Dear
Members, Friends and Visitors,
Fifty
six years ago, on December 10, 1948, the United
Nations General Assembly, speaking to the World
through the “Universal Declaration of Human
Rights”, declared on its article 16 item III
that “The Family is the natural and fundamental
group unit of society and is entitled to protection
by the Society and State” (GA Resolution 217a
(III)).
All
over the world, the Family is recognized as the
basic entity of society, carrying out essential
functions and serving as source of stability, continuity
and development. Being so different as alike in
different cultures and being the cradle of the future
generations, the functions of the Family are essential
for the construction of a better world, just, safe
and peaceful. Therefore the family strengths and
weaknesses reflect the fabric of the larger society.
The
Family, as the world's oldest human relationship
and primary agent of social integration, preservation
and transmission of values, has survived for thousand
of years, constantly adapting to the changes of
the socio-economic conditions and the progress of
humanity.
In
light of the new global challenges of the last decade
and of the deep changes of the ongoing development,
the society is reorganizing its “vision of
the world”, the basic values, the economic,
social and political structures and reformulating
institutions. Consequently such changes are reflected
in the family's dynamics.
The
historical mark that defined those changes was the
Millennium Summit, in September 2000, where world
leaders representing 191 countries gathered in the
United Nations Headquarters in New York and approved
a landmark document called “The Millennium
Declaration” and established commitments with
eight clear goals and targets called “The
Millennium Development Goals”, to promote
the world’s economic and social sustainable
development, to be reached by 2015.
Recognizing
that the Millennium Development Goals will only
be reached if Local Authorities, represented
by the Local Public Power, and the Local
Actors, represented by the Family, are
also aware and compromised to exercise the day-by-day
actions contained in the Millennium Document, we
are determined to widely disseminate these goals
and targets, and specially to promote a vibrant
partnership between Local Authorities and the Family,
since they are closely related to each other.
The
Family, in all cultures, is the essential entity
capable of reaching peace, safety, justice, unity
and prosperity in the world, and has a fundamental
function for the execution of the actions of the
Millennium Development Goals.
While various forms of Family exist in different
cultural, social, legal and political systems, the
Family continues to be the basic unit of the society
and, therefore, should receive comprehensive protection
and support.
But
it is also important to stress that the rights and
duties to be exercised by all the Family members
should occupy a prominent position in this learning
and interaction process in the search for a better
world.
In
the first place, the respect of human rights, especially
of women and girls, as well as the promotion of
equal opportunity for all, should be the basis for
all the other actions.
The
public social policies should provide conditions
to allow the Family to have means to carry out their
functions so all members can accomplish theirs aspirations
and contribute to the communities' development.
In
all regions of the world, the current global economic
and social changes are exercising a great pressure
in the families’ lives. Despite of the 2,5%
average increase of the world income, the number
of families with income less than 1 dollar per capita
a day grew in a dramatic way in the last decade.
As a result the social gap between the rich and
the poor is bigger, highlighting the emergency of
a new poverty group.
The
phenomenon of globalization as well as conflicts,
political instability, persistent poverty, the increase
of the differences of income inside a country and
between different countries, deepened by the lack
of employment opportunities in developing countries,
reveals the urgent need for a global, national and
local compromise towards the achievements of the
Millennium Development Goals. And the Family can
and must contribute.
The
contribution of the Family in education should still
be better explored in its whole potentiality. In
some regions of the world, illiteracy continues
to be a great problem, with most of illiterate adults
being women and from the 115 million children without
access to the school, most are girls.
The
discrimination against women and girls begins inside
the Family and the gender inequality persists as
a visible problem in all cultures. Domestic violence
still violates the women's human rights and threatens
her personal safety, self-esteem and health. A great
number of women and girls, especially among the
poorest, have their economic and politic rights
reduced, because they don't have access to education,
health, employment or social security.
Inside
the Family, a considerable number of problems threat
women, girls and elderly. Every year, more than
500.000 women die because of pregnancy or its complications.
The infant mortality reaches an average of 61‰
in the developing countries. Daily, more than 30.000
children die from evitable causes, such as dehydration,
malnutrition and preventable diseases. The maternal
and child mortality is one of the biggest disasters
for the Family and the society as a whole, because
it removes from the economy and from development
lives whose causes of the death are perfectly avoidable.
Many
families have no access to the basic reproductive
health services and, therefore, have no way to exercise
their reproductive rights. The quality of reproductive
health services, especially family planning, is
still precarious, leading to unwanted pregnancies
and unsafe abortions.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to prevail worldwide.
The estimative is that 42 million people are infected
with HIV. The over 13 million orphans whose parents
died in consequence of AIDS impose severe challenge
to the Family, communities, for the economy and
for the future of whole societies. Due to deficient
social policies and lack of universal access to
scientific knowledge, HIV/AIDS-related discrimination
and stigma still exist in many communities, jeopardizing
prevention actions, treatment and control.
The 10-24 years old population reached the figure
of 1,4 billion. Psychologically and physically,
this group still depends on the assistance and support
of the Family. On the other hand, low fertility
rates and the increase of life expectancy leads
the global population to aging. In 2050, the population
with 60 years or more will have increased to 2 billion
people. This will cause an increase of the seniors'
dependence in the youths' labor force and will have
a significant impact on the social security and
health systems, increasing the already existing
enormous pressure on the Family.
Environment
sustainability remains worrying. Development actions
without criteria and excessive consumption are leading
to constant environment deterioration. Such actions
are destroying ecological habitats and exhausting
natural resources, threatening the long term renewal
of basics natural supply for the human survival,
weakening the structural pillars of the sustainable
development.
The
respect for cultural diversity is far from universal
acceptance. The insufficient positive interaction
among different cultures became one of the underlying
causes of tensions and conflicts. The permanent
dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions
certainly will strengthen the world peace, the sustainable
development and the safety of the Family.
The
formula for the success in achieving the Millennium
Development Goals in the light of daily life is
simple. It consists on the understanding that commitments
and partnerships between Local Authorities and the
Family bridges the construction of a strong local
self-governing system that understands the problems
and the desires of the community, and directly involves
all partners in launching initiatives leading to
sustainable development for all.
The
Millennium Development Goals are too important to
fail, and require a global partnership suitable
for an interconnected world. The world truly shares
a common fate. The practical solutions exist. The
political framework is established. And for the
first time, the cost is affordable. All that is
needed is action. Together, we can make the Goals
achievable and deliver a better life for the future
generations.
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