In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of World Family Year,
global participants at the World Family Summit unanimously backed
the Sanya Declaration on Wednesday.
The declaration urges the UN to include family perspectives in
its five-year review of Millennium Development Goals, and for all
countries to include them in their national development
strategies.
The summit, held in Sanya in south China's Hainan Province,
discussed 11 topics concerning family issues and goals.
"We are very positive the UN will take the declaration into full
consideration,'' said Deisi Noeli Weber Kusztra, president of the
World Family Organization (WFO).
China has vowed to fully endorse the declaration, Zhang Weiqing,
minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission
(NPFPC), said at the closing ceremonies.
He said by the end of this year, China will have a total
population of 1.3 billion, with 374 million families.
"We are suggesting that international organizations, governments
and various non-governmental organizations should form a more
robust partnership in promoting the healthy development of
families,'' said Zhang.
And he echoed other signatories, noting that governments should
welcome civil society organizations and families in general to
participate in the formulation and implementation of family-focused
policies and programs.
The Sanya Declaration includes a number of commitments from 127
WFO members to integrate family-related issues, including gender
equality, AIDS prevention, poverty alleviation and environmental
protection.
For example, it urges governments to enhance political
commitments and ensure sufficient resources to care for and support
people with HIV/AIDS.
It also encourages the participation of young people in
designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating adolescent
programs, in particular programs that focus on sexual and
reproductive health education.
NPFPC Vice-Minister Zhao Baige said it is a big success for the
declaration to recognize the importance of reproductive health in
family development, something that is firmly backed by the
government.
The next World Family Summit will be held in Brazil.
(China Daily December 9, 2004)