, such as poverty, illiteracy, inadequate housing and social services, disability, drug and alcohol dependence, diseases and an unhealthy environment;
 
5	Finally we propose that the Family Unit within the Division for Social Policy and Development of the United Nations be supported and enhanced so as to encourage and facilitate the collaboration with specialised agencies and other organisations in family and social issues. 
Contact: Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, Martinstrasse 92/3, A-1180 Vienna, Austria, Phone/Fax: 43-1-405 89 01, Email: famcom.vienna@utanet.at

Oral Statement by Rosina Santa Olalla, Foundation for the Rights of the Family (PRODEFA)
Gary S. Becker, 1992 Nobel Prize in Economics, in his book entitled "A Treatise on the Family", develops an economic approach to what he calls "the major institution throughout history in essentially all human societies". 

Becker sees the family as a kind of little factory or multi-person unit producing goods, meals, health, skills and children. In the introduction of his book Becker points out that family decisions crucially impinge on many other issues.

He further says that the family merits the great attention it receives "for despite major changes over time and enormous variations across social and economic environment, it remains the most influential of all institutions".

These few flashes from Becker's "Treatise on the Family" convey an economist's viewpoint on the family as an institution. But it can be safely said that there is a growing general awareness of the importance of the family at all levels. All through the International Year of the Family and at the major United Nations Conferences, summits and other meetings there was a consensus on the fundamental role of the family in human societies and on the relevance of the family to most social issues.

The International Year of the Family was a great success. At grass-roots level non-governmental organisations did a tremendous amount of work before and during the I.Y.F. In 1992, a working group of the Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, PRODEFA among them, reached a consensus on a document entitled "Guiding Principles on the Family", which was presented as an instrument to facilitate further consideration of an eventual declaration on the rights and responsibilities of the family. 

Resolution 47/237, entitled "International Year of the Family", adopted by the General Assembly on 20 September 1993, in operative paragraph 20 requested 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 the family on the occasion of the Year.

However, as mentioned in the Report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.5/2001/4) to this 39th session, "...the Year did not lead to the development of a long-term global plan of action on families, similar to the global programmes on the advancement of women, ageing, youth or disability" - and neither, may we add, was there a formal document proclaimed on the family.

The Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2004, as per General Assembly Resolution 54/124 of 17 December 1999, constitutes an important opportunity for an in-depth reassessment of family roles, situations, needs, responsibilities and rights.

The preparation for and observance of the Tenth Anniversary should lead to concrete decisions on behalf of the family. Other issues in the field of social policies are maybe open to sectoral approaches. The family, however, as the unit involving individual members and performing, in interdependence and solidarity, such functions as caring, nurturing, education, clothing and housing, requires a global treatment and should be mainstreamed into all issues related to social development and to individual family members.

Therefore, when deciding on future action, this particular and essential characteristic of the family as a global unit and as the first link in the social chain should be borne in mind. Some type of programme, plan of action or declaration on the family should be arrived at.

The preparation for and observance of this Tenth Anniversary entails a collaboration at local, regional and international levels, between United Nations specialised agencies and bodies, Governments and Non-Governmental Organisations. The accomplishments of the I.Y.F. were possible because such a collaboration existed. The Tenth Anniversary should follow the same or similar pattern.
Contact: Foundation for the Rights of the Family (PRODEFA), Avenida de Baviera 8, E-28028 Madrid, Spain, Email: rose@arrakis.es

Written Statement by the Foundation for the Rights of the Family (PRODEFA)
Agenda item 3 (b) Follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development Enhancing social protection and reducing vulnerability in a globalised world:

The family is universal, the cornerstone of society, a unit of production and consumption. It is essential to the education and socialisation of children and youth and to the stabilisation of adults. It is the place where children, the elderly, the sick and disabled receive emotional and practical support.

The family unit is also a powerful agent of social change: factors such as demography, fertility, ageing population, environment, social welfare and development are ultimately influenced by family behaviour and by the decisions taken within the family unit.

The family in turn is influenced by external factors, among others modernisation, technology, poverty, armed conflicts and natural disasters. This causes the family to be extremely vulnerable and to require support from society and the State.

General Assembly Resolution 54/124 says in its preamble that "the basic objective of the follow-up to the International Year of the Family should be to strengthen and support families in performing their societal and developmental functions and to build upon their strength". 

At the General Assembly Twenty-Fourth Special Session held in Geneva on 26-30 June 2000, the Secretary-General Kofi Annan referred to the social conditions in which so many people in poor countries live: "Such squalor", he said, "is an affront to our common humanity, and no country can be called prosperous so long as many citizens in the world are left to fend for themselves against ignorance, hardship and disease";

A rising number of families are living in poverty, especially single-parent families. In many parts of the world family are enduring the consequences of globalisation and the impact of sanctions; 

Although in times of deep trouble the sense of family ties is a source of strength, extreme poverty can destroy, displace and separate families; in this situation, children, who are denied the right to be cared for, are the most vulnerable;

Resolution 54/12, entitled "Follow-up of the International Year of the Family" was adopted on the 20 January 2000 by the General Assembly on the report of the Third Committee. The draft resolution was sponsored by 39 countries.

In this resolution, the Secretary-General is requested to report on the General Assembly, at its fifty-sixth session, through the Commission for Social Development and the Economic and Social Council, on the appropriate ways and means to observe the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family, which. 

The report to the Secretary-General to the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly, entitled "Follow-up to the International Year of the Family and the observance of its Tenth Anniversary" says in paragraph 11 that "The Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family constitutes an important opportunity to give a new impetus to the follow-up of the Year". It further says in paragraph 13 that the observance of the Tenth Anniversary "could culminate in the holding of plenary sessions of the General Assembly on the topics of families".

Conclusions
To eradicate poverty and to improve social protection systems of poor and vulnerable families should be a priority target. 

Families should be supported and empowered to fulfil their multiple functions and responsibilities and realise their rights, with policies and programmes based on a functional and global approach to the family as basic provider of social security and protection.

It is necessary to increase awareness of family issues and problems and to promote knowledge of economic, social and demographic processes affecting families and their members.

There is a need to foster equal participation of men and women in family responsibilities and tasks, with the possibility for both to reconcile paid work and family life.

A review of the global situation of the family in 2004 should be included in the next multi-year programme of work of the Commission for Social Development.

As suggested by the General Assembly Resolution 24/54, the global situation of the family should be reassessed by the Commission for Social Development when adopting its next multi-year programme of work.

The follow-up to the International Year of the Family has now a clear target: the Tenth anniversary in 2004. This requires a close collaboration between the Family Unit, within the Division for Social Policy and Development, and non-governmental organisations. It is to be hoped that this co-operation will materialise into international meetings and other activities for the preparation for, and observance of, the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family.

Another important feature of this Tenth Anniversary could be the preparation, by an open-ended working group of the Commission for Social Development, of a declaration on the roles, rights and responsibilities of the family. Such a declaration could be based on provisions already existing in United Nations instruments, on statements on the family contained in Reports of United Nations International Conferences and also on documents prepared to this effect by non-governmental organisations. 
Contact: Foundation for the Rights of the Family (PRODEFA), Avenida de Baviera 8, E-28028 Madrid, Spain, Email: rose@arrakis.es

VIENNA NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILY

Suggestions For Observing The International Day Of Families At Local Level
1)	Family and community forums and workshops, to explore issues and offer options for strengthening families. Forums can also provide information on family support services, such as counselling, financial assistance, advisory and information services.
2)	Special events in educational settings such as parent/teacher gatherings or student activities can highlight families.
3)	Special family fares or free family tickets on public transportation and other incentives to give additional emphasis to the day and to facilitate the involvement of families.
4)	Free entrance for families to museums, exhibitions, concerts and other cultural attractions.
5)	Official proclamations of the day by mayors and other local authorities.
6)	Proclamations of "Family Week".
7)	Production of documentary films or promotional vignettes on families to be shown on national and local television stations.
8)	Arranging special exhibitions of publications, photographs, children's drawings, posters and other materials on families.
9)	Launching family-related publications.
10)	Coverage of the Day's events by the news media, including television, radio and newspapers. The latter could also carry feature articles and special supplements on the Day, as well as a series of family issues.
11)	Organisation of essay competitions on the family.
12)	Press conferences by research institutions and others concerned with family issues can raise public awareness of priority concerns.
Source: Family Unit, United Nations, Web: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev

FAMILY-RELATED NGO NEWS

SOS Children’s Villages India Continue Relief Measures To Support Earthquake Victims In Gujarat
The earthquake on January 26 caused massive loss in terms of life and property in Gujarat, especially in Bhuj and Ahmedabad. The death toll has risen to around 30,000. It is believed that more than a 100,000 people are still under the debris.

According to SOS Children's Villages India, the lack of appropriate machinery is hindering the work to help the survivors. They are especially concerned with the children who suffer most from the disaster. A relief team of SOS Children's Villages India has been assessing the situation in Ahmedabad. It is now working in close co-ordination with the government to organise immediate help for children who have lost their relatives in the natural disaster.

25 Child Relief Centres are currently being set up in the worst affected Kutch area. These centres will operate for at least one month and look after children who have lost their families or temporarily do not have anyone to look after them. A main Relief Centre will operate in Ahmedabad for a minimum period of six months to assist children who require longer care. Efforts will be made to relocate the children in their own families. The SOS Children's Villages facilities will provide for children who need permanent care.

SOS Children's Villages India also supports small villages to help rebuild shelters for the families whose homes have been totally destroyed. It will also take part in setting up a government organised emergency camp in Bhuj, the epicentre of the quake situated 400 km west of Ahmedabad (more information on the web: http://www.soscvindia.org/latest_new.htm). 
For further information please contact: Claudia Schachinger, Liaison Office, SOS-Kinderdorf International, Billrothstraße 22, A-1190 Vienna, Austria, Phone: 43-1-368 24 57-20, Fax: 43-1-368 89 18, Email: Claudia.Schachinger@sos-kd.org, Web: http://www.sos-kd.org/ or

World Consumer Rights Day – 15 March 2001
Consumers International, the global federation of over 260 consumer organisations in over 110 countries, today announces its annual World Consumer Rights Day campaign. In the global economy, market power and the influence of corporations has outstripped the capacity of nations to effectively control it. Freedom for industry and corporate activity have not been balanced by adequate safeguards to ensure that companies contribute to, rather than undermine, consumer rights, social development and environmental quality. This year, the global consumer movement, led by Consumers International, is focusing on ways of enhancing the positive contributions, which can be made by transnational corporations, while eliminating the negative ones.

15 March 2001 marks the 19th annual commemoration of World Consumer Rights Day. Activities planned for this year include new, constructive approaches to advancing consumer rights and social justice, such as voluntary initiatives (for example codes of practice). Key targets for action by consumer groups include:

1	Control of tobacco promotion
Around the world, member groups of Consumers International will be campaigning for the development and implementation of tough rules on tobacco control. The World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) stands to be the world's first public health treaty. As such, it is a milestone for humanity as a whole. It has the potential to significantly improve corporate accountability and to reduce tobacco-related deaths. However, the power and influence of the tobacco transnationals is strong and much lobbying by them has left us with a weak draft treaty. For example instead of calling for a ban on all tobacco promotion, only that which is targeted at children is mentioned. 

Recent WHO reports have outlined the extent to which tobacco transnational corporations (TNCs) have seen themselves in a battle against the WHO. Tobacco companies planned and implemented global strategies to discredit and impede efforts to protect public health. 

Clear measures must be put in the FCTC to counterbalance the powerful tobacco lobby.

Specifically the Convention must ensure that: 
•	People and organisations with tobacco interests should disqualify themselves from lobbying on legislation related to tobacco and health, and disclose all other lobbying expenditures and political contributions. 
•	Governments, government agencies and political parties should refuse contributions from tobacco interests. There should be transparency about contacts and links between government officials and tobacco interests.
•	Tobacco companies should be held accountable for past, present and future harm caused by their products through legal processes and through other means where appropriate.
•	States, particularly those that host tobacco companies, and international bodies should monitor the national and transnational activities of the tobacco companies.

2	Action on global price-fixing
A second campaign issue for the global consumer movement is to draw attention to the ongoing theft from consumers, by price-fixing cartels. International cartels and global mergers are particularly important. 

Consumer groups will seek to ensure that effective action is taken against global price-fixers and that consumers receive adequate compensation for losses sustained. In countries where price-fixing, bid rigging and anti-competitive practices are not unlawful, consumer groups will campaign for the introduction of stringent laws to protect the economic interests of all consumers.

3	The dirty dozen
Consumer groups will publicise the successful results of a twenty-year long campaign to bring about a global ban on the use of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

In May this year, a new global treaty on POPs will be signed in Stockholm, Sweden. While welcoming the treaty, Consumer Internationals Director General Julian Edwards says: "Consumer groups from around the world must campaign to ensure that in the future, prior to the release of new pesticides into the marketplace, precaution is used as a guiding principle. Precaution, including transparency and public participation, are essential elements in good regulatory practice." 

A second goal for consumers will be to ensure that developed countries provide sufficient funding to enable all countries to eliminate stocks of hazardous and obsolete chemicals.

4	Genetically modified foods
The use of biotechnology and other new food technologies may provide important benefits. However, new technologies have raised many concerns for consumers about the safety of foods for human consumption, implications for the environment, and potential social and economic impact.

Consumer groups will be campaigning to ensure that new food technologies do not compromise efforts to achieve food security in the developing world, and the availability of full, factual labelling about nutritional content and any special manufacturing processes the food underwent. Consumers have an absolute right to know when food is the product of genetic engineering. 
Consumer groups from around the world will be making efforts to ensure that governments do not give in to pressure from international corporations wishing to impose genetically modified foods on consumers without adequate safeguards and labelling to ensure choice. They are demanding full premarket evaluation and social and safety impact assessments, a moratorium on the cultivation and marketing of new GM foods with effective evaluations in place.
Please contact: Ms. Rinske van Duifhuizen, Phone: 44-20-7226 6663 ext. 236, Mobile: 44-79-4485 2207, Email: rvan-dui@consint.org, Web: www.consumersinternational.org (the World Consumers Rights Day kit is available from this website in English and Spanish).

Die Familien-Plattform Für Niederösterreich Wurde Verbessert 
Die Homepage des Familienpasses - 85.000 Familien in NÖ sind derzeit Inhaber des NÖ Familienpasses - wurde überarbeitet, verbessert und steht ab sofort im neuen Design online zur Verfügung. Neu ist vor allem die superschnelle Abfrage der Vorteilsgeber. Die Vergünstigungen und Vorteile für den Familienpass können nach Bezirk und Branche abgefragt werden oder durch Eingabe eines Stichwortes.

Informationen über neue Aktivitäten, Förderungen und Tipps sind ebenso zu finden wie ein Download-Center für alle wichtigen Anträge im Familienbereich oder die Online-Berechnung der NÖ Familienhilfe. In den nächsten Tagen wird noch ein Forum die Seite ergänzen. Besonders überrascht ist das Familienreferat von den vielen Familienpass-Anträgen, die online an das Land gesendet werden: rund ein Drittel der Neuanträge kommen schon über das Internet! Nachdem die Familien die Kommunikation über das Internet so gerne annehmen, kann ab sofort auch ein Newsletter über die Homepage angefordert werden.
Contact: Peter Pitzinger, Landesfamilienreferent, Amt der NÖ Landesregierung, Abt. F3 - Familienreferat, Landhausplatz 1, 3109 St. Pölten, Austria, Phone: 43-2742-9005 13282, Fax: 43-2742-9005 13335, Email: peter.pitzinger@noel.gv.at, Web: http://www.familienpass.at

RECENT AND FORTHCOMING EVENTS

International Interdisciplinary Course On Children's Rights
Gent, Belgium, 8-15 December 2000
Organised by the Children's Rights Centre, University of Gent, the course's primary aim is to contribute to an intensive study of the background, motivation, strategies and main themes of the children's rights concept. The programme deals specifically with views and theories on children's rights. The course provides extensive basic information and in-depth knowledge on background, motivation, strategies and main trends in the field of children's rights. 
For information: Kathy Vlieghe, Children's Rights Centre (I.I.C.), University of Gent, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Gent, Belgium, Phone: 32-9-264 62 85, Fax: 32-9-264 64 93, Email: Kathleen.Vlieghe@rug.ac.be

Symposium Of The Families And Socialisation Association Of Ghana (FASAG)
Accra, Ghana, 14-15 December 2000
FASAG is a renowned NGO based in Ghana which includes professionals, University graduates and clinical staff. It focuses on issues affecting family support and the effect of simple parenting and children.
This symposium deliberated on broad range of topics: mental and physical health issues, child adolescent and adult development; prevention of teen pregnancy, costs of adolescent childbearing.
Contact: Ohene Akoto, P.O. Box DK 258, Darkuman-Accra, Ghana, Email: oheneakoto@yahoo.com

Home Economics - A New Century, A New Challenge 
Canberra, Australia, 11-13 January 2001
This conference will address the anticipated challenges of the 21st Century and is developed around the following themes: possible and preferred future directions for the home economics profession; health and lifestyle challenges for individuals; the family and society; challenges in education, training and business; and technologies and their impact on society. 
Further information: Carol Kotz, Programme Co-convenor, HEIA Conference Secretariat, 4 Cataract Street, Kaleen ACT 2617, Australia, Phone: 61-2-6205 6344, Fax: 61-2-6291 0121, Email: kotz@dynamite.com.au

Families Today: Challenges To Partnership And Parenting
University of Munich, Germany, 15-17 February 2001
Second Conference on Family Psychology, some topics: How youth sees the future of family; Paths towards family with or without children; Forms of non-traditional partnerships and families; Children in lesbian families - how do they fare? Divorce and remarriage; Paths within the family: stresses and strengths; Parent training via interactive CD-ROM. Contributions reflect recent research. In German or English. 
Contact: Prof. K.A. Schneewind, Institute for Psychology, Leopoldstrasse 13, D-80802 Munich, Germany, Phone: 49-89-2180 5194, Fax: 49-89-2180 5235, Email: FamPsy@psy.uni-muenchen.de

Helping Families Change Conference - From Theory Into Practice 
Melbourne, Australia, 22-24 February 2001
The Helping Families Change Conference, jointly organised by the University of Queensland's Parenting and Family Support Centre and the Victorian Parenting Centre, presents an evidence-based scientific programme, skills-based practice sessions and advanced level workshops in family intervention. The conference will be of interest to professionals and researchers working with families in the health, education and welfare sectors, and to graduate students with an interest in child and family issues. Those attending will be presented with state-of-the-art knowledge, contribute to debate, and engage in hands-on practice with leaders in the field of family intervention. 
Further information: Shylaja Gooley or Elise Stumbles, Parenting and Family Support Centre, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane Qld 4072, Australia, Fax: 61-7-3365 6724, Email: shylaja@psy.uq.edu.au, Web: http://www.pfsc.uq.edu.au

National Conference On Stepfamilies
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 22-24 February 2001
Learn from the foremost authorities on stepfamily research and practice. Gain more knowledge for your work with stepfamilies; become sought-after as a professional who understands stepfamily issues and can provide support for concerns unique to stepfamilies. If you are a stepfamily member yourself, you will learn practical strategies and techniques to make your family life richer, healthier, more well informed. Issues covered will include law, custody, finances, emotions, psychotherapy, schooling/education, children, spiritual needs. 
Further information: Stepfamily Association of America, Phone: 1-617-469 6789 ext. 22, Fax: 1-617-469 3055, Email: PIRIDC@mail.com, Web: http://www.edupr.com/stepfam.html

Strengthening Families And Youth: Strategies For Success
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA, 25-28 February 2001 
Clemson University, Clemson Co-operative Extension Service, College of Health, Education and Human Development and the Department of Family and Youth Development are sponsoring this conference. Speakers, workshops and exhibits will showcase programs and curriculum that focus on families and youth. 
Further information: Dr. Deborah J. Thomason, Email: dthmson@clemson.edu, or Dr. Brenda J. Thames, Email: bthames@clemson.edu, Web: http://fyd.clemson.edu/SFY.htm

Grandparenting In The 21st Century
London, United Kingdom, 14 March 2000 
A major one-day conference organised by the Family Policy Studies Centre (venue: Royal Institute of British Architects, 66 Portland Place, London W1N 4AD).
Purpose of the conference: In its consultation paper, Supporting Families, the Government called for the greater involvement of grandparents in supporting their children and grandchildren. However, while over 80 per cent of those aged 20 in Great Britain have a living grandparent, little is known about grandparents, their roles and diversity, and whether they are prepared to provide more support for their families. The first national conference on grandparenting in Britain will examine what is currently known about grandparents: who they are, what they do, the extent and type of help that they provide for their families and their satisfaction with their role. The growing concern about the legal rights of grandparents in circumstances where family breakdown has occurred will also be considered, and future directions for both research and policy identified. The conference will:
•	hear key findings about grandparents in Britain from recent nationally representative surveys: the British Social attitudes survey, the ONS Omnibus Survey and the Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities;
•	compare current policy and research in Britain and the USA;
•	examine the personal and legal implications for grandparents of the separation or divorce of the parents of their grandchildren, or of their grandchildren going into care;
•	discuss current initiatives to encourage intergenerational exchange and support, for example, TransAge Action;
•	examine the importance of grandparenting as a positive contribution by older people to society.
Contact: Gabrielle Dakhama, Family Policy Studies Centre, 9 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SN, United Kingdom, Phone: 44-20-7388 5900, Fax: 44-20-388 5600, Email: fpsc@mailbox.ulcc.ac.uk

International Kolping Society: Family - Basis for Equal Development In Europe
Teisendorf, Germany, 14-21 April 2001
For more information: International Kolping Society, General Secretary Hubert Tintelott, Phone: 49-221-2070 148, Email: ikw@kolping.de

World Forum On Early Care And Education
Athens, Greece, 24-27 April 2001 
Despite differences in culture, language, and economics, children of the world share a common need: early childhood experiences that enhance their growth and development. The World Forum aims to promote the improved delivery of quality services for children by bringing together early childhood administrators, trainers, NGO leaders, advocates, researchers and public officials to explore the hallmarks of quality. 
Further information: Child Care Information Exchange, PO Box 3249, Redmond WA 98073-3249, USA, Phone: 1-425-883 3243, Fax: 1-425-867 5217, Email: ccie@ccie.com 

International Kolping Society: Biotechnological Development And Its Effects On Families
Teisendorf, Germany, 27-29 April 2001
For more information: International Kolping Society, General Secretary Hubert Tintelott, Phone: 49-221-2070 148, Email: ikw@kolping.de

Out Of Control And In Your School - Reducing Antisocial Behaviour In School
London, United Kingdom, 1 May 2001
Kidscape is a registered charity committed to keeping children safe from harm or abuse. This pioneering Kidscape conference will include: deterring and dealing with aggression in schools, social skills, anger control and moral reasoning. 
Further information: Kidscape, 2 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W ODH, United Kingdom, Phone: 44-207-730 3300, Fax: 44-207-730 7081, Web: http://www.kidscape.org.uk/kidscape

International Seminar On Racism And Xenophobia
Vienna International Centre, Austria, 7 May 2001
Organised by the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the NGO Committee on Ageing, Development, Family, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Peace and Women, this Seminar will highlight the Untied National International Year of Mobilisation Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racial Intolerance. Only written registration accepted.
Contact: CONGO Vienna Office, Fax: 43-1-26060 5985, Email: congongo@unvienna.org

Exit - Ways Out Of Violence For Children And Youth
Osnabruck, Germany, 8-10 May 2001
This conference is organised by the children's aid organisation Terres des Hommes, Germany e.V., and the City of Peace, Osnabruck. The conference aims to set into motion an exchange of experience between the 'North' and the 'South' concerning the causes, the incidence and - above all - the possible solutions for ways out of violence executed by children and youth. 
Further information: Terre des Hommes, Deutschland e.V, P.O. Box 4126, 49031 Osnabruck, Germany, Phone: 49-541-7101 135, Fax: 49-541-707233, Email: exit@tdh.de

International Symposium On Building Family Strengths
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA, 8-10 May 2001
Families all over the world address common issues and share common problems and concerns. The Building Family Strengths International Symposium offers an opportunity to hear research, public policy analyses, effective approaches in teaching, and programmes that work. 
Further information: Building Family Strengths International Symposium, Dept. of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE 68583-0801, USA, Phone: 1-402-472 8209, Email: cwills2@unl.edu, Web: http://familystrengths.unl.edu/

Beyond The Myths: A Conference On Improving Community And Professional Responses To The Needs Of Families Headed By Parents With Exceptional Learning Needs
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 25-27 May 2001
Presenters and participants will share their knowledge and experiences in applying successful approaches which optimise children's safety, health and development and which build parents' and families' capacities and skills. Conference presentations will focus primarily on experience and practice in Canada, the United States and Australia. The conference has five overlapping themes: history; experiences of families; parenting assessment and education; family support issues; legal issues and advocacy. 
For information: Sue Morgan (registration), Phone: 1-250-386 0252, Email: sjmorgan@telus.net; or Fred Ford (programme), Phone: 1-250-388 9571, Email: jfford@home.com, Web: http://members.home.net/beyond-the-myths/

The Child As A Citizen In Europe - Conference On The Rights Of The Child 
Orebro, Sweden, 30-31 May 2001
Taking the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as its starting point, the Orebro Conference on the Rights of the Child will address issues concerning the status of the child within EU member states and applicant states, and it will highlight the importance of realising an active child policy in Europe. The themes of the conference will be 'Children and Poverty', 'Ethnic Minorities', 'Separated Refugee Children', 'Sexually Exploited Children' and 'Children with Functional Disabilities'. Speakers from all parts of Europe will be sharing their insight into these issues, and the topics will be debated in talks, workshops and panel debates. 
Further information: Ms Gunnel Olsson, Phone: 46-19-211 582, Email: info@children2001.org, Web: http://www.children2001.org/english/index.asp

Demographic Conference
Helsinki, Finland, 7-9 June 2001
Organised jointly by the Family Federation of Finland, the European Association for Population Studies (EAPS), Statistics Finland and the Finnish Demographic Society. The Conference aims at providing insights into the variations in European population trends and patterns, the various contexts which shape this variety and its multiple consequences. A full range of population issues will be covered by this general conference and although its main focus is on Europe’s population the conference will also address global population issues. The themes of this conference include also ‘Families and Households’, ‘Population Ageing’, ‘Fertility, Contraception and Reproductive Health’.
Contact: Stina Fågel, M.A. (Educ.), Research Secretary, Population Research Institute, Iso Roobertinkatu 20-22, P.O. Box 849, 00101 Helsinki, Finland, Phone: 358-9-228 05 120, Fax: 358-9-6121 211, Email: stina.fagel@vaestoliitto.fi, Web: http://www.vaestoliitto.fi/EAPS2001.htm

A Question Of Time: Partners, Parents: Perceptions And Priorities
Stockholm, Sweden, 17-20 June 2001
The International Commission on Marriage and Interpersonal Relations (ICMIR) will devote its Year 2001 International Conference to a multi-disciplinary examination of the ways that family relationships are affected by the different concepts and uses of time found throughout the world. Keynote speakers will explore the subject in terms of individuals' relationships, family structures, and the wider society. Workshops will address related issues arising from legislation, social policy, employment practices, migration, cultural diversity, children’s' welfare, and approaches to relationship therapy. The conference participants, themselves leaders in their professional fields, will extend the work of the Conference through their involvement in multi-national, inter-disciplinary group activity. This is ICMIR's 48th International Conference and it carries the Commission's work forward by once again providing a unique forum for the members of all those professions concerned with the welfare of people in their family settings.
Contact: Mrs. Gerlind Richards, General Secretary, ICMIR, 4 Barnfield Wood Close, Beckenham, Kent BR3 6SY, United Kingdom, Phone: 44-20-8663 0445, Fax: 44-20-8663 0445/8313 3247, Email: richards@icmir.fsnet.co.uk

Parental Substance Misuse: Children's Needs
London, United Kingdom, 21 June 2001 
This is a one-day conference exploring how the Department of Health Framework for the assessment of children in need and their families can assist work with children of substance misusing parents. 
Further information: Caroline Skinner, Consultation, Advice and Training Services, P.O. Box 339, Guildford Surry GU1 2YX, United Kingdom, Phone/Fax: 44-1483-855 803, Email: c.a.skinner@ntlworld.com

Family Therapy 2001 'Travelling Through Time And Space'
Budapest, Hungary, 27-30 June 2001
Jointly organised by the European Family Therapy Association (EFTA) and the Hungarian Family Therapy Association. Main topics of the IVth European Conference and the XVth Hungarian National Conference on Family Therapy will be: Family Therapy in Medicine, Family Therapy and the Social Sciences, Changing Approaches to Research in Family Therapy, Philosophies of Training in Family Therapy, Family Therapy in Different Cultural Contexts, Family Therapy and the Media, Narrative, Language and Psychotherapy, Couple Therapy, Sex Therapy, Pharmacology, Biotechnology and the Family, Passions and Addictions, Systemic Approaches to Family Businesses, The Evolution of Family Therapy in Clinical Practice, Systemic Approaches in Non-Clinical Contexts. Official languages: English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian and Spanish. Translation will be provided for the plenary sessions. 
Further information: Mr. Tamas Kurimay M.D. Ph.D., Hungarian Family Therapy Association, Kœtvšlgyi œt 4, 1125 Budapest, Hungary, Phone/Fax: 36-1-200 9844, Phone: 36-1-391 0313, Email: familyth@matavnet.hu, Web: http://www.c3.hu/~familyth

Fourth Child And Family Policy Conference - Children And Young People: Their Environments
Dunedin, New Zealand, 28-30 June 2001 
The Children's Issues Centre from the University of Otago is sponsoring this conference. Topics covered will include: natural and outdoor environments; participation and involvement; contexts and neighbourhoods; play and recreation areas; planning - local and central government; social and economic environments; virtual environments; learning and therapeutic environments; and safe and unsafe environments. 
Further information: Children and Young People: Their Environments, Children's Issues Centre, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand, Phone: 64-3-479 5038, Fax: 64-3-479 5039, Email: cic@otago.ac.nz

Creating A New Era Of Family: Tradition, Transition And Transformation
Taipei, Taiwan, 17-20 July 2001
The purpose of this 11th International Congress of the Asian Regional Association for Home Economics is to consider what kinds of family transitions have confronted Taiwan recently and how other countries are responding to their own transformations to ensure the cohesiveness of the family unit.
Contact: Round Table PCO, 3F, Lane 415, Kuangfu South Road, 110 Taipei, Taiwan, Phone: 886-2-2758 2602, Fax: 886-2-2729 8638, Email: arahe11@rtpco.com.tw, Web: http://www.ntnu.edu.tw/hme

7th International Family Violence Research Conference
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA, 22-25 July 2001
This conference is sponsored by the Family Research Laboratory and Crimes Against Children Research Centre at the University of New Hampshire, and is part of an ongoing series of conferences on all aspects of family violence. The conference provides an opportunity for researchers and scientists/practitioners from a broad array of disciplines to come together for the purpose of sharing, integrating and critiquing accumulated knowledge on family violence.
Further information: Melissa Averill, Conference Facilitator, University of New Hampshire, 126 Horton Social Science Centre, Durham, NH 03824, USA, Phone: 1-603-862 0767, Fax: 1-603-862 1122, Email: maverill@hopper.unh.edu, Web: http://www.unh.edu/frl

World Assembly Of The International Confederation Of Christian Family Movements 
Maceio, State of Alagoas, Brazil, 25-29 July 2001
On the theme ‘Ethics of Life in a Globalised and Excluding World’.
Contact: Jose and Margarita Pich, World Presidents ICCFM – CIMFC, Phone/Fax: 93-540-2007, Email: lamarkis@adam.es

4th International Conference On The Prevention And Treatment Of Dependencies: ‘Science Meets Practice’
Heidelberg, Germany, 2-6 September 2001
Organised by the International Council on Alcoholism and Addictions (ICAA). Topics include: Diversification of Treatment and Management – changing paradigms; Addiction Research and Practice – across five continents; Smoking as a Habit and Addiction – the public health problem; Occupational Health, Substance Use, Productivity and Profit - relationship; round table on ‘Abstinence and substance use – a health issue?’. Besides these main topics, it is planned to address in approx. 20 sections and special events all issues of addiction related subjects, among these a youth forum and an extensive exhibition forum. Simultaneous translation of the core programme in English/French/German will be provided.
ICAA is also seeking sponsorship from journalists/publication houses that play an important role in the dissemination of information in the field of substance and addiction. The sponsorship scheme can be obtained from the address below.
Contact: ICAA, P.O. Box 189, CH-1001 Lausanne, Switzerland, Phone: 41-21-320 9865, Fax: 41-21-320 9817, Email: secretariat@icaa.ch, Web: http://www.icaa.ch or http://www.fachklinikeiterbach.de 

Inaugural Pan Pacific Family Therapy Conference - Voices ... Across Culture, Time And Sea
Melbourne, Australia, 4-7 September 2001 
This event will honour family therapy's past, confront the present and embrace the future across different clinical and cultural contexts. International speakers include Dr. Salvador Minuchin and Dr. Alan Gurman. The Congress will draw together practitioners, researchers, educators, trainers and students of family therapy. Each day of the Congress will emphasise a different aspect of the theme. Presenters are welcome to interpret 'culture', 'time', and 'sea' and their relevance to therapy in the broadest sense. 
For further information please contact: Inaugural Pan Pacific Family Therapy Conference (PPFTC), PR Conference Consultants, P.O. Box 2954, Fitzroy Delivery Centre, Victoria 3065, Australia, Web: http://www.anzjft.com/conference2001

World Congress On Family Law And The Rights Of Children And Youth
Bath, United Kingdom, 18-21 September 2001
Further information: Capital Conferences Pty Ltd, PO Box N399, Grosvenor Place NSW 1220, United Kingdom, Phone: 44-20-9252 3388, Fax: 44-20-9241 5282, Email: capcon@ozemail.com.au 

Marriage And Relationship Education National Conference
Melbourne, Australia, 21-24 September 2001
The theme of this conference from the Marriage Educators Association of Australia and the Catholic Society for Marriage Education is 2001: odyssey of discovery - dealing with differences. It will provide an opportunity to explore current and emerging issues associated with the developing field of marriage and relationship education, consider innovative models of service delivery and practice, and share a wide range of relevant experiences from both international and domestic perspectives. Papers are invited, to be received by 30 April 2001. 
Further information: MARENC 2001, P.O. Box 324, North Geelong, Victoria 3215, Australia, Email: fgiggins@bethany.org.au

Second World Conference On Family Violence
Prague, Czech Republic, October 2001
This conference will address the area of intergenerational family violence, specifically in relation to: child abuse, spouse/partner abuse and elder abuse - with emphasis on new, tested solutions world wide in prevention and treatment. 
Further information: International Network on Family Violence (INFV), c/o National Council on Child Abuse and Family Violence (NCCAFV), 1155 Connecticut Avenue NW, Fourth Floor, Washington, DC 20036, USA, Phone: 1-202 429 6695, Fax: 1-831-655 3930, Email: WCFV@aol.com, Web: http://www.nccafv.org/

European Federation Of The Elderly (EURAG)
recently held and will hold a number of meetings:
•	Europe on the Move - Movement, Health and Practice, 2-3 June 2000
•	Growing Older in a Foreign Country - Integration or Isolation?, Colloquy in Berlin, Germany, 26-27 October 2000
•	How to Use Movement, Music and Dance to Expand Your Brainpower, 25 November 2000
•	Access of Older People to Education, Colloquy in Vienna, Austria, 9 February 2001
•	Voluntary Work, Seminar in Berlin, Germany, April 2001
•	International Year of Volunteers, Colloquy in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, 20-23 June 2001
•	EURAG Congress, Turin, Italy, 20-27 May 2002
•	Second UN World Assembly on Ageing, Madrid, Spain, 2002, Web: http:www.un.org/esa/socdev/ageing
Request the newsletter: EURAG Information, Wielandgasse 9, A-8010 Graz, Austria, Phone: 43-316-814 608, Fax: 43-316 814 767, Email: eurag.europe@aon.at, Web: http://www.eurag.org

PUBLICATIONS

PARENTS FORUM, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, is happy to greet friends around the globe and announce the upcoming publication of their programme handbook for parents and their allies, entitled PARENTS FORUM Where The Heart Listens. The book, distilling ten years of programme experiences and written by the programme founder, Eve Sullivan, will be available through Atlas Books (www.atlasbooks.com).
Inquiries: Parents Forum, 144 Pemberton Street, Cambridge MA 02140-2509, USA, Email: info@parentsforum.org, Web: http://www.parentsforum.org (includes sample chapter of the book and the latest information on publication of Where the Heart Listens). 

The SOS-Kinderdorf Hermann Gmeiner Academy, entrusted with the pedagogical work of SOS-Kinderdorf International, issues twice a year the magazine FORUM, where relevant child-related issues are debated from a pedagogical and sociological point of view. The forthcoming issue is dedicated to the subject of ‘Families’ and contains articles about the changing meaning of family and childhood in Europe, the traditional and new family culture in Mali and Cameroon, the sociological meaning of relationship, family support in Social Centres in Bolivia, and reflections about the ‘family-like’ framework in the SOS Children's Villages. 
In case of interest, you can obtain a copy from: Claudia Schachinger, Email: Claudia.Schachinger@sos-kd.org

The United Nations Population Division reports that Europe may need to accept a substantial number of immigrants over the next 50 years to maintain the size of its workforce. Low fertility rates, among the lowest in the world, will be responsible for fewer young people and a significant increase in the proportions of older people. For example, to maintain its workforce at the 1995 level, Italy alone, whose population is projected to decline from the current level of 57 million to 41 million by 2050, would need 300,000 immigrants a year between 1995 and 2025. During the same period, it is estimated that Germany would need about 500,000 immigrants per year.
As reported in: World Population News Service (POPLINE) Vol. 22, March-April 2000, 107 Second Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002, USA, Web: http://www.populationinstitute.org

Family Policy In The Slovak Republic In 1999
The Bratislava International Centre for Family Studies published the above-titled booklet in July 2000. It indicates that the ‘[f]amily signifies mutual responsibility for each other and the family as a whole. In each family a particular member to a different extent shares diverse responsibilities. The degree of shared responsibility and ways of participating in 'family matters' are also - to a different degree - determined by the relationship between the family and the state.’ In CEE countries creating 'adequate ways' of supporting families means two things: first, to get rid of the outdated 'paternalistic' social programmes that do not correspond with principles of democracy and requirements of market economy, second, to create new programmes that would help families to achieve economic independence and to choose the appropriate form of family life.
The Conception of the State Family Policy, published by the Slovak Government, indicates that the basic strategic objectives of Slovak family policy are to:
•	achieve a relative economic independence of families based on strengthened responsibility of individuals and families for their well-being
•	support stability and quality of family relations (married couples and parents and children) in order to achieve equality and fair division of family duties and roles
•	create optimum conditions for self-reproduction of society
•	adopt such measures that enable parents to chose between the family and work
The role of the state in the realisation of these long-term objectives lies mostly in the ‘...sphere of legal protection of the family and its individual members, in the area of socio-economic security of the family, via supporting responsible behaviour of children and the youth towards partnership and parenting, and via health protection of individuals’.
From: Bulletin 2/2000, Bratislava International Centre for Family Studies, Drotarska cesta 46, 81104 Bratislava, Slovak Republic, Phone: 421-7-6280 2592; Fax: 421-7-6280 2692, Email: bicfs@bicfs.sk

Families As We Are, Conversations From Around The World
Perdita Huston, a journalist/author specialised in giving voice to those from whom we don't ordinarily hear, and long-time UN consultant, received grants from five specialised agencies (UNICEF, UNDP, UNIFEM, UNFPA and UNEP) plus the IYF Secretariat in 1994 in order to travel to eleven countries and interview three generations of families of differing socio-economic backgrounds. The idea was to capture the experience/opinions of families as they spoke about family and the changes that have taken place in their lifetime in family structure and relationships. Ms Huston interviewed families in Japan, Bangladesh, Thailand, China, Mali, Uganda, Egypt, Jordan, El Salvador, Brazil and the United States. The conversations touched upon the entire range of UN agencies' mission: children, ageing, environment, demographic issues, indigenous people, human rights, refugees, the status of women, development, etc. The book is to be released in April 2001 by the Feminist Press at the City University of New York and plans are being made to involve the representatives of the UN agencies in launching the book on the International Day of the Family, 15 May. Mr. Henryk Sokalski, now based in Washington DC, is one of those who will contribute comments on the book. 
For further information, please contact: Ms Lisa London, Email: llondon@gc.cuny.edu

Periodicals & Magazines

Family Matters
Research journal of the Australian Institute of Family Studies - the principal means by which the Australian and international community is informed about Institute- and other family-related research. It contains the latest Institute research and contributions from Australia's most respected social scientists, social policy analysts, service provider and research agencies. All research papers are subject to a formal review process. 
Contact: Australian Institute of Family Studies, 300 Queen Street, Melbourne Vic 3000, Australia, Phone: 61-3-9214 7888, Fax: 61-3-9214 7839, Web: http://www.aifs.org.au, Email: webmaster@aifs.org.au

Studies In Family Planning
Peer-reviewed international quarterly concerned with all aspects of reproductive health, fertility regulation, and family planning programmes in both developing and developed countries. Read original research articles, reports, commentary, book reviews and a data section with findings for individual countries from the Demographic and Health Surveys. Abstracts of journal articles and reports are also included in each issue. 
Contact: Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA, Phone: 1-212-339 0514, Fax: 1-212-755 6052, Email: pubinfo@popcouncil.org

Family Policy
Family Research Council's oldest regular publication, interprets cultural, social, and political trends through the lens of a public philosophy that seeks to strengthen family-centred mediating institutions, including marriage, extended family, neighbourhood school, and church. Each bimonthly issue features a full-length essay providing in-depth, engaging analysis of one family-related issue along with sidebars highlighting related topics. Now in its twelfth year, Family Policy has explored subjects including tax fairness for families, education policy that returns decision-making to local communities and parents, and the historical and cultural context of the sexual revolution. 
Contact: Family Research Council, 801 G Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001, USA, Phone: 1-202-393 2100, Fax: 1-202-393 2134.

FEEDBACK, the ICOMP (Newsletter in English on Management of Population Programmes), 141 Jalan Dahlia, Taman Uda Jaya, 68000 Ampang, Selangor D.E., Malaysia, Phone: 60-3-457 3234, Fax: 60-3-456 0029, Email: popmgt@po.jaring.my, Web: http://www.icomp.org.my

SOS PAPA (Magazine in French on rights and responsibilities of fathers), 34, rue du Président Wilson, B.P. 49, F-78231 Le Pecq Cedex, France.

Positive Parenting Project, Save The Children Fund Scotland, Haymarket House, 8 Clifton Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 5DR, United Kingdom, Phone: 44-131-527 8200, Fax: 44-131-527 8201, Email: m.currie@scfuk.org.uk

COFACE Contact (a newsletter in English on family policy in Europe), Rue de Londres, 17, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium, Phone: 32-2-511 4179, Fax: 32-2-514 4773, Email: coface@email.mig.be

PARENTS’ FORUM announces The War Against Parents, by Sylvia Ann Hewitt and Cornel West. ‘A parents' bill of rights calling for parents to have time to care for their children and economic security to provide for them, along with pro-family electoral and legal systems a supportive external environment (including good schooling, adequate health care and responsible media) as well as recognition and respect for the work they do.’ Houghton Mifflin Co., 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116, USA.
Newsletters, books, kits, handbooks & videos of the Family Caring Trust, 8 Ashtree Enterprise Park, Newry, County Down BT34 1BY, Republic of Ireland.

Building Family Networks In Central And Eastern European Countries, Special Issue of Families International. A compilation of family organisations. Available from: Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, Martinstrasse 92/3, A-1180 Vienna, Austria.

WFD News, Publication by the World Federation of the Deaf, 13D, Chemin du Levant, F-01210 Ferney-Voltaire, France, Fax: 46-8 442 1499 (Sweden), Email: carol-lee.acquiline@wfdnews.org

EURAG Newsletter, European Federation of the Elderly, Wielandgasse 9, A-8010 Graz, Austria, Phone: 43-316-814 608, Fax: 43-316 814 767, Email: eurag.europe@aon.at, Web: http://www.eurag.org

Sexologia Y Sociedad (Spanish). A periodical of the Centro Nacional de Educacion Sexual, Ave. 19, No. 851 esquina a 4, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolucion, Ciudad de Habana, Cuba.

Reperes. Le magazine de l'Ecole des Parents et des Educateurs. Newsletter, Contact: Claire Guitard, Place des Acacias, 14, 1040 Bruxelles, Belgium, Email: epebelgique@swing.be

Projects of the Vienna NGO Committee on the Family are supported by:

•	Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Bäuerinnen in Niederösterreich
•	Austrian Federal Government 
•	Bank Austria
•	Creditanstalt Bankverein
•	European Commission
•	Government of Germany
•	Government of Liechtenstein
•	Government of Luxembourg
•	Government of Spain, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands
•	INGOs
•	Niederösterreichische Landesregierung
•	Niederösterreichische Versicherungs AG
•	OMV
•	Shell Austria AG
•	Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield Equipment AG
•	Rotary International
•	United Nations Trust Fund on Family Activities

THE Vienna NGO Committee on the Family WILL BE HAPPY TO FORWARD CONTACT ADDRESSES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON NOTICES IN THIS ISSUE.

‘Families International’ an information-sharing bulletin published by:
Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, Martinstrasse 92/3, A-1180 Vienna, Austria, Phone/Fax: 43-1-405 89 01, Email: famcom.vienna@utanet.at 
Printed by in-house duplication. The views published do not necessarily reflect the views of the members of the Vienna NGO Committee on the Family. 
Editors: Editorial Committee: Peter Crowley, Eva Matt, Winston Sims.
Co-Editors: Eva Matt, Winston Sims.
Layout: Sabine Führer.

SPECIAL FEATURE:
International Day of Families and
the International Year of Volunteers