December 2000, No. 38

Deadline for contributions: 10 March 2001
					
THIS BULLETIN ABSTRACTS THE COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED BY THE VIENNA NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILY. IT DOES NOT REFLECT ALL FAMILY-ORIENTED ACTIVITIES. NOR DOES IT INTEND TO GIVE EMPHASIS TO ONE ORGANIZATION, COUNTRY OR ATTITUDE OVER ANOTHER. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOUR NEWS AND VIEWS REFLECTED, PLEASE SHARE THEM WITH US. WE WILL ENDEAVOR TO REPORT ON THEM WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THIS PUBLICATION.

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

From The Desk Of The Editors
Dear reader, we are sure that you are aware that the mailing of our bulletin is costly. In order to reduce our expenses we would like to ask those who can be reached by email to send your email address to:
famcom.vienna@utanet.at

special feature 
THE VALUATION OF DOMESTIC WORK

Making Domestic And Family Work Visible
By Elisabetta Pagnossin Aligisakis
Mrs. Pagnossin Aligisakis, mother of two girls, Ph.D. of Economic and Social Sciences, did much research at the Universities of Geneva, Bern and Brussels, for UNDP and the European Commission. She took part in a research on monetary valuing of domestic work financed by the Swiss National Fund for Scientific Research.

Introductory reflections
Domestic and family activities allow goods and services to be produced without price, meaning that there is no monetary, but only affective valuing. These goods and services are therefore ‘economically invisible’. They are produced by and for private households and dispossessed of the essential criterion for the marketplace: their price. This production is not subject to any monetary transaction, it is neither sold nor bought, but just offered or exchanged ‘for free’ within the household, or between members of different households. What's more, producing these goods and services took time and this time was also provided without any monetary compensation (salary). But why should, for instance, the ‘economic existence’ of meals be

ignored when provided at home yet taken into consideration when sold at the restaurant? Does this mean that society values only monetary exchange? To these reasons that sustain the invisibility of domestic and family work come methodological problems of measuring. As a consequence, this production is not registered in the economic statistics (national accounts and work statistics) thus ignoring a field of activities which are productive indeed.

An activity is recognised as productive when accomplished by some person other than the one benefiting by it: criterion of the 3rd person. Through this criterion it is relatively easy to make a difference between (economic) productive activities and personal ones. For example, someone may prepare my meal: according to the criterion of the 3rd person this is a productive activity. When the meal is prepared at the restaurant, it is the fruit of a market productive activity. When prepared at home it is a non-market productive activity. On the other side no one can eat my meal for me, because this is a personal activity, meaning: a non-economic, non-productive economy.

1	Quantifying domestic and family work
How can we make it visible? Its quantification already permits elements of knowing. The production can be measured in volumes, for example, by the number of persons or households that are accomplishing this activity or by the number of prepared meals, of kilos or pieces of washed and ironed laundry, number of children that are looked after, etc. In this view, the biggest inconvenience is made up by the diversity of units of measure (kilos, number, etc.) that do not allow comparison. The non-market production may also be measured in time: number of hours and minutes needed to accomplish the various activities during a day, a week, etc. This unit of measure is universally comparable since used world wide.

Measuring work time is much more advanced thanks to inquiries on time use. The collected data allow quantifying the whole of market and non-market activities of households and very often also to detail them. They also give the opportunity to make out the part of work that is essentially done by women. Further detailed insights may be gained by using socio-economic variables. Some examples: the comparative study I made together with Luisella Goldschmidt-Clermont for the United Nations Development Programme (Measures of Unrecorded Economic Activities in Fourteen Countries, Occasional Papers n. 20, New York, UNDP / HDRO, 1995) gives an idea of the time devoted to various kinds of activities by men and women in 14 industrialised countries: Germany, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, United States, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Norway, Netherlands and the UK.

Time devoted to economic activities (market and non-market) takes less than one third of the day of the population from the analysed countries; this is about 6-7 hours a day. The remaining two thirds of the day are used for personal activities. In 6 countries - Germany, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Israel and the UK - men and women have an equal share of personal time. In the other 8 - Austria, Bulgaria, United States, Finland, France, Italy, Norway and the Netherlands - women spend more time on economic activities than men. If one analyses only the whole of economic activities, time taken by remunerated activities practically equals time spent on unremunerated activities in most countries. On the other side specificity of activities traditionally allocated to men and women is confirmed: women spend a major part of their economic time on domestic and family work (an average of 4 to 6 hours a day) whereas men do so with professional activities. According to the country, non-market activities take about 1 to 3 hours of men's average day.

The general conclusions on men's and women's contribution to the whole of economic activities of the 1995 World Report on Human Development of the United Nations Programme for Development show following numbers: In industrialised countries women do more than half (51%) of the total work load (remunerated and unremunerated). One third of the total workload of men and two thirds of women's are unremunerated economic activities. On the other hand in developing countries women support an average of 53% of the total workload (remunerated and unremunerated).

When analysing only domestic and family work, those involved in nourishing take a little less than one third of the whole time spent on unremunerated work. Then come, according to country, activities related to children, cleaning, or administration (including shopping). Traditional roles show up again in domestic and family activities: some are done mainly by women (cleaning, laundry, ironing), others mainly by men (odd jobs).

2	Sharing domestic and family tasks in time
Role models may still be observed, yet some minor changes took place in the course of time. In some countries - Canada, Great Britain, and Norway - comparative data are available for the past few decades. We see two tendencies: men spend a few minutes more time looking after children and shopping, whereas women tend to reduce the total non-market workload.

A combination of these two trends is accountable for decreasing differences in time spent on non-market activities by men and women during the last decades. In spite of this, the differences one notices in the distribution of market and non-market activities between men and women are on one hand general, on the other hand persistent. The following statement has to be made: taking on domestic and family activities was, is and probably will be for some time still a responsibility allotted to women by culture and society. The striking inequalities become especially visible when women have to conciliate professional and family life.

3	Monetary valuing of domestic and family work
If non-market production of households must be appreciated in personal and social terms, so should also its economic character be recognised. Consequently, proceeding to its monetary valuing bears a symbolic meaning. As a consequence monetary valuing has first of all a symbolic meaning. Until today this production went unrecognised or was little known since it was not monetised in a society where money (price or salary) makes up the value of goods and people. Transposing this production into monetary value is also a way of considering it as part and parcel of the economic field in the way of thinking of today's society. In order to do so, concepts such as work, production, leisure (e.g. odd jobs) ought to be redefined and some problems of methodology must be solved. For instance, the proposal (also adopted in the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action) to introduce this production into national accounts by way of special (‘satellite’) accounts separate from the core as traditionally established should offer some flexibility. The opportunity to separate, to exclude, or to include this sector of activity, of production will offer more flexibility for economic analysis. It will also allow continuity of data in relation with those of past times without causing irreversible disruption.

One way of calculating the monetary value of domestic and family work is by giving the time needed to accomplish one or several non-market activities a value derived from an average salary. The average substitute may be that of a domestic help (‘polyvalent’ substitute) or remuneration of a ‘specialised’ substitute, allowing valuing of a specific activity such as average remuneration of a cook (food related), or teacher (child related). Needless to say that according to the salary used the valuing of non-market activities may offer significant differences.

A second way to monetary valuing is through market price of the various goods. Here the problem lies in relating the product/market and non-market service. The use of this method is rather recent. In some industrialised countries we analysed in our study the value of non-market production was assessed as being more than one third of GNP. 

4	Heterogeneity of activities in the micro-cosmos of home
Domestic and family activities are a heterogeneous whole of goods and services that, in the market sector, are produced separately and are well differentiated. In consequence, domestic activities are done in a way that is either fragmented and repetitive (preparing meals twice a day), continuous (looking after children), often simultaneous (ironing and looking after children) or sometimes unforeseen (illness of a member of the household). Accomplishing these activities takes competence - increasing with time -, availability and responsibilities. Child related activities (physical and psychological care) are evident examples of this.

Keeping quiet about these characteristics of domestic and family work means ignoring some aspects of this mainly feminine contribution to a sector that is essential to the good working of the way today's society is organised in general, including the market sector. In the same time this allows the perpetuation of the vicious circle in which women are very often shut up and which is of great consequence in matters of rights, especially to women who devoted themselves for years to these activities only. In the long run they can be penalised socially and economically - e.g. unemployment and poverty.

On the other hand, judges and insurers may be confronted with the necessity of criteria or valuation scales of non-market activities and production in cases of divorce or indemnification after a woman's accident. These cases are just some illustrations amongst many others where monetary valuing of domestic and family work might be useful.

Conclusions
In conclusion, let it be remembered that all the available data, no matter in what way they were obtained, show the importance of non-market production by households. In all national money it is a multi-zero number. Furthermore it takes almost just as much time as market activities. Yet valuing domestic and family work should not be seen as an end in itself, but as a means. It is a, non-exclusive, way of re-assessing the economic input of women by using the current economic logic. 

Once the domestic and family work done by women is ‘made visible economically’ national decision-makers will no longer be able to ignore it. Admitting that the traditional view on economy was partial because of the invisibility of the non-market productive sector is in itself a thorough change of thinking. At the same time valuing the non-remunerated work means recognising the feminine economic contribution not only in terms of money, but also in terms of humanity.
Geneva, June 2000

Measuring Women's And Men's Unpaid Domestic Or Household Work
By Winston Sims
(The following is drawn in part from by UNDP Focus on Women, DPI/1659/wom.)
The list of domestic or household activities, all of which have economic implications, is a long one and well known to all of us. It includes the production of goods and services involved in getting water, sewing to mend or make clothes, washing clothes, ironing, preparing the fields or gardens for planting, mending tools, ensuring facilities for harvesting and storage of the harvest, raising food, processing of food, preparation of food, cooking, washing dishes, caring for children, spouse or partner, parents or elderly, community activities, undertaking of any cottage industries, building, repairing and maintenance of the home and so forth. Most of the time these activities are domestic in nature; they do not enter the market and although essential to the vitality and survival of the family and society, they do not enter the national accounts. The work is, therefore, unvalued in terms of national policies. But these activities comprise an invaluable resource of enormous value. In the absence of such data, there can be little effective economic or social planning.

Of increasing importance to the well-being of our families and society is the fact that our identities, not to mention our status in society is so often measured by what we do, by our jobs, not by who we are. One result is that the most important aspects of our lives, our families and communities, carry little or no valuation, recognition, or prestige. They are vastly underestimated. And then when we devote our lives to other activities, better remunerated, we wonder why it is that our families and communities are under stress perhaps even dissolving before our very eyes. Most of this activity, but far from all, of course, is undertaken by women. Their contribution is clearly disproportionate to that of men. And so the activity of women, their work, their roles, even women themselves are depreciated and undervalued. They often see themselves and are seen by others as ‘only housewives’.

The first step in changing this is to undertake ‘time-use’ studies to identify the myriad ways in which women and men use their time within the household. Many of these were mentioned in the first paragraph. This produces, over a period of a year, since many of the activities are seasonal, a catalogue of activities which are basically domestic and do not enter the market and which carry no explicit economic value, yet which make a definite contribution to the economic and social survival and well-being of the family and the community.

The next step is to try to specify these activities in a way that they can be used as indicators that measure, quantify or otherwise reflect faithfully their economic value. This, of course, implies reaching an estimation of the market value of the inputs and outputs associated with these activities. These can then serve as indicators of productive domestic activities, not that all such indicators would be equally important or valuable. 

Following the identification and establishment of indicators, using these indicators to gather data can yield the statistics that can bring us much closer to a clearer understanding of the real value of domestic or household production and other activities.

If we really believed that these activities had great intrinsic importance we would have developed indicators to describe them a long time ago. Perhaps we have so few indicators in these areas because so many of these activities are discharged by women. What is clear is that until we have the indicators that we need, we will not have the necessary statistics and our understanding of the real value of these activities will only continue to suffer, as will our efforts to design and implement more effective economic and social policies.
Contact: Winston Sims, Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, Martinstrasse 92/3, A-1180 Vienna, Austria, Phone/Fax: 43-1-405 89 01, Email: famcom.vienna@utanet.at

NEWS FROM THE UNITED NATIONS

Thirty-Ninth Session Of The Commission For Social Development
New York, USA, 13-23 February 2001
The provisional agenda of the 39th session will be:
1.	Election of officers
2.	Adoption of the agenda and other organisational matters
3.	Follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development:
(a)	Themes:
i.	Priority theme: enhancing social protection and reducing vulnerability in a globalising world
ii.	Sub-theme: the role of volunteerism in the promotion of social development
(b)	Review of relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups
4.	Multi-year programme of work of the Commission for 2002-2006
Documentation on this agenda item will be:
•	Report of the Secretary-General on enhancing social protection and reducing vulnerability in a globalising world
•	Report of the Secretary-General on the role of volunteerism in the promotion of social development
•	Report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the International Year of Older Persons
•	Report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the International Year of the Family and the observance of its tenth anniversary in 2004
5.	Programme questions and other matters:
(a)	Programme performance and implementation
(b)	Proposed programme of work for the biennium 2002-2003
(c)	United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
Documentation on this agenda item will be: 
•	Note by the Secretary-General on the draft proposed programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003
•	Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the Report of the Board of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
•	Note by the Secretary-General on the nomination of members of the Board of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
6.	Provisional agenda for the fortieth session of the Commission
7.	Adoption of the report of the Commission on its thirty-ninth session
Further information: Web: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csd/2001.htm

UN Secretary-General Urges States To Promote Volunteerism At Start Of International Year Of Volunteers 
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened the International Year of Volunteers 2001 by urging governments and institutions world wide to recognise and celebrate the vital contributions of volunteers. ‘Societies need to recognise and promote volunteerism as a valuable activity. They must facilitate the work of volunteers, and encourage volunteer action at home and abroad,’ said Mr. Annan. ‘By calling upon volunteers and building partnerships with civil society, governments can help increase the efficiency of public services, and ensure that they reach more people,’ he added. 

In 1997, the UN General Assembly declared 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers and designated the Bonn-based UN Volunteers (UNV), which has close to 5,000 UN volunteers serving in the field annually, as the year's focal point. ‘I believe that the contribution of volunteerism in creating and enhancing economic and social capital is one of the best-kept secrets of the modern world,’ said UNV Executive Co-ordinator Sharon Capeling-Alakija. ‘Volunteerism remains largely undervalued and overlooked as a positive force for social development. IYV 2001 can turn that around.’ The global launch of IYV 2001 will take place on 5 December 2000, the annual International Volunteer Day, with national events in more than 100 countries all over the world. Key objectives of the year will be to recognise the work of millions of volunteers from all walks of life and build global networks among them. For the latest IYV updates, including news releases and country-specific information, please visit the media section of the IYV 2001, Web: http://www.iyv2001.org/

UNV is the volunteer arm of the UN system (Web: http://www.unv.org). It extends hands-on assistance for peace and development in nearly 150 countries. Created by the UN General Assembly in 1970 and administered by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UNV works through UNDP country offices to send volunteers and promote the ideals of volunteerism around the world. Thousands of UN Volunteers from more than 140 countries serve each year. They have extensive experience in over 100 professional fields. 
For further information please contact: Klas Bergman, Phone: 1-212-906 3640, Email: klas.bergman@unv.org, Nanette Braun, Phone: 49-228-815 2220, Email: nanette.braun@unv.org, Richard Nyberg, Phone: 49-228-815 2223, Email: richard.nyberg@unv.org
For application information please visit: Web: Becoming a UN Volunteer http://www.unv.org/, Email: enquiry@unv.org

VIENNA NGO COMMITTEE ON THE FAMILY

Proposed Action Plan 2001

1	Service to the International Network for Information Exchange
Families International (Quarterly bulletin of the Vienna NGO Committee on the Family): Expanding the Information Exchange Value of the publication in our world wide network of 1,000 participants through:
•	Special Features on topics of interest to families and family policy
•	News from the United Nations relevant to families
•	News from the Vienna NGO Committee on the Family
•	Family-Related NGO News
•	Recent and Forthcoming Events
•	Publications - Periodicals - Magazines
•	Introduction of Organisations related to family issues
•	Information Document related to the theme of the International Day of Families 2001

2	Co-operation with the United Nations
•	Co-operation with the Sub-programme on Family, Department for Policy Co-ordination and Sustainable Development - Member of UN core group - to facilitate the preparations for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2004.
•	Lobbying at the Commission for Social Development 2001 in New York, including submission of joint INGO Statement prepared by the Committee.

3	Building a Global Platform
Co-operation with NGO Committees at UN Centres:
•	Organisation of a Joint International Seminar on Racism at the United Nations Vienna International Centre in May 2001.

4	Focus on African Family-Oriented NGOs
Implementation of project ‘Building Networks of Family-Oriented NGOs in African Countries’ to co-ordinate NGOs working with family concerns with a view to publishing a directory of the areas of common interests, activities, programmes, projects, needs, services supplied, and networking possibilities of listed NGOs. The main purpose of the project is to facilitate the maintenance of a network between the participating NGOs and local, national and international institutions, preparatory steps for the organisation of an international follow-up seminar in Africa.

5	Focus on Central and Eastern European Family-Oriented NGOs
Exploration of a possible further follow-up seminar in the Baltics as further stage of project ‘Strategies to Strengthen Family NGOs in Central and Eastern European Countries’.

6	Working Groups of the Committee on the Family
•	Developing Countries
•	Central and Eastern European Countries
•	Commission for Social Development
•	Families International
•	10th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family 2004

Contact: Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, Martinstrasse 92/3, A-1180 Vienna, Austria, Phone/Fax: 43-1-405 89 01, Email: famcom.vienna@utanet.at
FAMILY-RELATED NGO NEWS

World AIDS Day On 1 December 
Press release by SOS Children's Villages on occasion of the World AIDS Day
This Day reminds us that AIDS today belongs to the greatest challenges to mankind. UNAIDS and WHO estimate the total number of people infected with HIV world wide to be in the region of 34 million; on the African continent alone 15 million people have died of this disease so far. Children and youths are amongst those who suffer most. It is of course the poorest countries in the world which are worst affected by the spread of AIDS. The illness intrudes immensely on their social structures. The most productive part of their population dies and many children are left behind. These countries are hardly able to provide resources in the fight against AIDS. There is a lack of money for HIV tests, counselling centres and for caring for the sick. The education system also lacks the funds to carry out efficient educational work on the subject. AIDS is especially a challenge for the SOS Children's Village work in the southern hemisphere countries. 13 million children around the world have already lost their parents to AIDS, according to the UNICEF report The State of the World's Children 2000. The percentage of orphans in Africa has now risen to 7%. More and more children are being admitted to SOS Children's Village facilities either as direct or indirect victims of the epidemic. If children in the SOS Children's Villages are found to be HIV-infected, they are given loving care and medical treatment by the village community. This is a difficult and sad task for the SOS Children's Village families. The care of these children, whether they are AIDS orphans and/or infected with AIDS themselves, is one of SOS Children's Villages’ main concerns in an attempt to counteract the stigma and social exclusion of these children. They grow up normally with other children within the dependable network of relationships in the SOS Children's Villages, are embedded in a stable home, are educated and therefore made both psychologically and physically stronger.

Prevention work and knowledge about the disease are keys to the battle against it. This is where SOS Children's Villages can use its facilities, especially those which play a central role in the community such as the clinics, schools, social and medical centres. Richard Pichler, Secretary-General of SOS-Kinderdorf International, following his last project trip to southern Africa, emphasised how important it was for SOS Children's Villages to increase its AIDS education in future, especially in the SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools. He pointed out such projects as the SOS Medical Centre in Lilongwe 

in Malawi as a positive example with its major education and prevention programme covering the whole region. It is not only a matter of increasing people's knowledge but also a matter of motivating people to change their attitudes and behaviour. Secretary-General Richard Pichler: ‘Education means providing detailed and honest sex education, which points out the dangers of HIV/AIDS but also conveys the idea that HIV-infected people need our tolerance, help and our respect.’ For any education programme to work it must be adapted to the local culture and social context.

SOS Children's Villages support an intensive and close co-operation between the various organisations and institutions. The existing initiatives in the area of AIDS awareness, care of AIDS patients and of their children as well as the integration of HIV-infected people into the community must be helped as efficiently and as thoroughly as possible. AIDS is a topic which affects all of us. As UN General-Secretary Kofi Annan said in his message for the World AIDS Day on 1 December, ‘It requires us to open our minds to community solutions that work in the struggle against AIDS. It requires us to open our arms to people living with HIV/AIDS and give them our solidarity and support’.
Contact: Claudia Schachinger, Liaison Office, SOS-Kinderdorf International, Billrothstrasse 22, A-1190 Vienna, Austria, Phone: 43-1-368 24 57 20, Fax: 43-1-368 89 18, Email: Claudia.Schachinger@sos-kd.org, Web: http://www.sos-kd.org/

Design For The Family - Aid For AIDS
Families are under attack! One South American Ministry of Health advert carries the slogan: ‘Parents! When you can't protect them anymore...condoms can!’ Millions of deaths from HIV/AIDS every year bear witness to the fact that the 'safe sex' message has failed. In many organisations and agencies the emphasis is shifting to a call for behavioural change as the only way to contain the spread of infection. It is no longer old-fashioned to talk about virginity, purity and abstinence. The lowest number of deaths from AIDS occurs in the 5-14 age bracket. This is a window of hope for young people who can choose to remain AIDS-free.

Aid for AIDS is the response of Scripture Union Africa to the AIDS pandemic which continues to sweep across the continent. Our emphasis is on AIDS education and prevention through the production of materials which present God's Design for the Family. We are operating life skills seminars in schools and churches in twenty-five African countries. Recently the Minister of Education gave his permission for the use of our materials in every school in Mozambique. In Madagascar, Hubert Rakotoarivony works under the banner of Espoir pour l'Avenir promoting Design for the Family programmes at home and throughout French speaking Africa. 

The problems between Christians and Moslems in Nigeria have made news headlines around the world this year, yet in that troubled nation the Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS) has adopted the Aid for AIDS life skills strategy with vision and vigour. At a Train the Trainers Seminar Dr. Istafanus Zabadi, Commissioner for Education in Adamawa State in Northern Nigeria declared: ‘We will not only open the gates of our schools for the Aid for AIDS programme. We will make sure the gates are removed!’ Almost seven million children and young people have attended Choose Freedom and Adventure Unlimited Seminars this year in Nigeria! The National AIDS Co-ordinator, Dr. Sani Nasir Gwarzo, has given an assurance that the staff of the National AIDS and STD's Control Programme (NASCAP) will attend training seminars: ‘I am encouraged by the school based religious approach on AIDS prevention education by FCS. This project deserves our support morally and financially. NASCP has been longing for religious based materials.’ 

HIV/AIDS is fundamentally a family disease. It is a symptom of the breakdown of the family and the loss of traditional moral values. At Design for the Family we also target married couples and parents and help them to strengthen their relationships. Parents can protect their children. Adults can lay strong and solid foundations on which young lives can be built. They can set an example by their love and loyalty. Again our emphasis is on faithfulness and purity in marriage. There is an old African saying: ‘When an orange is sweet you are content to suck only one, otherwise you will go for a dozen other fruits.’ Through Design for the Family seminars and residential weekends, couples can learn the necessary skills to keep their love 'sweet'.

Dr. Paul Mershak, who serves as the Design for the Family/Aid for AIDS project secretary in Jos, Nigeria, spoke at an International AIDS Conference in Durban in July. He issued a strong challenge to everyone who is working to combat the scourge of HIV/AIDS: ‘While many are arguing about what to do and how to do it, the disease has left them sitting on the fence. It crossed the fence and all other barriers (such as religion and tribe, national boundaries and culture) many years ago. It is with us now wreaking havoc and raging as wild fire. Our part in coping with this disease is sustained and continuous education of the youth and the family on moral values. The ultimate aim is an AIDS free generation. Join us today!’
Contact: David and Janet Cunningham, Design for the Family Co-ordinators, 45 Heyman Road, Suburbs, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Phone: 263-9-71555, Email: sufamily@acaia.mweb.co.zw, Web: http://www.arachnid.co.zw/designforfamily

Activities Of The Trade Union Of Latvian TV And Family NGO Of Latvia
From Copenhagen Social Summit 1995 to Forum Geneva 2000
It was the title of the Information Sheet that was brought by Latvian families who came to take part in the activities of Forum Geneva 2000 ‘The Next Step in the Social Development’. Among them there were 8 parents, 3 youngsters and 3 children who represented Trade Union of Latvian TV, Associations of the Union of Latvian Large Families Association (ULLFA) and Family Sphere of the Umbrella of Social and Health Care NGO - Latvian Television Families Club, Multi-Children Families Association ‘Dekla’ of Liepaja town and Large Families Association of Berzpils village. They met with the participants from World Family Organisation, NGO Section of UN, Vienna NGO Committee on the Family and World Movement of Mothers at the discussion ‘The Role of Families in the Context of Social Development’ and took part in the other events of Forum. For preparing the Forum this year we organised several activities devoted to this event: On 22 April at the traditional festival Family Hare 2000 with the theme ‘What will we put into the suitcase of Hare for the trip to Geneva?’, we made a project of the new Declaration on Social Development of Latvia and submitted it to the State President, Prime Minister and Deputies of Saeima (Parliament of Latvia). On 15 May - International Day of Families - we organised a traditional event The International Families Day Fire where we wanted to hold a public discussion on the State Report project for UNGASS and to draw up NGO proposals for future actions in the field of social development. Unfortunately, the representatives from governmental institutions did not agree and the Latvian society does not know anything how our state prepared for Geneva events and what was in the State Report. This trip was supported by the Councils of Riga and Liepaja, Trade Union of Latvian TV, the France organisation La Main Tendue, the German Embassy in Latvia, the Latvian Embassy in Germany and by the companies Kraft Foods Lietuva and Philip Morris Lietuva.

The participants of Geneva 2000 were familiarised with other activities in the field of social development which Latvian NGO organised in the last 5 years: The activities of the Union of Latvian Large Families Association (ULLFA) and Trade Union of Latvian TV in the field of social development started in 1991. In 1992, by initiative of ULLFA, the Demographic Committee of Ministries Cabinet was founded which united the governmental and non-governmental organisations for work in the field of social development. Until this time the member of this Committee is the Chairman of ULLFA and the Trade Union of Latvian TV, Mr. Leonids Mucenieks. Because of to his activities in this Committee he was recommended by the Ministry of Welfare to take part in the NGO Forum of the World Summit on Social Development which was held in Copenhagen in 1995 and sponsored by the International Council of Social Welfare, European Region. ULLFA and Trade Union of Latvian TV united in common activities the above mentioned organisations in the field of social development using the initiatives of United Nations, International Years and the International Families Day teams. 

1995	International Year of Tolerance: we worked under the banner ‘Tolerance Starts in the Family’.
1996	International Year for the Eradication of Poverty: we worked under the banner ‘Families - Victims of Poverty and Homelessness - or?’
1997	International Year of Partnership: we worked under the banner ‘Building Families Based on Partnership’ and in collaboration with UNDP translated the UN Indicative Guide for Action on Family Issues into Latvian.
1998	International Year of Human Rights: our work was connected with the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and our motto was ‘Family - Source of Education for Human Rights’.
1999	International Year of Older Person: we worked under the banner ‘Families for all Ages’.
2000	We decided to work under the banner ‘Families - Agents of Development and Social Progress’.

Our very traditional events where we speak about issues of social development are the festival Family Hare and the International Families Day Fires on 15 May. The themes of our ‘Families Hare’ which were connected with UN years themes were followed in the last 5 years:
1995	‘How great would be Hare’s families that Hares do not disappear?’ - connected with the Conference ‘Latvian Nation’s Vitality and State Policy after UN International Conference in Cairo on Population and Development’
1996	‘The Habitat of Hare’ Family’ - connected with the UN Conference ‘Habitat II’ in Istanbul in June
1997	‘Put the misfortunes under the stone and overstep it singing’ - connected with Partnership theme
1998	‘Hares Also Have Their Rights…’
1999	‘The Best Present to Grandfather and Grandmother’
2000	We chose the theme ‘What will we put into the suitcase of Hare for the trip to Geneva?’ Each family organisation through Hare’s image played one of the Copenhagen Commitments, showed how it was realised in Latvia in the past 5 years and rose the new point of Commitment for new Declaration. The organisations performed for World Hares, recorded on video, and took part in the handwork competition ‘How does the Family Hare 2000 look like?’ From the raised points of Commitment we made the following project of new Declaration on Social Development that was submitted to State President, Prime Minister and deputies of Parliament of Latvia: 
1.	To put into practise ideas and projects of the Social development Programme of UN.
2.	To develop and support favourable conditions in order to increase the number of healthy and educated families having successful business enterprises.
3.	To eliminate unemployment and poverty.
4.	To wake from prolonged sleep Demographic Committee of the Cabinet.
5.	To ensure the possibility for a child to grow-up in a family.
6.	To take decisive steps to protect the rights of children and families.
7.	To establish Ministry of Children, Youth and Family Affairs in Latvia.
8.	To create a long-term government in Latvia.
9.	To implement finally the Order No.391 issued by the Cabinet of Latvia in 1995 and to announce the International Family Day proclaimed by the UNO on 15 May as the State Holiday.
10.	To strengthen co-operation of local governments, NGOs and entrepreneurs with the UN in order to ensure social development.

Contact: Leonids Mucenieks, Chairman of ULLFA and Trade Union of Latvian TV, Zakusalas krastmala 3-253, LV-1509 Riga, Latvia, Phone: 371-7-200 244, Fax: 371-7-200 400, Email: leonids@ltv.lv

RECENT AND FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Global Forum On Local Governance And Social Services for All
Stockholm, Sweden, 2-5 May 2000
Organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DPEPA/DESA), the Swedish Government, the City of Stockholm and a number of Swedish public and private organisations, the Forum enabled representatives of governments, local authorities, civil society organisations and the United Nations system to share experiences and best practices in local governance for sustainable human development, a necessary condition for people centred development that includes men and women of all age groups and provides them equal choices and access to services and opportunities. 
Inquiries: Ms Helena Alves, United Nations (DESA), Email: alvesh@un.org

Millennium Conference ‘Connecting Communities’ 
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 3-6 October 2000
Organised by the International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres (IFS). The conference provided opportunity for social workers to exchange knowledge and experiences on projects and methods on how to shape multi-cultural work in neighbourhoods and how to implement youth policy. It also discussed combating poverty, counteracting social exclusion and improving the quality of life in communities. Key to the conference was the discussions on how the Internet could be used in every day social work to facilitate contacts and exchanges between social workers in different countries. 

The IFS is a federation of national, regional and local organisations working to strengthen communities in our society. Its membership includes multi-purpose community based organisations from 43 countries, ranging from small self-help groups to large agencies with over 200 staff. IFS aims to promote practical co-operation among community organisations. Member organisations have pioneered a wide variety of services to respond to local needs while promoting the experiences of communities and citizens to influence national, regional and international policies that affect the quality of life of individuals and communities. The IFS network provides an environment that supports the member organisations by developing international co-operation projects that provide practical advice and information; organise training and exchanges; helping to assess needs and achievements; and by representing members' interests and concerns through advocacy to governments, NGOs and the United Nations.
Contact: IFS, P.O. Box 2378, Malcha Mall, Jerusalem 91023, Israel, or IFS Headquarters, 835 Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario M4M 1H9, Canada, Phone: 1-416-469 5211, Email: ifs.agnes@woodgreen.org, Web: http://www.ifsnetwork.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

International Seminar On Racism And Xenophobia
Vienna International Centre, Austria, 7 May 2001
Highlighting the United Nations International Year 2001 of Mobilisation against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
Organised by the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, NGO Committee on Ageing, NGO Committee on the Family, NGO Committee on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NGO Committee on Peace, NGO Committee on the Status of Women. There will be three input papers from Dr. Ruth Wodak, Professor of Socio-Linguistics at the University of Vienna, on ‘Discourse, Racism and Anti-Racism’, Beate Winkler, European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, on ‘Key Issues in Combating Racism and Xenophobia’ and Nikolaus Marschik, Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Chairperson is Marlene Parenzan, Vice-President of CONGO. A discussion will close the morning session and in the afternoon, working groups will be formed on the themes of the input papers and each working group will be asked to contribute to a joint statement of the seminar to the United Nations International Conference on Racism Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in South Africa, August/September 2001.
Only written registrations can be accepted by email, fax or letter to: International Seminar On Racism, 7 May 2001, CONGO Vienna Office, Room CO266A, P.O. Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Fax: 43-1-260 60 5985, Email: congongo@unvienna.org

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

Time On Family Relationships
United Kingdom, 17-20 June 2001
The International Commission on Marriage and Interpersonal Relations (ICMIR) will devote its 2001 International Conference to a multi-disciplinary examination of the ways that family relationships are affected by the different concepts and uses of time found throughout the world. Keynote speakers will explore the subject in terms of individuals' relationships, family structures, and the wider society. Workshops will address related issues arising from legislation, social policy, employment practices, migration, cultural diversity, children’s welfare, and approaches to relationship therapy. The conference participants, themselves leaders in their professional fields, will extend the work of the Conference through their involvement in multi-national, inter-disciplinary group activity. This is ICMIR's 48th International Conference and it carries the Commission's work forward by once again providing a unique forum for the members of all those professions concerned with the welfare of people in their family settings. 
Further details about participation are available from: Mrs. Gerlind Richards, General Secretary, ICMIR, 4 Barnfield Wood Close, Beckenham, Kent BR3 6SY, United Kingdom, Phone: 0044-20-8663 0445, Email: richards@icmir.fsnet.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

International Confederation Of Christian Family Movements
Date and place unknown to us.
Contact: Jose and Margarita Pich, Phone/Fax: 93-540-8007, Email: lamarkis@adam.es

PUBLICATIONS

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

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

Family Policy In The Slovak Republic In 1999
The Bratislava International Centre for Family Studies published the above-titled booklet in July 2000. It indicates that the ‘[f]amily signifies mutual responsibility for each other and the family as a whole. In each family a particular member to a different extent shares diverse responsibilities. The degree of shared responsibility and ways of participating in 'family matters' are also - to a different degree - determined by the relationship between the family and the state.’ In CEE countries creating 'adequate ways' of supporting families means two things: first, to get rid of the outdated 'paternalistic' social programmes that do not correspond with principles of democracy and requirements of market economy, second, to create new programmes that would help families to achieve economic independence and to choose the appropriate form of family life.

The Conception of the State Family Policy, published by the Slovak Government, indicates that the basic strategic objectives of Slovak family policy are to:
•	achieve a relative economic independence of families based on strengthened responsibility of individuals and families for their well-being
•	support stability and quality of family relations (married couples and parents and children) in order to achieve equality and fair division of family duties and roles
•	create optimum conditions for self-reproduction of society
•	adopt such measures that enable parents to chose between the family and work
The role of the state in the realisation of these long-term objectives lies mostly in the ‘...sphere of legal protection of the family and its individual members, in the area of socio-economic security of the family, via supporting responsible behaviour of children and the youth towards partnership and parenting, and via health protection of individuals’.
From: Bulletin 2/2000, Bratislava International Centre for Family Studies, Drotarska cesta 46, 81104 Bratislava, Slovak Republic, Phone: 421-7-6280 2592; Fax: 421-7-6280 2692, Email: bicfs@bicfs.sk

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

Periodicals & Magazines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PARENTS’ FORUM announces The War Against Parents, by Sylvia Ann Hewitt and Cornel West. ‘A parents' bill of rights calling for parents to have time to care for their children and economic security to provide for them, along with pro-family electoral and legal systems a supportive external environment (including good schooling, adequate health care and responsible media) as well as recognition and respect for the work they do.’ Houghton Mifflin Co., 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116, USA.

Newsletters, books, kits, handbooks & videos of the Family Caring Trust, 8 Ashtree Enterprise Park, Newry, County Down BT34 1BY, Republic of Ireland.

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCING

Bratislava International Centre For Family Studies (BICFS)
The Centre was established by a decision of the Government of the Slovak Republic (SR) of 16 June 1992. The establishment of the BICFS was an expression of an interest of governments of the SR in long-term solution of the family issues in Slovakia using experience from national and international comparative research of family and governmental family policies. Towards the end of 1996 empowered representatives of the Government of the SR and of the UN Secretariat signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the SR and the UN for Supporting Family via the BICFS. The purpose of this document was to support the formation of the BICFS as a research and educational centre supporting and promoting family in Eastern and Central Europe. 

The BICFS operates as an independent research institution financially supported by the government. The main task of the Centre is national and international comparative research on family and family policies, formation of national and international databases concerning family and family policy primarily in Eastern and Central Europe and organising of professional events in co-operation with national governmental and non-governmental and international institutions. The BICFS employs at present 12 staff members. Since 15 January 2000 the new director of the BICFS has been PhDr. Erika Kvapilová, CSc. (erikak@bicfs.sk). The management of the Scientific Research Department has been entrusted to PhDr. Bernardína Bodnárová (bodnarova@bicfs.sk), CSc., since 1 March 2000. 
Address: Medzinárodné stredisko pre štúdium rodiny, Drotárska cesta 46, 811 04 Bratislava, Slovak Republic, Phone: 421-7-6280 2592, Fax: 421-7-6280 2692, Email: bicfs@bicfs.sk

Family Research Institute Turkey
Family is the basic unit of society and family well being is an essential precondition of sustainable development. In the light of the great challenges of mankind at the dawn of the next century, family policy has its own place in the sphere of social policy. In the score of individualisation of social policy, it has been seen that it is the family, as a unit, which cares for its members and which transmits social and cultural values to the next generations and needs to be strengthened. It is the responsibility of family policy at the local, national, regional and international levels to protect and support families to fulfil their various functions, especially by:

-	Helping the family in its supporting, educating and nurturing roles.
-	Meeting the needs of families and their individual members, especially the most disadvantaged and vulnerable members, with particular attention to the care of children.
-	Eradication of poverty and securing an adequate standard of living.
-	Promoting equal partnership between women and men in the family and in society.
-	Reinforcing the interrelationship of family well being and sustainable development.

Turkey attaches enormous importance to the role and functions of families in society- on the international, national, community and grassroots levels. Families are considered main contributors to the beneficiaries of the development process. 

Turkey has a national plan for privatisation and should deal with problems of inflation, low-income policies, insufficiency in collective bargaining, unemployment, inevitable cuts in benefits and services to families. Within this context, employed/unemployed families have to carry the burden of the socio-economic transformation. Industrialisation and rapid urbanisation and migration are all contributing factors to the disintegration of families in the country. Divorce, single parent and dissolved families are proliferating and drug abuse among adolescents and the crime rates are raising in Turkey. The traditional potency of Turkish family declines due to the above mentioned factors. Therefore, Turkish family was entitled to receive comprehensive protection and support. Moreover, Turkish government decided to develop family-sensitive policies and formulate protective and strengthening policies for the families. Article 41 of the Turkish Constitution indicates that ‘Family is the base of Turkish Society’. Giving such importance to the family, in both the Constitution and the five-year development plans lead to establish a bureaucratic organisation related to Turkish family and its problems. The Family Research Institute was founded in 1989 affiliated with the Prime Ministry.

As a non-profit governmental organisation, the Family Research Institute is the main body directly related to family themes at various levels. The Family Research Institute is the basic co-ordination mechanism of Turkish government for family studies, programmes and services. The task definition and the objectives of the Institute include:

a)	To strengthen the family as one of the basic agents of social transformation. 
b)	To stimulate research to observe the situation and problems of families and to promote projects to enhance family well being.
c)	To develop family policies and programmes for the empowerment of families.

To ensure the objectives, certain areas of concern have been identified as follows:
a)	Family structure and values;
•	The analysis of family relations at the levels of globalisation-privatisation, local-culture and community-individual interaction.
•	The analysis of concrete-daily activities and reasoning patterns of individuals in families as well as in other institutions mediating the reproduction or transformation of current values and relations.
b)	Problems of the immigrant and refugee families. The national action plan of Turkey is directed to enable family reunion.
c)	The impact of the social security system on families. The policy of the Turkish government oriented towards strengthening and preserving the family and family values require an well-organised social security system.
d)	Family planning and environmental health.
e)	Education and training.
f)	Legislation and human rights of family members;
g)	Co-ordination of funds, statistical services, documentation and information networks, development of database, computer networks and the related co-ordination are the weakest points in the national mechanism.

Research Activities
From the beginning up to now, the Family Research Institute has given priority to the analytical and comprehensive studies concerning Turkish family in accord with the aims of the governmental decree that sets the foundation of the Family Research Institute, dated 6 December 1989. In the studies carried out, attention to women and children are given while the changes in the family related to the industrialisation and urbanisation are being determined. In co-operation with the universities, professional research companies and other related organisations, 16 studies were completed and eight of them publicised:
1.	Child Education in the Family (1995)
2.	Children with Hearing Deficiency: Learning to Cope with it as a Whole Family
3.	Family and Work Relations of Women Running Their Own Enterprises
4.	Housing Types and Social Structure in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey
5.	Importance of Female Labour in the Turkish Economy
6.	Labour Migration From Turkey and its Effects on Family Structure
7.	Reasons and Consequences of Violence in the Family (1995)
8.	Television and Family (1995)
9.	The Problem of Childcare and Education of Workers: The Case of Women Working in the Field of Medicine
10.	Transformation of Traditional Solidarity Into Contemporary Organisations Among Families in Squatter Settlements (1993)
11.	Turkish Families and Housing Attitudes
12.	Turkish Family in the Process of Socio-Cultural Change (1993)
13.	Opinions of the Pupils & Teachers of General Secondary Education about Drug Abuse (in the Sample of Ankara)
14.	The Problems of the Adolescents within Turkish Family and Related Policies (1997)
15.	The Impact of High Inflation on the Relations within Family (1997)
16.	The Influence of Drug Abuse on Family (1997)
17.	Career Professions in the Metropolis and Living Styles based on Family Structures
18.	Family Structures According to Professions: Workers’ Family
19.	Domestic and Social Violence in Turkey
20.	The Problems of Migrant Families in the Eastern and South-Eastern Anatolia of Turkey and the Proposals for the Solution
21.	Family as a Unit in the Economical Figures

Publications
Since 1990, more than 300,000 books and magazines from 65 publications have been distributed freely. Apart from this, 10,800 books and 2,800 audio cassettes on Family Education were distributed in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Bursa for the project ‘Family Education from Marriage to Birth’.

Congresses, Panels, Symposia and Exhibitions
The Family Research Institute has organised two National Family Congresses with the participation of academic, governmental and non-governmental on a large scale. The first congress was held in 1990 without a specific theme. The second one was held in November 1994 with the theme ‘Family in the Process of Change, Social Participation and Democratic Values. Sixty-one papers on topics mostly based on research and discussion panels were presented to the participants. All papers and discussions were published. Between 1990 and 1996, 17 panels and symposia were held in various concerns of family affairs. Three exhibitions of picture and photographs were presented to public. In 1996, our Minister (State Ministry Responsible for Family Affairs) concentrated on the struggle with drug abuse. For that purpose, ‘The Campaign Warning Youth Against Drug Abuse’ was commenced in 1996 and is still lasting. In the framework of this campaign, the conferences aimed at especially young people were organised in public halls and schools of various provinces of Turkey. 
Contact: Yavuz Moran, Family Research Expert, Family Research Institution at Prime Ministry, Email: ymoran@visto.com or aile@ttnet.net.tr, Web: http://www.aile.gov.tr

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

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

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

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

SPECIAL FEATURE:

THE VALUATION OF DOMESTIC WORK