December 2003, Nos. 48/49

Deadline for contributions: 27.02.2004
					
Vienna NGO Committee on the Family
*Brunngasse 12/2, A-3100 St. Pölten, Austria
Phone: 43-2742-352718, Fax: 43-1-352718-5
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, we want to thank you for your contributions that make up this edition. We cannot publish this Bulletin without your help. 
You are invited to collaborate and to send us your contributions as well as your suggestions as to topics for future issues. 

Eva Matt and Winston Sims

Table of Contents

VIENNA NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILY
SPECIAL FEATURE
Accompanying research on the implementation of the new German children’s rights law in Germany	2
	
FAMILY-RELATED NGO NEWS 		8
	
RECENT AND FORTHCOMING EVENTS 	11

NEWS FROM THE UNITED NATIONS 	14

UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GERERAL’S MESSAGE 
ON THE LAUNCH OF THE OBSERVANCE OF THE 
10th ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF 
THE FAMILY (2004)             	26

DIVORCE AND JOINT CUSTODY

Special feature: Accompanying Research on the Implementation of the New German Children's Rights Law in Germany

Prof. Dr. jur. Roland Proksch
Lutheran University of Applied Sciences Nürnberg
Paper presented at the Vienna NGO Committee on the Family:
Essential Results, Considerable Effects on Children and Divorcing Parents

1.	Stresses of Separation and Divorce 
Separation and divorce are major crisis events for parents and their children. Both mean a high emotional, social and big economic burden for them. Feelings of vulnerability, abandonment, rage, disappointment and loss must be processed. The former spouses must achieve an emotional distance in respect of each other. As parents, they have to develop or maintain a (new) satisfactory, cooperative communicative relationship with and toward each other and toward their children. 

If parents do not find satisfactory settlements after their divorce, in particular, in respect of access and maintenance, there is bound to be considerable argument. Conflicts between couples that continue to smoulder, deficiencies in communication and cooperation as well as difficult financial conditions are stress factors. They make it difficult to reach a satisfactory post divorce management. This places a burden on parents and children alike. Often throughout their lives.

2.	Relief for Parents and Children
The type of relationship post divorce parents practise, their ability and will to communicate and cooperate with each other is of decisive importance for lifting or imposing a burden on their children.

Children of parents who succeed in jointly organizing their parental responsibility have the fewest problems in managing the consequences of separation and divorce well. By contrast, children become (remain) psychosocially conspicuous when their parents refuse contact with each other or organize contact in a hostile way.

Important factors for promoting a positive relationship on the part of the parents toward their children are, organizing parental custody, access and maintenance for the benefit of the child. This presupposes, however, that both parents accept the need for a solid, regular and trustful relationship of mother and father toward their child. To this end, it is necessary that mother and father accept and respect each other in their parental roles and parental responsibility.
3.	Deficits and Problems of the Former German Family Law
The former German Family Law had shown several deficits and problems. The majority of problems had occurred in cases of separation and divorce.

There was no law for joint custody. Family courts decided according to the rules that the 
Federal Constitutional Court had set up in 1982. Joint custody remained the exception. In 1995 an average of 17% of divorcing parents got joint custody. The figures ranged throughout the regions of Germany from 2% to 27%. Normally the mothers got sole custody and became primary carers. Fathers saw themselves excluded as a parent. This was a permanent source of many conflicts.

In divorce cases the issues of divorce and custody had to be combined. Family courts could not grant the divorce without deciding over custody at the same time. So the issue of divorce caused additional conflicts because of the parents fight over custody.

The child did not have a proper right of access to the other parent. A non-married mother was entitled to decide whether the father got access to his child or not. In consequence after one year of separation, 50% of these children had no relations with the other parent any more, in most cases, with their fathers. As a result: fathers did not pay proper child support.

4.	New German Children’s Rights Law Enforced 1998:
Since July 1998 in Germany a new law on parents and children has been in effect. Reasons for the new legislation were:
-	to adjust German Family Law to the UN-Convention on the Rights of the Child;
-	to adjust German Family Law to decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court;
-	to unify German Family Law because of the German Reunification;
-	changing attitudes of society towards illegitimate parental relations;
-	increasing divorce figures.

4.1	Goals of the New German Children’s Rights Law
The goals of the new law were:
-	improvement in the children’s rights, especially by stating their right of access towards mother and father;
-	promoting the relationship of the child toward both its parents;
-	strengthening parental relationship towards the children after speration/divorce;
-	increasing the chance of positive responsibility of mothers and fathers towards their children after speration/divorce;
-	promoting joint (legal) custody;
-	strengthening parental autonomy;
-	creating parity of treatment for illegitimate / legitimate children.

4.2	Main Principles of the New German Children’s Rights Law
Promoting joint (legal) custody:
Separated or divorced parents maintain joint legal custody. To promote joint custody the primary caring parent is entitled to decide on all every-day living issues on his own. Only on the petition of one parent, the family court has to decide whether parents have to maintain joint custody or whether sole custody has to be transferred to the filing parent. Sole custody is (only) to grant to the filing parent, if this would be in the best interest of the child. 

Setting up the right of the child to have access with both parents:
The child has the right of access to both parents. Both parents are obliged to grant and to accept this express right of their child.

Providing the necessary support and counselling for divorcing or separating parents:
Parents shall exercise parental authority as a personal responsibility and by mutual consent for the benefit of their child. Therefore appropriate and suitable counselling services should promote parental cooperation and communication so that post divorce parents could reach satisfactory out-of-court agreements by themselves. To promote that, the courts have to inform filing parents about suitable counselling services. Judges could suspend court proceedings to enable parents to reach mutual agreements.

5.	Disputes During Legislation
During legislation big disputes arose, whether separated or divorced parents in general would be able to live and practise joint custody without having conflicts. They doubted that joint custody as a rule would be in the best interest of the child. They feared that parents would continue to quarrel on an even higher level which might harm the child.
Women groups argued that it would not be correct to reduce mothers’ rights and to improve fathers’ rights, while mothers still have the burden to fulfil all duties of caring the child. 

6.	Setting of the Implementation Research
Because of these disputes federal parliament forced the federal government to set up an evaluation study about the effects of the new law. 

6.1	Setting
Commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Justice, the Nuremberg law professor, Dr. Roland Proksch, evaluated the new law from 1999 till 2002. With his evaluation he completed the first comprehensive representative study on divorced parents and their children in Germany. 

Responses of 7,008 (23%) parents (1st interview 1999/2000) and 4,373 parents (2nd interview 2001/2002), of 809 (45%) judges, 904 (25%) family lawyers and 301 (50%) youth welfare offices have been evaluated. The parents voluntarily worked through a 24-page questionnaire twice. Detailed personal discussions with divorced parents and 131 children of all ages completed the practical study. The data make it possible to make powerful, comparative considerations about the living situations of parents with joint or sole parental custody and of their children as well as of the effects of the new law.

6.2	Object of the investigation:
The following areas were the object of the investigation:
-	the situation of the affected children and their parents, in particular, their psychological and economic situation after separation and divorce;
-	the reasons and the practical (longer-term) effects of maintaining joint parental custody or of transferring sole custody to mother or father (in particular, access contacts with the child; maintenance payments, parental relationships with each other and with the child);
-	the post-marital relationships of the parents with each other and with their children; 
-	the involvement of children and parents during the divorce proceedings;
-	the significance of counselling;
-	experience in practice (judges, lawyers and youth welfare offices) with the new law.

The situation of mothers and fathers with sole or with joint custody were compared. In addition research looked at those parents whose petitions for sole custody were rejected by the courts. The results provided for the first time scientific confirmation of the supposition that joint parental custody has the function of benefiting both parents and the child. After four years of intensive research the results of the comprehensive and scientifically based representative study on the situation of divorced parents are now available in Germany.

7.	General Research Results
The research gives answers in particular to the following questions: 
-	how the new law provides considerable relief from burdens for parents and their children;
-	how the new law promotes continuous joint parental responsibility;
-	how the new law promotes satisfying access agreements;
-	how the new law promotes the child’ right of access;
-	how joint or sole parental custody regulations integrate children und parents, secure their maintenance, provide parents more opportunities to go back or to stay at work;
-	how the new law has the effect of reducing and decreasing conflicts?

7.1	Overall results of the study
The legal framework of the German Children’s Rights Law provides 
-	a structurally supportive effect for promoting joint parental custody and thus access, 
-	satisfactory regulations of maintenance,
-	consensual out-of-court settlements of conflicts by the parents themselves. 

Viewed overall, joint parental custody is more appropriate than sole parental custody:
-	for having a positive effect on communication, cooperation and the reciprocal provision of information by the parents with each other in respect of their children;
-	for maintaining and supporting the children’s contact with both parents to the benefit of the child and his parents;
-	for reducing the level of conflict between the parents and avoiding / decreasing judicial disputes;
-	for lessening harm to the children as a result of separation and divorce;
-	for improving the parents’ motivation to make settlements of their own;
-	for making and observing financially satisfactory maintenance settlements.

To judge these results properly one has to keep in mind that one third of the interviewed parents with joint custody formerly had filed for sole custody but got rejected by the courts. 

7.2	General results of the study
The parent who has principal care often does not consent to the access claims of the non custodial parent. To a great extent, sole parental custody jeopardizes child’s access right to the non custodial parent. This leads to and intensifies conflicts between these parents. The present practice in proceedings, in particular court enforcement is less a matter of supporting the rights of the child to access than of supporting the interests of the opposing parent. 

Mothers and fathers in the same situation (custodial or non custodial parent) behave in a very comparable manner.

Parents with joint parental custody organize and practise access to their children on a quantitatively and qualitatively “generous” basis. They organize and practise maintenance settlements in a fundamentally more satisfactory and more reliable way than parents with sole parental custody.

Parents with joint parental custody cooperate and communicate with each other in a predominantly satisfactory way. They prefer to make settlements themselves on a consensual basis. They therefore make remarkably fewer calls on the courts than parents with sole parental custody.

8.	Effects of the New German Children’s Rights Law 

8.1	Increasing joint parental custody
Joint custody increased continuously with the new law:
In 1999 an average of 70 % of divorcing parents maintained joint parental custody, 2000 75 %, 2001 80%. This means an increase of more than 400% in comparison with the 17 % before the new law was in effect.
These figures demonstrate that joint parental custody has, in cases of divorce, become (chiefly) the “usual” model of custody. When in doubt, parents obviously decide in favour of maintaining joint parental custody, even if they do not take it as an “ideal” post-marital organization of parental responsibility. They acknowledge that joint parental custody is the better alternative when parents make a satisfactory settlement with each other in respect of their children.

Joint parental custody is not a “special phenomenon” on the part of “selected” parents. This is supported by the sociodemographic structure of the parents (schooling, professional training). Joint parental custody was also fundamentally accepted among the interviewed divorced parents. It is further important to note that about one third of the parents practice joint custody although at least one of them had preferred sole custody in their divorce proceedings.

Misgivings and reservations, still expressed in respect of joint parental custody by some groups, miss the point from the child’s perspective. They do not consider the considerable deficiencies and conflicts in the relationships of parents with sole parental custody which burdens their children. 

It is true that joint parental custody requires the ability and the will on the part of the parents to communicate and to cooperate. But it is true too those parents must have this ability, in particular to settle access child support issues. Whereas, however, joint parental custody structurally promotes cooperation and communication on the part of parents, this is absent in the case of sole parental custody.

In particular in the case of parents who endeavour (litigiously) to obtain sole custody, partnership conflicts continue to determine their post-marital relationships. After a judicial decision the parents’ conflicting relationship will frequently further intensify and continue, to the detriment of their children.

8.2	Communication and Cooperation
Out-of-court dispute settlings are reached “by discussion between mother and father” by 66.8% of parents with joint custody, 
34.9% of parents with sole parental custody.
68.2% of parents with joint custody (43.4% of parents with sole custody) provide access contacts by “their own out-of-court agreement”.
5,2 % of parents with joint custody, 10,0 % of parents with sole custody need a “court’s decision”. 
18,7 % of parents with joint custody, 37,1 % of parents do not try to get to a solution.

8.3	Providing access
The results of the interviews confirm the earlier research results that, in particular in the case of children of parents who have gained sole custody by litigious means, there is a considerable risk of contact with the non custodial parent. In particular, the non custodial parents state that the custodial parent has prevented contact. On the other hand custodial parents concede that they themselves “no longer want” the contact. They hardly need to fear judicial sanctions. Judicial possibilities of court enforcement measures exist. But it seems they are nothing but “theoretical options”. They are only seldom successful in practice. In addition, the long duration of enforcement proceedings serves the intentions of the parent who is enforcing the boycott.

Access regulations
Disputes over access are pursued in a highly conflicting way. Applications are made for measures for court enforcement. Proceedings frequently result in an intensification of the conflict. Generally they do not lead to the desired satisfactory settlement of post-marital parenthood.

68,2% of the parents with joint custody and 43,45 % with sole custody get an access agreement by themselves.
14,8 % of the parents with joint custody and 35,,2 % with sole custody need a court decision.

Regular access
Two years after divorce 34.0% of the non custodial (sole parental custody) parents have “no access at all” to their child, 16.8% “only seldom”;
5.0% of the parents with joint parental custody parents have “no access at all”, 9,0 “only seldom”,
9.2% of the parents who have joint parental custody because their petition for sole custody was rejected have “no access at all”, 12.7 % “only seldom”.

Access over night
46.4 % of children of parents with joint custody (17.8 % of children of parents with sole custody) and 44.1 % of children of parents who have joint parental custody because their petition for sole custody was rejected stay over night at the non custodial parent’s regularly. 

16.7 % of children of parents with joint custody (51.8 % of children of parents with sole custody) and 21.9 % of children of parents who have joint parental custody because their petition for sole custody was rejected don’t stay regularly over night at the noncustodial parent’s. 
Following the results of the interviews, there is much to support the assumption that the settlement of access entails a larger potential for conflict on the part of parents with sole parental than the need for joint settlement of the child’s concerns on the part of parents with joint parental custody. 

Appreciation of child’s staying at the other parent’s
It seems that the attitude of parents whether they consent or dissent access reflects their appreciation of the child’s staying at the other parent’s.
61,3 % of fathers and 65,2 % of mothers with joint custody appreciate her child’s staying at the other parent’s. 
27,0 % of fathers and 32,8 % of mothers with sole custody appreciate her child’s staying at the other parent’s. 

8.4	Child support 
93,5 % of fathers with joint custody state that they pay child support, 86,7% of mothers confirm these statements.
88,4 % of non custodial fathers (mother has sole custody) state that they pay child support, 68,9 % of mothers confirm these statements.
If mothers are to pay child support the results show the following:
With joint custody, 42,0 % of mothers state that they pay child support, 40,5% of fathers confirm these statements.
With sole custody, 27,6 % of non custodial mothers state that they pay child support, 29,7 % of fathers confirm these statements.
76.6% of mothers with joint parental custody, 58.1% of mothers with sole parental custody declare that “child maintenance is currently being paid on a regular basis”.
41.9% of mothers with joint parental custody, 28.5% of mothers with sole parental custody, are “very satisfied / satisfied” with the current settlement of child maintenance. 29.3% of mothers with joint parental custody, 46.1% of mothers with sole parental custody, are “dissatisfied / very dissatisfied” with the current settlement of child maintenance.

8.5	Matrimonial maintenance
The “poverty situation” of parents who have joint parental custody and sole parental custody is fundamentally comparable: 74.7% (71.2%) of parents with joint parental custody and 79.6% (78.5%) of parents with sole parental custody had a net income up to a maximum of 1.700.- €.
In 1999 (2001), almost twice as many mothers with joint parental custody, 21.0% (16.9%), received matrimonial maintenance as mothers with sole parental custody, 12.4% (9.5%). Twice as many mothers with joint parental custody as mothers with sole parental custody who received matrimonial maintenance stated that matrimonial maintenance is regularly paid.

8.6	Level of satisfaction and dissatisfaction
A considerable tension between the parents with sole parental and non custodial parents is recognizable. This tension is not repeated in the same way between the corresponding parents with joint parental custody. It appears that sole parental custody, with the “owner of custody” on the one hand, and the “non-owner of custody” on the other, considerably promotes a competitive situation between these parents. This perpetuates and intensifies their relationship conflict, to the detriment of their children and that of the parents themselves. On the other hand it seems that joint custody creates a psychological effect of relief for the other parent. This causes less disputes and obviously leads to more mutual agreements in the child’s best interest.

The enormous tension between parents with sole parental custody is marked in the assessment of their satisfaction / dissatisfaction with parental custody. 

87.6% of the mothers who have principal care and sole parental custody are “very satisfied / satisfied” with their custody situation, but only 27.9% of the corresponding non custodial fathers. 

3.5% of the mothers who have principal care and sole parental custody are “dissatisfied / very dissatisfied”, but 48.5% of the corresponding non custodial fathers.

This same tension is not to be observed between the corresponding parents with joint custody.
48.6% of the mothers with joint custody and principal care are “very satisfied / satisfied” with their custody situation, 61.7% of the corresponding fathers. 
26.5% of the mothers with joint custody and principal care are “dissatisfied / very dissatisfied” with their custody situation, and 15.2% of the corresponding fathers.

8.7	Strengthening parental autonomy
Strengthening parental autonomy means for the parents initially a greater “decision-making autonomy of their own” but not, at the same time, however, an available decision-making competence. It is rather the case that the strengthened “decision-making autonomy” initially generates a demand for counselling in many cases. However, this was an important objective for the legislation when the new law was adopted.

In particular, a supportive counselling intervention on the part of the divorce-accompanying professional groups is decisive for successful post-marital parenthood. The ability of parents to use their own responsibility to settle conflicts should be promoted in the long term. They must be put in a position and motivated to settle their conflicts by themselves and by consensus instead of delegating an external decision to third parties. This requires an appropriate and suitable provision of counselling.

The acceptance of supportive counselling and assistance by (divorcing and divorced) parents is still markedly deficient. It must be checked as to how these deficiencies can be remedied.

8.8	Parents being on work
63,2 % of the primary caring mothers with joint custody are at work,
54,8 % of the primary caring mothers with soled custody are at work.
75,3 % of the non primary caring fathers with joint custody are at work,
64,4 % of the non custodial fathers (mother has soled custody) are at work.

8.9	Main residence of children
About 85% of children have their main residence at their mother’s, 13 % at their father’s. Obviously custody regulations influence this. Children of parents with joint custody have their main residence at their father’s twice so often as children of parents with sole custody.

9.	Requirement for counselling
The requirement for counselling on the part of parents with sole parental custody is uniformly assessed as being “very high / high” by the professional groups in contrast with that of the parents with joint parental custody. 
74.9% of the judges in the first instance, 67.2% of the judges at the higher regional court and 66.8% of the lawyers estimate the requirement for counselling on the part of parents with sole custody because of litigious judicial decisions to be “very high / high”.

In comparison 12.7% of the judges in the first instance, 25.4% of the judges at the higher regional court and 24.6% of the lawyers estimate the requirement for counselling on the part of parents with joint custody because of litigious judicial decisions to be “very high / high”.

10.	Lack of Adequate Counselling Facilities 
The present counselling facilities are evaluated as not (yet) being adequate. The professional groups see a marked necessity for expanding the provision of on-the-spot counselling, in particular for the specific counselling requirements of mothers / fathers who have / who do not have parental custody and who (have to) live with or without their children, as well as for the provision of consensus-oriented, out-of-court conflict settlement by the parents themselves such as in family mediation.

Judges and lawyers see a need for shorter waiting times, higher-quality and more numerous / more varied provisions. Lawyers see a need for mediation as a standard on-the-spot provision.

11.	Financial Situation of Divorced Parents
The financial situation of (many) (divorcing and divorced) parents with minors, irrespective of what form of custody they mainly live in, is extremely difficult. The effects of a lack of money appear to be a considerable stress factor. Tax burdens (loss of the splitting advantage, limited possibilities for the deduction of children / care costs) and the need to establish and to finance a second household represent an existential burden for mothers and fathers after a divorce. Mothers and fathers who do not have the principal care of the children have, in addition to their maintenance obligations, to bear costs of provision (e.g. housing costs) for access to their children as well as general access costs (transport costs), which are also extremely burdensome.

A lack of care facilities for children as well as the difficult labour market situation make it difficult for mothers and fathers to take up work. This is not only a financial burden for parents, it is also a psychological burden. It is therefore of major importance that parents can provide relief for each other. The absence of satisfactory cooperation and communication is a particular obstacle for parents with sole parental custody. For this reason too, it is important to establish specific counselling aids which require and promote communication and cooperation on the part of the respective parents as needs arise.

12.	Conclusions
Separation and divorce are crisis procedures for parents as well as for children. Parents usually do not have experienced behaviour or management patterns available to them. Conflicts often remain unresolved. Unresolved conflicts outlast the divorce and impose a burden on parents and minors. 

The legal framework of the new German Children’s Rights Law provides a structurally supportive effect for promoting joint custody. Joint custody generally is more appropriate than sole custody to reduce or prevent conflicts between the post divorce parents and to ensure the best interest of the child. Parents with joint custody cooperate and communicate with each other in a predominantly satisfactory way. They prefer to make settlements themselves on a consensual basis. They therefore make markedly fewer calls on the courts than parents with sole custody.

The sole custodial parent who has principal care often does not consent to the access claims of the non custodial parent, which leads to highly conflicted court actions. This increases and lengthens post divorce conflicts. The present practice of court enforcement is less a matter of supporting the rights of the child to access than of supporting the interests of the opposing parent.

Family related NGO News

Emmy Schwarzl, EUW
European Union of Women
has held its 25th General Assembly in July 2003 in Graz, Austria. A new Executive was elected and a new International Chairman, viz. Ms. Ingrid Tichy-Schreder, Austria, former acting chairman of the Austrian Section. Ms. Fanny Palli-Petralia, a member of the Greek parliament, after four years of international presidency had stepped down in favour of her new position as chairman of the International Women’s Democrat Union.
At the same time the European Union of Women celebrated the 50th anniversary of its foundation which took place in 1953 in Salzburg, Austria, on the initiative of the Austrian member of Parliament, Lola Solar.
Welcoming an commemorating speeches were held by the Mayor of Graz, Siegfried Nagl, Waltraud Klasnic, Head of the Government of Styria, Maria Rauch-Kallat, Austrian Federal Minister of Women and Health, formerly for Family Affairs, and Minister for Culture, Education and Research, Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, Luxemburg.
For half a century the European Union of Women creates “communication bridges” among women of all of Europe and works for the strengthening and deepening of the influence of women in political and social life.

European Union of Women – Workshop
On occasion of the recent General Assembly in Graz, Austria, a Workshop was held “Building Bridges between People of Different Cultures” with the objective “Shared Solutions to Common Problems”.
Increasing diversity of our populations, the movement of people, the special difficulties that women and families have in integrating into a different society, can create problems both for the minority groups and for the indigenous population. Xenophobismen and intolerance are born of misunderstandings and fear of cultural insecurity.
Women in all cultures have a crucial role in
-	retaining the family’s cultural identity in a different environment and
-	integrating the family into the host society.
Women can be the bridges between different cultures to the benefit of them and their families. Children can become a key link. Having a family increases contacts with the receiving society and especially through the children at school. Local governments can come in contact with women in its provision of child care and family assistance, creating opportunities for education.
Resolution:
1.	European countries should require all immigrants to learn the language of their adopted country and all countries should have a legal obligation to provide language teaching and education about its culture and institutions.
2.	There should be an easily accessible European-wide coordination of funding for NGOs working with language teaching.
3.	There should be an official valuation of different non-European education systems, accessible to employers.

Family Support America 

'FSA' (www.familysupportamerica.org) will hold its tenth Biennial National Conference May 12-15, 2004, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Illinois USA.  Research done over the past two years has increasingly stressed the critical role of family support in positive outcomes for children and families. 
As conference coordinator Guy Schingoethe stresses, "This conference will highlight important new findings and showcase cutting-edge strategies for strengthening families and communities and will provide learning opportunities for attendees of all levels of experience."

More than 2,000 participants are expected, including parent and community leaders, educators, social workers, child welfare workers, government agency personnel, administrators, parent educators, youth workers, researchers, program evaluators and business leaders along with family support, health, community development, work-life and human resources professionals. Take advantage of the lowest rates since 1998 including early registration prices good only until January 31, 2004.
For more information on the conference, to request or download a registration form, or to register online, visit the FSA website:
www.familysupportamerica.org, or contact Family Support America
at +1 - 312 - 338-0900 (TEL), +1 - 312 - 338-1522 (FAX) or postal
address: 20 North Wacker Drive Suite #1100, Chicago IL USA.

Eleonore Hauer – Rona (ICW) reported on the General Assembly of the International Council of Women, held in Perth W.A. 31.8.-5.9.2003. A number of resolutions has been adopted, among them  “Education of Parents”, “Women and Drug Abuse”, “Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding/Maternity Leave and Breastfeeding”, all of them being relevant for the families. Elections were held (President from Singapore, First Vice President Eleonore Hauer-Rona, Austria). The theme 2003-2006 is “Women in Development – Water – The Girl Child”, a theme closely linked to family issues. An auction of a painting by a colleague from the Dominican Republic was very successful. The social programme was excellent. A seminar was held on “Women Wise Waterways”.

The National Council of Women Austria (NCW Austria), a branch of ICW held on 20 October 2003 a very successful benefit event for a peace school in Afghanistan. The event was held in the Ethnological Museum (Völkerkundemuseum) in the Neue Burg, Heldenplatz, in the frame of the Afghanistan exhibition. Under the patronage of the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Benita Ferrero-Waldner and under the umbrella of the UNESCO Commission Austria, Princess India of Afghanistan was speaking on “Afghanistan yesterday and today”. The laying of the foundation stone for the school took place on 8.8.2003. It will be a school for 900 girls and boys.

NCW Malta, also a branch of ICW, is organizing a course on parental skills “The Joys and Challenges of Parenting”. In five sessions from 10 October to 7 November 2003 the topics to be discussed include the cycle of behaviour; communications and listening skills; building self-esteem; and conflict management. The aim of the course is to respond to the needs of parents in a flexible and relevant manner by building on their experience, skills and strengths. The focus will be on children’s behaviour and fostering a positive attitude between parents and children.

NCW Canada’s longstanding and well known Margaret Mac Gee was presented the Therese Casgrain Volunteer Award. Among others she made it her mission to establish the Block Parent programme, across Canada. (A news paper cutting will be sent to the secretariat of the Vienna NGO Committee on the Family). 
Vienna, 5.11.2003 Eleonore Hauer – Rona
ICW First Vice President
ICW Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna

50th Anniversary Conference of the International Commission on Couple and Family Relations

The International Commission on Couple and Family Relations which was established in 1953 as part of the International Union of Family Organisations celebrated its 50th anniversary with an international conference in Leuven, Belgium, at the beginning of May.  The conference was hosted by the Government of Flanders and Minister Mieke Vogels opened the celebration which Chairman of the NGO Committee on Familes Peter Crowley attended as guest of honour. The subject: “New Harmonies? Families holding relationships, work and generations in balance” was introduced by keynote speakers including Mrs T Obaid, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund UNFPA. A broad range of topics were examined in detail in workshops and discussion groups by participants from twenty-five countries. Cross-cultural perspectives in family life, equal opportunities, the role of policy makers and of the counselling services in family relationships, changes within family life and relationships at different stages but also as effected by political situations in different countries were amongst the topics covered as well as areas of considerable discussion such as the rights of children vs. parental rights, and situations where social policy and law collide.
The conference report which will be available next month will reflect on the conference’s work in greater depth.  
The conference adopted the following Declaration nem. con. during its final plenary session, which the Commission intends to bring to the attention of a range of national and international bodies in due course:

Declaration
We, the members of the International Commission on Couple and Family Relations (ICCFR - CIRCF) coming from twenty-five nations, who met in Leuven, Belgium between 3 - 6 May 2003 state that couple and family relationships are the basis of strong and cohesive societies.

Therefore, we endorse the statement made during our conference by Ms T. A. Obaid (Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund UNFPA and UN Under- Secretary –General):
"While the invisible hand of the market may be able to keep the global economy turning, it takes the human hand, and the human spirit, to guide it in the most productive direction to fashion a world that is socially inclusive, transparent and demoncratically anchored."

We also endorse the statement of Ms. S. Mkhabela (Chief Executive Officer, Nelson Mandela Children's Fund): 
".that while equality is now a globally accepted principle we have to turn myths into equal opportunities and reality."
Therefore:
We call on all governments to recognise the importance of support for couple and family relationships and to implement internationally accepted social and family rights as agreed in the UN Convention on Social and Economic Rights (1966).
ICCFR Secretariat:
Mrs. Gerlind Richards, ICCFR General Secretary
4 Barnfield Wood Close, Beckenham Kent BR3 6SY, England
Tel.: +44+20+8663.0445   Fax: +44+20+8663.0445/8313.3247   
E-mail:  Richards@icmir.fsnet.co.uk  

Recent and forthcoming events

20-22 June 2003.
The Observatory's Annual Seminar 2003 held in Tutzing (Germany) in June was dedicated to the family in the health system as a cost-raising or cost-reducing factor. The contributions included a presentation of the Social Situation Report 2003, which focuses on health in Europe. They addressed such issues as models for funding health-care systems, health resources and health risks, and the family as health manager. For more information on the Seminar, read the abstracts and the synthesis report.

16-20 September 2003
8th International Conference on Family Violence
San Diego, California
Conference co-hosts are: Family Violence and Sexual Assault Institute, San Diego; Children's Institute International, Los Angeles; and Alliant International University. The theme is 'Advocacy, Assessment, Intervention, Research, Prevention and Policy'. Call for submissions has been made, deadline February 28, 2003. 
Further information: FVSAI at Alliant International University, "FV Conference 2003" - Attn: Lisa Conradi, 6160 Cornerstone Court East, San Diego, CA 92121. Tel: (858) 623 2777 ext. 427. Fax: (858) 646-0761. Email: fvconf@alliant.edu. Web: http://www.fvsai.org 

17 September 2003
Young Pregnant and Parenting
Carlton, Vic
Topics covered by speakers at this seminar will include personal experience, limited health choices for young women, young and pregnant in the Aboriginal community, different cultural attitudes towards pregnancy and early parenting, and community and peer support.
Further information: absolutely women's health, Royal Women's Hospital. Tel: (03) 9344 2199 and 9344 2704.

17-20 September 2003
8th International Conference on Family Violence:
Working Together to End Abuse 
San Diego, California
This conference covers all aspects of family violence, including child maltreatment, teen abuse, elder abuse, criminal and judicial issues, sexual assault, treatment of offenders, policy and legal issues, international perspectives, collaboration, multidisciplinary teams, and much, much, more. Conference themes cover working together with all disciplines in order to move the field forward and closer to ending abuse on a global level. The Family Violence and Sexual Assault Institute co-sponsors this conference together with Children's Institute International, and Alliant International University.
Further information: Conference Staff - Tel: 858-623-2777 ext. 403. Email: fvconf@alliant.edu. Web: http://www.fvsai.org/FVSAI_conference.htm

22-24 Oct 2003
Family Services Australia National Conference
Melbourne, Vic
The 2003 National FSA Conference will progress the work initiated at last year's conference on results and accountability mechanisms that surround the delivery of services to families, and which evaluate the success or otherwise of these services. The conference will have the parallel themes of People - Children and Families; Partnerships - Beyond the Boundaries; and Building a Workable Performance Measure to Benefit Families and Funders. There is also an associated forum on Wednesday 22 hosted by The Victorian Network of Men and Family Relationships Programs on 'Creating Places and Spaces: Working with men in today's environment', 8.30 to 4.30. 
Further information: Family Services Australia, PO Box 326, Deakin West ACT 2600. Tel: (02) 6281 1788. Fax: (02) 6281 1794. Email fsa@fsa.org.au.

13-15 NOV. 2003
Conference: Changing European Societies: The Role For Social Policy
The forthcoming annual conference of the Network for European Social Policy Analysis, ESPAnet, is organised by the Danish National Institute of Social Research. This conference focuses on the role of social policy in European societies. 
Place: Copenhagen, Denmark 
Date:13-15 November 2003
Conference language: English
Contact: Danish National Institute of Social Research
E-mail: Jon Kvist 
Web: http://www.ucm.es/info/isa/cforp194.htm

17-22 November 2003
What is the Future of Marriage? 
65th National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference
Vancouver, BC, Canada
In recognition of the changing nature of marriage, the 2003 NCFR conference will address new research on the current status of marriage, the causes of marital change, the likely future of marriage, and the consequences of marital change for the lives of men, women and children. Proposals are invited, to be postmarked by February 17, 2003.
Further information: National Council on Family Relations, 3989 Central Ave. NE, Suite 550, Minneapolis MN 55421. Web: http://www.ncfr.org/conference_info/index.asp

4-6 December 2003
International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence 
Washington DC, USA 
Hosted by the University of Florida Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology for Successful Aging and the American Society on Aging together with professional and consumer organizational partners.
I Information:
American Society on Aging, 833 Market Street, Suite 511, San Francisco, California 94103, USA
Fax: +1 415 974 0300 - attention: Lauren Patti
Website: www.asaging.orgnformation:

11-18 December 2003
International Interdisciplinary Course - Child Rights
Ghent, Belgium 
This is a specialised course dealing with the concept of children's rights and is based on empirical, practical and academic knowledge accumulated in this field. It provides extensive basic information and in-depth knowledge on the origins, motives and legitimisation, strategies and main trends in the field of children's rights. Evidently, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its implementation feature largely in the programme.
The course consists of a mixture of lectures with time for discussion and questions, workshops and a number of informal sessions, which enable participants to organise their own discussion groups around specific topics or individual projects.
For more information, contact:
Kathy Vlieghe
Children's Rights Centre, University of Ghent
Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
Tel: +32 9 264 6285
Email: +32 264 64 93
E-mail: Kathleen.Vlieghe@Ugent.be

24-27 March 2004 
Families in a Time of Global Crisis: World Family Therapy Congress 
Istanbul, Turkey
The International Family Therapy Association (IFTA) and Marital and Family Therapy Association (Istanbul, Turkey) - AETD invite you to join them at the XIV.IFTA World Family Therapy Congress. The aim of this congress is to bring together colleagues from all around the world who share concern about supporting families. Themes include theory, clinical intervention and research on prevention, impact, healing and resilience of families.
Further information: IFTA 2004 Congress Secretariat, ODS Congress Management, Yildis Cicegi Sokak No: 12/1, 34337 Etiler, Istanbul, Turkey. Fax: +90 212 352 26 60. Email: secretariat@ifta2004.org. Web: http://www.ifta2004.org

1-2 April 2004
Globalisation, families and work: meeting the policy challenges of the next two decades 
Brisbane, Qld
Families Australia will convene this conference that will focus on issues of work and family. 
Further information: Email: conference@familiesaustralia.org.au. Tel: (02) 6273 4885. Fax: (02) 6273 4886. Web: http://www.familiesaustralia.org.au 

17-18 June 2004
Parent Child 2004 - International Conference on the Family 
London, UK
Organised by the National Family and Parenting Institute, the Parenting Education and Support Forum, One Parent Families, the Open University, Trust for the Study of Adolescence and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), this conference celebrates the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Family. It will address a range of research, policy and practice issues relating to the current and future state of the family in the UK and across the world. Closing date for abstracts is 31 October 2003.
Further information: Parent Child 2004, Neil Stewart Associates, PO Box 39976, 2nd Floor, 1 Benjamin Street, London EC1M 5YT. Tel: 020 7324 4330. Fax: 020 7490 8830. Web: http://www.neilstewartassociates.com/ja120

28 June-1 July 2004
Promoting Postive Development in Young Children
Designing Strategies That Work
Washington, DC
Introduction 
The goals of the conference are to identify and disseminate research relevant to young children (0-8 years) and their families and to foster partnerships among researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. 
The central theme of the conference concerns the many factors that promote positive development in young children. Thus research that provides converging evidence of strategies that enhance competencies is especially welcome. An integrative approach across developmental domains will be highlighted. Specifically, our objectives are to: 1) focus on the development of competent children; 2) understand how families, schools, communities, and cultural contexts shape young children’s development; 3) study evidence-based programming and strategies; and 4) reexamine some of the traditional, early childhood practices and approaches. To do so will involve synthesizing what we know, identifying the gaps in our knowledge base, and tackling the challenges of future research, programming, and policy.
The conference runs for 3½ days and consists of plenary sessions, formal luncheon presentations, symposia, poster symposia, conversation hours, posters, networking breakfasts, and informal events. To ensure program continuity, presenters are encouraged to participate in the entire conference. All presentations will appear in a published book of Proceedings.
Contact Information
For information regarding content of the Call for Presentations and conference presentations/program, please contact: 
via e-mail: flp1@columbia.edu
or telephone: 212-305-4154

News from the UNited Nations

world summit on the information society
Geneva 2003 – Tunis 2005			
	Document WSIS/PC-3/DT/6 Rev 1-E	
	14 November 2003	
	Original: English	

Draft Declaration of Principles

Building the Information Society: a global challenge in the new Millennium	

A. Our Common Vision of the Information Society
1.	We, the representatives of the peoples of the world, assembled in Geneva from 10-12 December 2003 for the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, declare our common desire and commitment to build a people-centred, inclusive and development oriented Information Society, where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge, enabling individuals, communities and peoples to achieve their full potential in promoting their sustainable development and improving their quality of life, premised on the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations [and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights].
2.	Our challenge is to harness the potential of information and communication technology to promote the development goals of the Millennium Declaration, namely the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; achievement of universal primary education; promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women; reduction of child mortality; improvement of maternal health; to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and development of global partnerships for development for the attainment of a more peaceful, just and prosperous world. We also reiterate our commitment to the achievement of sustainable development and agreed development goals, as contained in the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Implementation and the Monterrey Consensus, and other outcomes of relevant UN Summits.
3.	We reaffirm the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development [enshrined in the Vienna Declaration,] [and their ties to][. We also reaffirm] the principles of a democratic society, good governance [at all levels] and the rule of law [in international as in national affairs], and sustainable development. 
4.	We reaffirm, as outlined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; that this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Communication is a fundamental social process, a basic human need and the foundation of all social organization. It is central to the Information Society. Everyone everywhere should have the opportunity to participate and no one should be excluded from the benefits the Information Society offers.] 
5.	We further reaffirm, as outlined in Article 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of their personality is possible, and that, in the exercise of their rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. ]
5bis.	In keeping with the spirit of this declaration, we rededicate ourselves to upholding the principle of the sovereign equality of all States. 
6.	We recognize that science has a central role in the development of the Information Society. Many of the building blocks of the Information Society are the result of scientific and technical advances made possible by the sharing of research results. 
6bis.	We recognize that education, knowledge, information and communication are at the core of human progress, endeavour and well-being. Further, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have an immense impact on virtually all aspects of our lives.  The rapid progress of these technologies opens completely new opportunities to attain higher levels of development. The capacity of these technologies to reduce many traditional obstacles, especially those of time and distance, for the first time in history makes it possible to use the potential of these technologies for the benefit of millions of people in all corners of the world.
7.	We are aware that ICTs should be regarded as tools and not as an end in themselves. Under favourable conditions, these technologies can be a powerful instrument, increasing productivity, generating economic growth, job creation and employability and improving the quality of life of all. They can also promote dialogue among people, nations and civilizations.
8.	We are also fully aware that the benefits of the information technology revolution are today unevenly distributed between the developed and developing countries and within societies. We are fully committed to turning this digital divide into a digital opportunity for all, particularly for those who risk being left behind and being further marginalized.
9.	We are committed to realising our common vision of the Information Society for ourselves and for future generations. We recognize that young people are the future workforce and leading creators and earliest adopters of ICTs. They must therefore be empowered as learners, developers, contributors, entrepreneurs and decision-makers. We must focus especially on young people who have not yet been able to benefit fully from the opportunities provided by ICTs. We are also committed to ensuring that the development of ICT applications and operation of services respects the rights of children as well as their protection and well-being.
10.	We affirm that development of ICTs provides enormous opportunities for women, who should be an integral part of, and key actors, in the Information Society. We are committed to ensuring that the Information Society enables women's empowerment and their full participation on the basis on equality in all spheres of society and in all decision-making processes. To this end, we should mainstream a gender equality perspective and use ICTs as a tool to that end. 
11.	In building the Information Society, we shall pay particular attention to the special needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups of society, including migrants, internally displaced persons and refugees, unemployed and under-privileged people, minorities and nomadic people. We shall also recognize the special needs of older persons and persons with disabilities.
12.	We are resolute to empower the poor, particularly those living in remote, rural and marginalized urban areas, to access information and to use ICTs as a tool to support their efforts to lift themselves out of poverty.
13.	In the evolution of the Information Society, particular attention must be given to the special situation of indigenous peoples, as well as to the preservation of their heritage and their cultural legacy.
14.	We continue to pay special attention to the particular needs of developing countries, countries with economies in transition, Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States, Landlocked Developing Countries, Highly Indebted Poor Countries, [countries and territories under occupation], countries recovering from conflict and countries and regions with special needs as well as to conditions that pose severe threats to development, such as natural disasters, [and foreign occupation]. 
15.	We recognize that building an inclusive Information Society requires new forms of solidarity, partnership and cooperation among governments and other stakeholders, i.e. the private sector, civil society and international organizations. Realizing that the ambitious goal of this Declaration—bridging the digital divide and ensuring harmonious, fair and equitable development for all—will require strong commitment by all stakeholders, we call for digital solidarity, both at national and international levels.  
[2bis.	Nothing in this declaration shall be construed as impairing, contradicting, restricting or derogating the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, any other international instrument or national laws.]

B. An information Society for all: key principles
16.	We are resolute in our quest to ensure that everyone can benefit from the opportunities that ICTs can offer. We agree that to meet these challenges, all stakeholders should work together to: improve access to information and communication infrastructure and technologies as well as to information and knowledge; build capacity; increase confidence and security in the use of ICTs; create an enabling environment at all levels; develop and widen ICT applications; foster and respect cultural diversity; [recognize the role of the media;] address the ethical dimensions of the Information Society; and encourage international and regional cooperation. We agree that these are the key principles for building an inclusive Information Society.
1)	The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
17.	Governments, as well as private sector, civil society and the United Nations and other international organizations have an important role and responsibility in the development of the Information Society and, as appropriate, in decision-making processes. Building a people-centred Information Society is a joint effort which requires cooperation and partnership among all stakeholders. [The media have a special role in the Information Society.]
2)	Information and communication infrastructure: an essential foundation for an inclusive information society
18.	Connectivity is a central enabling agent in building the Information Society. Universal, ubiquitous, equitable and affordable access to ICT infrastructure and services, including access to energy, and postal services, constitutes one of the challenges of the Information Society and should be an objective of all stakeholders involved in building it, [in conformity with the domestic legislation of each country]. 
19.	A well-developed information and communication network infrastructure and applications, adapted to regional, national and local conditions, easily-accessible and affordable, and making greater use of broadband and other innovative technologies where possible, can accelerate the social and economic progress of countries, and the well-being of all individuals, communities and peoples. 
20.	Policies that create a favourable climate for stability, predictability and fair competition at all levels should be developed and implemented in a manner that not only attracts more private investment for ICT infrastructure development but also enables universal service obligations to be met in areas where traditional market conditions fail to work. In disadvantaged areas the establishment of ICTs public access points in places such as post offices, schools, libraries and archives, can provide effective means for ensuring universal access to the infrastructure and services of the Information Society.
3)	Access to information and knowledge
21.	The ability for all to access and contribute information, ideas and knowledge is essential in an inclusive Information Society.
22.	The sharing and strengthening of global knowledge for development can be enhanced by removing barriers to equitable access to information for economic, social, political, health, cultural, educational, and scientific activities and by facilitating access to public domain information, including by universal design and the use of assistive technologies. 
23.	A rich public domain is an essential element for the growth of the Information Society, creating multiple benefits such as an educated public, new jobs, innovation, business opportunities, and the advancement of sciences. Information in the public domain should be easily accessible to support the Information Society, and protected from misappropriation. Public institutions such as libraries and archives, museums, cultural collections and other community-based access points should be strengthened so as to promote the preservation of documentary records and free and equitable access to information. 
24.	Access to information and knowledge can be promoted by increasing awareness among all stakeholders of the possibilities offered by different software models, including proprietary, open-source and free software, in order to increase competition, access by users, diversity of choice, and to enable all users to develop solutions which best meet their requirements. Affordable access to software should be considered as an important component of a truly inclusive Information Society.
25.	We strive to promote universal access with equal opportunities for all to scientific knowledge and the creation and dissemination of scientific and technical information, including open access initiatives for scientific publishing. 
4)	Capacity building
26.	Each person should have the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge in order to understand, participate actively in, and benefit fully from, the Information Society and the knowledge economy. Literacy and universal primary education are key factors for building a fully inclusive information society, paying particular attention to the special needs of girls and women. Given the wide range of ICT and information specialists required at all levels, building institutional capacity deserves special attention. 
27.	The use of ICTs in all stages of education, training and human resource development should be promoted, taking into account the special needs of persons with disabilities and disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. 
28.	Continuous and adult education, re-training, life-long learning, distance-learning and other special services, such as telemedicine, can make an essential contribution to employability and help people benefit from the new opportunities offered by ICTs for traditional jobs, self-employment and new professions. Awareness and literacy in ICTs are an essential foundation in this regard.
29.	Content creators, publishers, and producers, as well as teachers, trainers, archivists, librarians and learners, should play an active role in promoting the Information Society, particularly in the Least Developed Countries.
29bis.	Volunteering[, if conducted in harmony with national policies and local cultures,] can be a valuable asset for raising human capacity to make productive use of ICT tools and to build a more inclusive Information Society.
30.	To achieve a sustainable development of the Information Society, national capability in ICT research and development should be enhanced. Furthermore, partnerships, in particular between and among developed and developing countries, including countries with economies in transition, in research and development, technology transfer, manufacturing and utilisation of ICT product and services are crucial for promoting capacity building and global participation in the Information Society. The manufacture of ICTs presents a significant opportunity for creation of wealth.
31.	The attainment of our shared aspirations in particular for developing countries, including countries with economies in transition, to become fully-fledged members of the Information Society, and their positive integration into the knowledge-economy, depends largely on increased capacity building in the areas of education, technology know-how and access to information, which are major factors in determining development and competitiveness.
5)	Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs
32.	[Strengthening the trust framework including [network and information security] authentication, privacy and consumer protection, is a prerequisite for the development of the Information Society and for building confidence among users of ICTs. A global culture of cyber-security needs to be promoted, developed and implemented in co-operation with all stakeholders and international expert bodies. These efforts should be supported by increased international co-operation. Within this global culture of cyber-security, it is important to enhance security and to ensure the protection of data and privacy, [as well as to avoid the creation of barriers to access and trade]. In addition, it must take into account the level of social and economic development of each country and respect the development-oriented aspects of the Information Society.
33.	While recognizing the principles of universal and non-discriminatory access to ICTs for all nations, and recalling the relevant resolution of the UNGA, ICTs can potentially be used for purposes that are inconsistent with the objectives of maintaining international stability and security, and may adversely affect the integrity of the infrastructure within States, to the detriment of their security [in both civil and military fields]. It is necessary to prevent the use of information resources and technologies for criminal and terrorist purposes [, consistent with the need to preserve the free flow of information] [in accordance with the legal system of each country].
34.	Spam and cyber-security should be dealt with at appropriate national and international levels.]
6)	Enabling environment
35.	An enabling environment at national and international levels is essential for the Information Society. ICTs should be used as an important tool for good governance.
36.	The rule of law accompanied by a supportive, transparent, pro-competitive, technologically neutral and predictable policy and regulatory framework reflecting national realities, is essential for building a people-centred information society. Governments should intervene, as appropriate, to correct market failures, to maintain fair competition, to attract investment, to enhance the development of the ICT infrastructure and applications, to maximize economic and social benefits, and to serve national priorities. 
37.	A dynamic and enabling international environment supportive of foreign direct investment, transfer of technology, and international cooperation, particularly in the areas of finance, debt and trade, as well as full and effective participation of developing countries in global decision-making, are vital complements to national development efforts related to ICTs. Improving global affordable connectivity would contribute significantly to the effectiveness of these development efforts.
37bis: ICTs are an important enabler of growth through efficiency gains and increased productivity, in particular by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In this regard, the development of the Information Society is important for broadly-based economic growth in both developed and developing economies. ICT-supported productivity gains and applied innovations across economic sectors should be fostered. Equitable distribution of the benefits contributes to poverty eradication and social development. Policies that foster productive investment and enable firms, notably SMEs, to make the changes needed to seize the benefits from ICTs, are likely to be the most beneficial.
38.	 [Intellectual property protection is important to encourage the innovation and creativity in the Information Society. Striking a fair balance between protection of intellectual property, on the one hand, and its use, and knowledge sharing, on the other, is also important to the Information Society. This balance is [to be] pursued by protection and flexibilities in Intellectual Property agreements and this pursuit of the balance should be maintained. Facilitating meaningful participation by all in intellectual property issues through awareness and capacity building is a fundamental part of an inclusive Information Society.]
39.	Sustainable development can best be advanced in the Information Society when ICT-related efforts and programmes are fully integrated in national and regional development strategies. We welcome the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and encourage the international community to support the ICT-related measures of such initiatives as well as those belonging to similar efforts in other regions. Distribution of the benefits of ICT-driven growth contributes to poverty eradication and sustainable development. 
40.	Standardization is one of the essential building blocks of the Information Society. There should be particular emphasis on the development and adoption of international standards. The development and use of open, interoperable, non-discriminatory and demand-driven standards that take into account needs of users and consumers is a basic element for the development and greater diffusion of ICTs and more affordable access to them, particularly in developing countries. International standards aim to create an environment where consumers can access services worldwide regardless of underlying technology.
41.	 The radio frequency spectrum should be managed in the public interest and in accordance with principle of legality, with full observance of national laws and regulation as well as relevant international agreements.
42.	 [We commit ourselves to taking steps with a view to the avoidance of and refrain from any unilateral measure not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations that impedes the full achievement of economic and social development by the population of the affected countries, that hinder the well-being of their population, including the benefit from the Information Society.]
43.	Recognizing that ICTs are progressively changing our working practices, the creation of a secure, safe and healthy working environment, appropriate to the utilisation of ICTs, respecting [international] [core] labour standards, is fundamental.
44.	[The Internet has evolved into a global facility available to the public and its governance should constitute a core issue of the Information Society agenda. The international management of the Internet should be multilateral, transparent and democratic, with the full involvement of governments, the private sector, civil society and international organizations. It should ensure an equitable distribution of resources, facilitate access for all and ensure a stable and secure functioning of the Internet, taking into account multilingualism.
45.	The management of the Internet encompasses both technical and policy issues. The private sector has had and should continue to have an important role in the development of the Internet [at the technical level].
[Alternative 45.  The management of the Internet encompasses both technical and public policy issues. The private sector has had an important role in the development of the Internet. The private sector should continue to play an important role at the technical and commercial levels.]
46.	Policy authority for Internet-related public policy issues should be the sovereign right of countries.
47.	 [Internet issues of an international nature related to public policies should be coordinated: 
Alternatives:
a)	between governments and other interested parties. 
b)	through/by appropriate inter-governmental organizations under the UN framework.
c)	as appropriate on an inter-governmental basis.
d)	through/by appropriate international organizations.
e)	through appropriate and mutually agreed international organizations.]]

7)	ICT-Applications: benefits in all aspects of life.
48.	The usage and deployment of ICTs should seek to create benefits in all aspects of our daily life. ICT applications are potentially important in government operations and services, health care and health information, education and training, employment, job creation, business, agriculture, transport, protection of environment and management of natural resources, disaster prevention, and culture, and to promote eradication of poverty and other agreed development goals. ICTs should also contribute to sustainable production and consumption patterns and reduce traditional barriers, providing an opportunity for all to access local and global markets in a more equitable manner. Applications should be user-friendly, accessible to all, affordable, adapted to local needs in languages and cultures, and support sustainable development. To this effect, local authorities should play a major role in the provision of ICT services for the benefit of their populations.

8)	Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content
49.	Cultural diversity is the common heritage of humankind.  The Information Society should be founded on and stimulate respect for cultural identity, cultural and linguistic diversity, traditions and religions, and foster dialogue among cultures and civilizations.  The promotion, affirmation and preservation of diverse cultural identities and languages as reflected in relevant agreed United Nations documents including UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, will further enrich the Information Society. 
50.	The creation, dissemination and preservation of content in diverse languages and formats must be accorded high priority in building an inclusive Information Society, paying particular attention to the diversity of supply of creative work and due recognition of the rights of authors and artists. It is essential to promote the production of and accessibility to all content—educational, scientific, cultural or recreational—in diverse languages and formats. The development of local content suited to domestic or regional needs will encourage social and economic development and will stimulate participation of all stakeholders, including people living in rural, remote and marginal areas.
51.	The preservation of cultural heritage is a crucial component of identity and self–understanding of individuals that links a community to its past. The information society should harness and preserve cultural heritage for the future by all appropriate methods, including digitization. 
9)	[Media [development]]
52.	[The existence of [independent pluralistic and free] media [in accordance with the legal system of each country and] based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [particularly on Articles 19 and 29] is crucial to any conception of the Information Society. [Individuals and media should have access to available information]/[Freedom of access to and use of information for the creation, accumulation and dissemination of knowledge are important principles of the Information Society.] [Pluralism of information and diversity of media ownership should be encouraged]. Traditional media in all its forms will continue to have an important role in the Information Society and ICTs should play a supportive role in this regard. [Formulation of professional and ethical standards in journalism is the responsibility of media professionals.]]
10)	Ethical dimensions of the Information Society
53.	The Information Society should respect peace and uphold the fundamental values of freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, shared responsibility, and respect for nature. 
54.	We acknowledge the importance of ethics for the Information Society, which should foster justice, and the dignity and worth of the human person. The widest possible protection should be accorded to the family and to enable it to play its crucial role in society. 
55.	The use of ICTs [and content creation] should respect human rights and fundamental freedoms of others, including personal privacy, and the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion [in conformity with relevant international instruments]. 
56.	[All actors in the Information Society should prevent abusive uses of ICTs, such as [criminal] acts motivated by racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, [defamation of religions] and related intolerance, hatred, violence, all forms of child abuse, including paedophilia and child pornography, and trafficking in, and exploitation of, human beings.] 
11)	International and regional cooperation
57.	We aim at making full use of the opportunities offered by ICTs in our efforts to reach the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, and to uphold the key principles set forth in this Declaration. The Information Society is intrinsically global in nature and national efforts need to be supported by effective international and regional co-operation among governments, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders including the international financial institutions. 
58.	In order to build an inclusive global Information Society, we will rely on [seeking and effectively implementing ][effectively implementing existing and seeking new] concrete international approaches [and mechanisms] including financial and technical assistance. We therefore invite all stakeholders to [commit to][join in] the [“Digital Solidarity Fund” and] the “Digital Solidarity Agenda” [set forth in the Plan of Action] to assist in bridging the digital divide, promoting access to ICTs, creating digital opportunities, and harnessing the potential of ICTs for development. 
59.	Regional integration contributes to the development of the global Information Society and makes strong cooperation within and among regions indispensable. Regional dialogue should contribute to national capacity-building and to the alignment of national strategies with the goals of this Declaration of Principles in a compatible way, while respecting national and regional particularities. In this context, we welcome and encourage the international community to support the ICT-related measures of such initiatives.
60.	We resolve to assist developing countries, LDCs and countries with economies in transition through the mobilization from all sources of financing the provision of financial and technical assistance and by creating an environment conducive to technology transfer, consistent with the  purposes of this Declaration and the Plan of Action. 
61.	The core competences of ITU in the fields of ICTs, assistance in bridging the digital divide, international and regional cooperation, radio spectrum management, standards development and the dissemination of information, are of crucial importance for building the Information Society. 
 C. Towards an Information Society for all based on shared knowledge
62.	We commit ourselves to strengthening cooperation to seek common responses to the challenges and to the implementation of the Plan of Action, which will realize the vision of an inclusive Information Society based on the Key Principles incorporated in this Declaration. 
63.	We further commit ourselves to evaluate and follow-up progress in bridging the digital divide, taking into account different levels of development, so as to reach internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, and to assess the effectiveness of investment and international cooperation efforts in building the information society. 
64.	We are firmly convinced that we are collectively entering a new era of enormous potential, that of the Information Society and expanded human communication. In this emerging society, information and knowledge can be produced, exchanged, shared and communicated through all the networks of the world. All individuals can soon, if we take the necessary actions, together build a new Information Society based on shared knowledge and founded on global solidarity and a better mutual understanding between peoples and nations. We trust that these measures will open the way to the future development of a true knowledge society. 
Further information at:  www.itu.int/wsis

****************

U N I T E D  N A T I O N S
Strengthening the United Nations
UN Secretary-General names Fernando Henrique Cardoso,
former President of Brazil, to lead high-level review of
UN-civil society relations

(NEW YORK, 13 February) Asking for a sweeping assessment of interaction between the United Nations and civil society organizations, and recommendations for improvements, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appointed former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso to chair a blue-ribbon panel on relations with civil society.
The creation of the panel was originally proposed as part of a broad set of reform measures designed to make the United Nations more efficient and more capable of responding to the new demands of the twenty-first century, announced by the Secretary-General on 30 September 2002.
Chaired by President Cardoso, the Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations-Civil Society Relations includes 11 additional members, who are affiliated with governments, non-governmental organizations, academia and/or the private sector: Mr. Bagher Asadi (Iran), Ms. Birgitta Dahl (Sweden), Ms. Peggy Dulany (United States), Mr. André Erdös (Hungary), Ms. Asma Khader (Jordan), Mr. Juan Mayr (Colombia), Ms. Malini Mehra (India), Mr. Kumi Naidoo (South Africa), Ms. Mary Racelis (Philippines), Mr. Prakash Ratilal (Mozambique) and Ms. Aminata Traoré (Mali).

The Panel will look into the modes of participation in UN processes of non-governmental organizations, as well as of other non-governmental actors such the private sector and parliamentarians. The Secretary-General has asked the Panel to identify best practices within the UN system and in other international bodies, and use them as a basis for recommendations to be issued within twelve months. The Panel is also asked to find ways to make it easier for civil society actors from the developing countries to play a full role in UN activities. The Panel will begin its work against a backdrop of exponential growth over the last decades in the number and influence of non-governmental organizations, and their increasing interaction with the United Nations and influence in formal deliberations of UN bodies and conferences.
NGOs work closely in the field with UN humanitarian missions and development projects, and have won important victories in priority areas of UN concern, such as reducing the threat of land mines and relieving the debt of poor countries. They have been instrumental in directing international attention to the importance of poverty reduction and human rights. The United Nations, in turn, has provided a beacon for many NGOs and other civil society actors, through its Charter principles and the goals set at the Millennium Summit in 2000 and at global UN conferences.
There are also signs of strain in the overall very successful relationship. Areas of difficulty are noted in the Secretary-General’s 30 September 2002 reform report.
"Many Member States are wary of the constant pressure to make more room for NGOs in their deliberations, while NGOs feel they are not allowed to participate meaningfully", the Secretary- General says in the report.
Also taken into account are technical difficulties arising from the sheer volume of NGO participation. "It is now physically impossible for the Organisation to accommodate all NGOs requesting participation in UN conferences and meetings", the report says. It further notes an often-confusing variation in standards for participation in different Summits, conferences and meetings.

Press Release
Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information — DPI/2301 A — February 2003
On the other side of the equation, there is a wide variation among non-governmental actors participating in UN deliberations, including parliamentarians and business groups, and the respective formats of their interaction need to be clarified.
In addition, the Secretary-General’s report expresses concern that there is a lesser participation in UN affairs of NGOs from developing countries, as compared to those from the North. 
"It is, of course, the prerogative of Member States to define the terms and conditions governing accreditation and participation of NGOs in United Nations conferences and other deliberations, "the Secretary-General said in his 30 September report. "But all concerned would benefit from engagement with civil society actors based on pro c e d u res and policies reflecting greater coherence, consistency and predictability."

Background: civil society at the UN
The first avenue by which non-governmental organizations took a role in formal UN deliberations was through the Economic and Social Council. Forty-one NGOs were granted consultative status by ECOSOC in 1948; by 1968, 377 had that status. Currently, there are more than 2000.
Another early means for NGO involvement was via the UN Department of Public Information, since its inception in 1946. DPI accreditation allowed NGOs special access to information about UN activities, and in turn a better capacity to promote and discuss UN policies. The number of NGOS accredited by DPI has grown from 200 in 1968 to about 1,400 in 2002. About 1,900 NGO representatives attended the most recent annual DPI/NGO Conference, in September.
Civil society participation expanded dramatically during the cycle of UN global conferences of the 1990s, beginning with the 1992 UN Conference on the Environment and Development – the Earth Summit. Both non-governmental organizations and business groups took highly visible roles in the Conference and its preparations, and these "major groups" were assigned an important follow-up role by the action plan, Agenda 21. Since then, NGOs have had the opportunity to address plenary sessions of UN conferences and often are included among national delegations. At the recent World Summit on Sustainable Development, more that 3,500 NGOs were accredited, and businesses were key players in the partnership programmes that were a major component of the Summit outcome.
General Assembly special sessions have also been addressed by NGO speakers, and some countries have included civil society representatives in their Assembly delegations. Many UN treaty bodies now routinely consider reports from NGOs, alongside official reports from Governments.
NGOs recently have also given testimony to the Security Council in relation to specific crises, as well as on issues such as children in armed conflict, through use of the "Arria formula". Devised in 1993 by Venezuelan Ambassador Diego Arria, this format allows a Security Council member to invite other members to an informal meeting outside of Council chambers, where they are briefed by experts who are not high UN officials or associated with member Governments. The Council was first briefed by NGO experts at an Arria formula meeting in 1997.
All of the UN funds, programmes and specialized agencies now maintain formal arrangements for interaction with NGOs. At the level of field operations, partnership between the UN system and NGOs in humanitarian and development missions has been the rule for decades. NGOs now commonly participate in UN country-level planning processes.
For more information, contact Tim Wall of the UN Department of Public Information,
Development Section, 1-212-963-5851; wallt@un.org.

Keynote Speech by Fernando Henrique Cardoso,
Chair of the Panel on UN – Civil Society Relations,
at the DPI – NGO Annual Conference
New York, 8 September 2003

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, ladies and gentlemen,
I would like my first words to be an expression of solidarity with the United Nations at this critical period. 
We deeply share, Mr. Secretary-General, your sense of sorrow for the loss of so many brave men and women fallen in the attack against the UN in Baghdad. 
As a Brazilian I want, in particular, to pay homage to Sergio Vieira de Mello.
His was a life dedicated to the ideals of the United Nations, to the belief in dialogue and multilateralism as the way to build an international order based on peace, human rights and development for all. 
He was creative and courageous. Uncompromising in his principles but with an extraordinary gift for listening and learning, specially from the powerless and the vulnerable. 
Let his sacrifice - and that of his colleagues - be an inspiration and a source of renewed energy for all of us. 
I thank the organizers of the DPI – NGO Conference for this opportunity to discuss with you today the work of the High Level Panel on UN - Civil Society Relations.
I was honored by the Secretary-General’s invitation to chair this panel. Our mission is to review the guidelines and practices regarding civil society’s relations with the United Nations in order to formulate recommendations for enhancing such interaction. 
I am delighted to be joined today by three other members of our panel: Aminata Traoré from Mali, Mary Racellis from Phillipines and Prakash Ratilal from Mozambique. They are in the audience and will be meeting with many of you over the coming days. 
Today, more than ever, taking a fresh look at how the UN should engage with civil society is a timely and challenging task. 
Citizens, we all know, are playing an increasingly strategic role in democratic governance. Civil society and world public opinion have created a global public sphere in which people’s concerns are expressed and action is taken on a wide variety issues. 
Most of today’s critical problems – from environment protection and financial   volatility to AIDS and the drug trade - cut across national jurisdictions. They are global problems that call for global responses. 
Civil society has also been playing a key role in revealing weaknesses in the existing mechanisms of global regulation. 
There is a gap between economics and politics, a discrepancy between the inter-dependence of markets and the lack of effective mechanisms for supervision and control.  
Decisions that affect peoples lives are increasingly being taken in restricted arenas or being enforced in an unilateral way.  Issues of security and international trade have gained priority in the global agenda to the detriment of matters related to human development and social justice. 
In the nineties, the UN made full use of its convening power and moral leadership to open up spaces for the public debate of social issues. 
The global conferences enabled civil society and other actors to come together with governments to shape the global agenda. Now that this cycle of conferences is closing, the UN needs to be creative if it is to avoid losing the initiative. 
A narrowing of the spaces for constructive citizen participation in global politics can only bolster alternative conduits. In recent years a strong protest movement has taken to the streets and political debate became polarized.

There are also new and clear threats to multilateralism. The present crisis in the international order is a challenge both for the UN and for civil society. 

Most of today’s conflicts are no longer between national states but rather within states or between states and uncivil groups or networks. The dynamics of inclusion and exclusion are at work both at the North and at the South. New fault-lines divide and pit social and cultural systems against each other. 

There is no possible solution for problems of such complexity without a revitalization of the UN and a strengthening of global governance. As there is no alternative to dialogue and negotiation to produce generally-accepted rules and norms. 
The risks of division and deadlock within the international system are real. On the other hand, as most crises do, the current one is also producing new visions and opportunities. 
Civil society, in its constituent diversity, is a key promoter of multilateralism. Its power is not the authority to decide or to enforce. It is the capacity to argue, to denounce, to propose, to experiment, to innovate, to be exemplary. 
As a result of the growing complexity of the UN-civil society relationship, however, the system that had evolved over several years for facilitating this interaction began to show signs of strain.
There is a perception that some processes have run their course. That citizen contribution for global governance must be better understood and valued. That greater consistency must be introduced in the rules of engagement with civil society.
Many NGOs feel frustrated with the obstacles to substantive participation in policy-making and in the implementation of agreed programs.  Some Member States feel that civil society direct participation in decision-making could undermine the intergovernmental process. 
These concerns must be given careful attention. It is absolutely essential to reduce distrust, demonstrate the effectiveness of collaboration and build consensus around a positive agenda for the future.

As president of Brazil for eight years I can testify to the immense value of respecting, listening to and linking up with the source of energy brought by civil society. A vibrant and forceful national civil society, working together with government, far from weakening national sovereignty, increases the resources for social development and strengthens the country's voice in global issues.
Brazil has arguably one of the best programs to fight AIDS. I am deeply convinced that the key factor in the Brazilian mobilization against AIDS is the dynamic interplay between citizen initiatives and public policies.
In our country as elsewhere, the initial association of AIDS with so-called risk groups might have led to stigma and discrimination. Silence and denial only breed despair and waste of precious time. These risks were countered by the understanding that solidarity, partnership and responsibility are the values that empower effective strategies to fight AIDS. 

The leadership role played by civil society was essential for this breakthrough to happen. Associations of people living with AIDS were the first to break the silence and denounce the risks of discrimination. A national network on HIV-AIDS and Human Rights gave social and political visibility to a problem that seemed to concern only a small number of people. 
In response, the Federal Government took the initiative to establish a national coordinating structure, with the participation of state and non-state actors, to implement a comprehensive strategy to fight AIDS. The outcome was a public policy in the truest sense of the word: task and responsibility of all sectors of society and of all levels of government. 
With the support of the World Bank, one thousand five hundred operational partnerships were established with non-governmental organizations. Innovative projects tested new approaches to prevention and care.
Pressure from public opinion led to the approval by Congress of a special national legislation ensuring the right of free and universal access to antiviral drugs.
To sustain this policy it was absolutely essential to lower the price of the drugs. This goal was achieved through the government's support to the local production of generic versions of antiviral drugs. This strategy compelled the pharmaceutical companies to sharply reduce its prices. Guaranteed access to treatment and full respect for human rights encouraged people to accept voluntary and confidential testing.  
Local authorities were encouraged to create, at the municipal level, coordinating structures to extend the program's outreach in a decentralized way. 

Thanks to these broad partnerships, Brazil demonstrated that AIDS is not an intractable problem. The death rate has fallen by 50%. Hospitalizations have plunged by 75%. The expansion of the epidemics was stopped.
There were, of course, moments of tension and sharp disagreements among the actors involved in this process. But we have all learned that it is not necessary to agree on everything to collaborate. Different partners can pool their resources together to deal with the issue at hand while maintaining their respective identities and beliefs.
The success of the program gave Brazil the moral and political strength to respond to the charge made at the WTO that our policy of inducing cost reduction in drug prices violated the TRIPS Agreement. 
A spontaneous international alliance was formed to support the Brazilian position that the dissemination of life-saving technologies serves an overriding public interest. Leading NGOs, the scientific community and organizations of people living with HIV mobilized international solidarity and world public opinion. UN agencies adopted resolutions defining access to anti-AIDS drugs as a fundamental human right and urging the WTO to be flexible in finding the balance between patent rights and public health. 

On the very day of the opening in New York, in June 2001, of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on AIDS, the complaint against Brazil was withdrawn. I have no doubt in my mind that this favorable outcome was decisively influenced by civil society and public opinion.
Civil society, through its networks, has helped to link the global with the local. In Brazil, they mobilized the energies and resources needed to deal with a national health emergency. With their counterparts in other countries they built up the compelling case for global policy changes that mirror the changes we adopted in Brazil.
One of the many lessons to be learned from the Brazilian experience is that it is hardly possible, in today’s world, to sustain a policy that is rejected by public opinion. It is clear, for instance, that an informed citizenry no longer accepts civilian victims of armed conflict to be dismissed as ‘collateral damage’.

Immense changes are taking place under our very eyes in the patterns of democratic governance. Non-state actors have become of inescapable relevance for governments and the UN system. For the ideas they promote, the concerns they voice, the services they provide, the associational opportunities they offer, their contribution to policy-making and their influence on public opinion.
All this leads me to believe how timely was the Secretary General decision to take a fresh look at how the UN should engage with civil society. The world is changing and the UN has to change – as it has always done – to keep up with the times.

Civil society and public opinion are much more powerful today than in 1945. The roles of all actors – state and non-state - are changing. Hence, the ways in which they interact are also changing. This is an open and dynamic process.

Strengthening civil society’s engagement with the UN isn’t just about better implementation of UN policies and programs. It is about how to attune the UN to the needs and aspirations of ordinary people, how to perceive more sharply the challenges to be tackled, how to generate the political will and public support for meeting these challenges.

Mr. Secretary-General, when my Panel met with you in June and we sought guidance on how far we could go with our proposals you encouraged us to be “bold and pragmatic”. I accept this challenge and thank you for it!

Being bold means developing reform proposals that are far-reaching, innovative and perhaps at the margins of possibility. Being pragmatic means that those ideas are sufficiently realistic and compelling to fall inside, not outside, the margins of possibility. These margins, however, are not rigid. It is our common challenge to enlarge them. 
There are many positive trends and innovations already being experimented within the UN system. These new forms of interaction are to be valued and extended.
Consultation and partnership need to conform to mutually-agreed rules ensuring high standards on all parts. Civil society itself will respond to these calls for greater transparency and accountability as it develops its own rules of conduct and processes of self-organization.
Our report is to be finalized and presented to you, sir, early April, 2004. My presentation today and the discussion that we will have in the following days are part of the broad process of consultation that the Panel is undertaking.
We are using a variety of procedures to hear the voice of civil society: open questionnaires, targeted interviews, dialogue with specific stakeholders, regional consultation meetings.  
I appeal to all you, as civil society leaders, to contribute to our work with your  proposals and recommendations for action. Our report will be as compelling as the quality of the proposals that we will be able to put forth. 

Thank you very much.

Further information at:
www.un.org/partners/index.html

***************************************
 United Nations E/CN.5/2004/1
Economic and Social Council
Distr. General
.. November 2003
Original: English
Commission for Social Development
Forty-second session
4-13 February 2004
Item 2 of the provisional agenda
Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters
Provisional agenda
1. Election of officers.
2. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters.
3. Follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development and
the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly:
(a) Priority theme: improving public sector effectiveness
(b) Review of relevant United Nations plans and
programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social
groups:
(i) Tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family
(ii) Equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities
(iii) Modalities for review and appraisal of the Madrid
International Plan of Action on Ageing 2002
(c) Emerging issues affecting social development:
international migration and migrants from a social
perspective
4. Provisional agenda for the forty-third session of the
Commission.
5. Adoption of the report of the Commission on its forty-second
session.

New York, 4 December 2003 - Secretary-General's message on the launch of the observance of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family (2004)

While families have always been the essential social unit in all societies, the observance of the International Year of the Family in 1994 drew worldwide attention to the issue as a fundamental issue of policy. Governments and actors at all levels – local, national, regional and global – were encouraged to support the well-being of families through a range of policies, programmes and strategies. 
Ten years later, it is time to take stock, and to determine whether the situation of families has improved. This is not necessarily something that can be done at a global level, since the situation of families varies so greatly from country to country. Thus, during this anniversary year, I urge Governments at local and national levels to assess gains, setbacks and obstacles, and to consider what more can be done on issues of direct concern to families, such as poverty, the spread of HIV/AIDS, migration and the ageing of societies. The Secretariat, for its part, has undertaken a study on the situation of families in all regions of the world. 
Families themselves play a vital role in our work for development and peace. It is my hope that the observance of the tenth anniversary of the International Year will be an occasion when all partners -- Governments, the UN system, non-governmental organizations and private enterprises – come together, reaffirm global commitment to the well-being of families, and work with determination towards that vital goal. 

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

•	Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Bäuerinnen in Niederösterreich
•	Austrian Federal Government 
•	Bank Austria
•	Berndorf Gruppe
•	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
•	Siemens
•	Rotary International
•	United Nations Trust Fund on Family Activities

'Families International' an information-sharing bulletin published by:
Vienna NGO Committee on the Family:
Brunngasse 12/2, A-3100 St. Pölten, Austria, Fax: 43-2742-35 27 18-5, 
Email: famcom.vienna@utanet.at, Web: http://www.viennafamilycommittee.org

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. 

Editorial Committee: Peter Crowley, Eva Matt, Winston Sims.
Co-Editors: Eva Matt, Winston Sims.
Layout: Sylvia Harling