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

6 December 2004, GA Session 59, Meeting 67

Mrs. Ilham Ahmed, Sudan 

At the outset, my delegation would like to add its voice to the statement made by the delegation of Qatar on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

My delegation wishes to express its pleasure at participating in the General Assembly's observance of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family, culminating the numerous activities undertaken over the past decade at all levels aimed at celebrating this important occasion throughout the world. This celebration embodies United Nations endorsement of the norms and precepts accepted since the establishment of the Organization through the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stipulates that the family is the basic unit of society and, as such, must be accorded support and protection from society and State.

Today's commemoration reiterates the special status accorded to the institution of the family in different societies since humanity began. The family has been cherished by divine religions and noble faiths, given its irreplaceable and natural role in bringing up children and inculcating fundamental sound principles for forthcoming generations so that they may serve as an active and effective nucleus contributing to the building of nations.

We would also like to express our appreciation for the report of the Secretary-General contained in document A/59/176, as well as the numerous studies and reports undertaken by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat to commemorate this anniversary. The reports have contributed to raising awareness of family-related matters. The Secretary-General's report emphasizes that the family has a continuous and vital role to play in social and human development. Families still contribute to a great extent to reforming socio-economic conditions and to achieving the goals set out by major United Nations summits and conferences over the past decade, including the Millennium Development Goals.

In this connection, we would like to state that, while supporting and promoting the role of families, Governments must provide assistance to men and women so that they can reconcile productive work and family responsibilities in the light of contemporary conditions. Along the same lines, we support the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General, particularly those recommendations that relate to spurring scholarly and academic research to conduct studies on the influential social factors affecting the family and its role in society in integrating family affairs into the development process, in fostering international cooperation, and in extending technical assistance to the relevant national machinery.

At the national level and in observance of this occasion, the Minister for Social Affairs of Sudan issued a resolution last year to set up a commission to prepare for the tenth anniversary consisting of official institutions, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The commission's task is to prepare for the celebrations and to achieve four main objectives. The first objective is the elaboration of national family policies. The second is the protection of the family from the repercussions of globalization. The third is to build a family-related database. And the fourth is to empower the family and enhance its role.

A celebration took place on 4 and 5 December with the theme of "Stable and Effective Family in a Changing World". This event was implemented at the federal level; programmes and goals of the tenth anniversary have also been implemented at the level of the provinces, with the participation of various parties, official bodies and civil society organizations.

In this regard, Sudan participated with representatives and NGOs at an Arab meeting held in October 2003 in Lebanon and a regional conference on family held in Cotonou, in July 2004.

It also participated in the Arab regional meeting on the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family in Jordan in October 2004 and the Doha International Conference for the Family, held on 29 and 30 November 2004, which adopted the Doha Declaration, which in turn constitutes an important turning point in charting family-related policies and strategies in the framework of the United Nations and through the exchange by States of experience and expertise in that connection. For those reasons, we would like to express our appreciation to the Government of Qatar for hosting that important Conference.

In conclusion, my delegation is of the view that the impetus generated today by this celebration will help pave the way for the implementation of the goals of the International Year of the Family in the field. We should build on this momentum in preparing for the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family in a manner that reaffirms the role of the family in the socio-economic development of all societies, especially in the developing countries.