History

In the framework of the “Follow-up to the International Year of the Family (IYF) and the observance of its Tenth Anniversary in 2004, the General Council of the World Family Organization (WFO) took the resolution to organize a World Family Summit (WFS) in December 2004, considering that the Summit would be an extraordinary opportunity to evaluate the concrete achievements made to identify and elaborate issues of direct concern to families since 1994, to review the objectives of the IYF, to gain and promote an accurate understanding of family issues, to propose and initiate actions and activities to address them, particularly at local levels, and to create a climate and institutional capabilities at various levels, conductive to these efforts. In February 2003, the project of the Summit as well as statements about the commitment of WFO Members, Governmental, Non-Governmental, Universities, Parliamentarians and Families were presented to the 41st Session of the UN Commission of Social Development, held in New York, from 10 to 21 February 2003.

Since the proposal was well accepted by many members of the Commission, the World Family Organization, with the support of the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), elaborated a concrete roadmap towards the achievement of the Summit. Different Heads of State, Ministers of Social Affairs, Education, Health, Labor, Local Authorities, UN Regional Commissions and Specialized Agencies were contacted to contribute with ideas to elaborate a definitive calendar and content to prepare the Summit.

A Conference to launch the Preparatory Phase was organized to bring together representatives from Governments, NGOs, Academia and Parliamentarians of WFO Regions, UNDESA, the Brazilian Government, UN Regional Commissions and UN Specialized Agencies to discuss the organizational aspects of the Summit and the Preparatory Phase of the Regional Meetings. The Conference was held in Curitiba from 10 to 13 May 2003.

Conference to launch the Preparatory Phase was held in Curitiba

Participants from 42 chosen countries were received by the Brazilian Government and the Mayor of Curitiba to complete a very comprehensive agenda of 3 days. The presentations and discussions which followed, focused on the review of the previous UN Resolutions related to the celebration of the International Year of the Family in 1994, the follow-up of the Year and the process for the Celebration of its 10th Anniversary in 2004, and the role of the Family in the New Millennium and its contribution in the process of learning, dialoguing and implementing the Millennium Development Goals.

A tentative calendar for the preparatory process at regional level and the main themes to be addressed by the regional conferences and the Summit were discussed and agreed upon taking into account the proposals made by some leading countries to host regional preparatory conferences.

It was also agreed that the World Family Summit would provide the ideal platform to diffuse, share, promote and act for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals through the Basic Cell of the Society – the Family.

In November 2003 the Government of the People’s Republic of China approved a decision at the Chinese People’s Congress to host the World Family Summit in China.

Learn about the World Family Summit.