General Assembly Plenary in Observance of Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family 

6 December 2004, GA Session 59, Meeting 67

Mr. Al-Sulaiti, Qatar

I have the honour of introducing, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, draft resolution A/59/L.29, entitled "Celebrating the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family", submitted under item 94 of the agenda of the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly.

The importance of family-related issues and the recognition of the fact that the role of the family in society is essential and vital enjoy universal acceptance, regardless of cultural, political or national backgrounds and interests. Major United Nations instruments on social policy and human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Declaration on Social Progress and Development all emphasize the important role of the family in society and the fact that the greatest possible protection and assistance should be accorded to the family.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in paragraph 3 of article 16, put it eloquently and succinctly:

"The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State."

Indeed, the General Assembly realized that the family, as the basic unit of social life, is a major agent of sustainable development at all levels of society. The General Assembly acknowledged also that the family is the fullest reflection, at the grass-roots level, of social and developmental strengths and weaknesses and, as such, offers uniquely comprehensive and synthesizing approaches to social issues.

The major United Nations conferences in the social field held in the 1990s all noted that the family, as the basic unit of society, should be strengthened and should receive comprehensive protection and support. The family-oriented provisions and the outcomes of those conferences and their follow-up processes provide guidance on ways to strengthen the family-centred components of policies and programmes as part of an integrated, comprehensive approach to development.

The General Assembly, in its resolutions 56/113 of 19 December 2001 and 57/164 of 18 December 2002, encouraged regional commissions and invited Member States to organize activities in preparation for an observance of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family and to make efforts to achieve its objectives.

On 3 December 2003, the General Assembly welcomed the decision of Governments, non-governmental organizations and civil society to host conferences and events in observance of the tenth anniversary of the Year of the Family. It invited United Nations bodies and agencies and civil society to support regional events in 2004. Events were held on 15 May 2004, the International Day of Families, and throughout the year. Today, even before the year is over, we can see that the response of the international community has been strong and that productive action will be taken to protect and support the family.

In drafting this text, the principal sponsors kept in mind the fact that its main purpose is to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family, as its title reads, and to recognize the positive response of civil society to the call made last year by the General Assembly to commemorate this anniversary. The sponsors were intent on drafting a resolution that is concise, to the point and contains elements compatible with its purpose and that are appropriate for adoption at this special commemorative meeting of the General Assembly.

After document A/59/L.29 was issued, and in order to address the concerns expressed by other delegations about parts of the text, the sponsors of the draft resolution made the following revisions.

The last two words of the fourth preambular paragraph have been replaced by the following phrase: "pertinent to the International Year of the Family". In the middle of the fifth preambular paragraph, the phrase "in support of the family" has been replaced by the phrase "in disregard". Operative paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 have been replaced by the following paragraphs.

Operative paragraph 3 now reads:

"Commends the important contributions made by Governments on the international, national and regional and local levels to observe the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family".

Operative paragraph 4 now reads:

"Welcomes the hosting of the Regional Conference on the Family in Africa by Benin and takes note with appreciation of the Plan of Action on the Family in Africa".

Operative paragraph 5 now reads:

"Welcomes the hosting of the Doha International Conference for the Family by the State of Qatar and takes note with appreciation of the Doha Declaration".

Operative paragraph 8 has been replaced by the following paragraph:

"Recommends that all relevant actors, including, inter alia, Governments and civil society, including relevant non-governmental organizations and research and academic institutions, contribute to developing strategies and programmes aimed at strengthening the livelihood of families".

Operative paragraph 10 has been replaced by the following paragraph:

"Decides to celebrate the anniversary of the International Year of the Family periodically on a 10-year basis".

These revisions eliminate contentious language and the result is a balanced text that the sponsors believe can be adopted by consensus.

Since document A/59/L.29 was issued, the following Member States have joined the list of sponsors: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Republic of Moldova and the United States of America. We thank the sponsors of the draft resolution and urge Assembly members to adopt it by consensus at today's special commemorative meeting.

I shall now speak on behalf of the State of Qatar.

I am honoured to report to the General Assembly the extensive activities carried out by the State of Qatar to promote and celebrate the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family under the patronage and generosity of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Misnad, consort of His Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar, and president of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs.

Qatar convened the Doha International Conference for the Family on 29 and 30 November 2004. The decision to host the Conference was welcomed by resolution 58/15 of 15 December 2003. The Conference analysed and reaffirmed article 16, paragraph 3, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. The Conference brought together a broad range of stakeholders representing diverse religions, groupings, political systems and States. Those stakeholders were united by the common understanding that, by protecting the natural and fundamental group unit of society, communities, nations, regions and the world, will not only encourage sustainable development but further the intercultural understanding that is the necessary foundation of a stable, secure and just world.

As noted by the Secretary-General in paragraph 4 of his report (A/59/176) on this item,

"families have major, albeit often untapped potential to contribute to national development and to the achievement of major objectives of every society and of the United Nations, including the eradication of poverty and the creation of just, stable and secure societies."

The Doha International Conference for the family was designed to begin to bridge this gap. The Conference reaffirmed fundamental international norms related to the family and established proposals for action that will provide a firm foundation for research, discussion and policy development related to family life during the coming decade.

The preparatory process for the Doha Conference included Government meetings in Cotonou, Benin; Baku, Azerbaijan; and Riga, Latvia. The process was also enriched by a series of regional dialogues in Mexico City, Stockholm, Geneva, and Kuala Lumpur.

In addition, hundreds of civil society meetings were organized by local community groups in over 134 cities around the world. The declarations, papers, essays, personal statements, findings and proposals for action developed at those events were submitted to the Secretariat, and two significant reports were prepared. The first is a compilation of the results emerging from over 200 community meetings; the second, entitled "A Family in the Third Millennium", provides an initial look at more than 2,000 pages of scholarship, research and academic findings collected during preparatory proceedings.

Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Misnad, Consort of His Highness the Emir of Qatar and President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, delivered the opening plenary address of the Conference. Her Highness acknowledged the important role of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family in focusing the world's attention on the family. She stressed the need to strengthen the family at the start of the new millennium and announced the establishment of an international institute for the study of the family.

The plenary meeting of the Doha Conference included remarks by Mr. Ibrahim Gambari, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa. Subsequent topical meetings of the Conference addressed such major questions as the family in the third millennium, the legal and religious foundations for the family in the third millennium, the family and education and the family and social dialogue.

During the Conference, the Doha Declaration was negotiated by an intergovernmental negotiating committee composed of representatives from Governments around the world. The balanced and careful language of the Doha Declaration was finalized after thorough consideration of all the views presented.

The Doha Declaration reaffirms the commitment of the international community to the family, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other United Nations documents. Its opening paragraphs review the goals and objectives of the tenth anniversary observance of the International Year of the Family and recall the preparatory process of the Doha International Conference for the Family. The operative paragraphs reaffirm international commitments to the family and call for appropriate action to implement those commitments.

The Doha International Conference for the Family encouraged a broad range of partners to consider how best to provide the family with protection by society and State, as guaranteed under article 16 (3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Conference energized representatives of Governments and non-governmental organizations and members of civil society to take action to realize the promise of the Universal Declaration.

The State of Qatar is honoured to have hosted the Doha International Conference for the Family. It will take affirmative steps not only to achieve the objectives of the tenth anniversary celebration, but also to implement the promises of the international community to the family, as contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, among other documents. The first "Call for Action" contained in the Doha Declaration urges the development of programmes to stimulate and encourage dialogue among countries, religions, cultures and civilizations on questions related to the family. The State of Qatar will take concrete steps to meet the objectives of the first "Call for Action".

At the concluding session of the Conference, Her Highness Sheikha Mozah reaffirmed the State of Qatar's commitment, announced during the opening plenary session, to establish an international institute for study of the family, to be dedicated to researching, supporting and implementing the Doha Declaration.

The tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family provides an opportunity to hope that by protecting and promoting the family, the world can create the just, stable and secure societies it so sorely needs. The family, as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims, is indeed the "natural and fundamental group unit of society". The Doha International Conference for the Family has provided essential support to the family so that it and the world can thrive.