In his message for the Day, whose theme this year is ‘Changing
Families: Challenges and Opportunities,’ Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted recent
profound transformations such as the worldwide decrease in average family size,
an increase in the age at which couples marry or mothers have their first birth,
and a decline in infant mortality rates.
“Many of these transformations call into question the structure of society as
we know it,” he said. “They require us to work together to adapt, to shape
public policy in a way that addresses the needs of families, to ensure that
basic services such as education and health are provided to all citizens -
especially children – irrespective of their family situation.”
Other changes he highlighted included the replacement of the traditional,
extended family by the nuclear unit even as grandparents live longer,
alternative unions such as unmarried cohabitation, increased divorce with more
children living in a family with a step-parent, and significant numbers of
single-parent families and single-person households with a rising number of
older persons living alone.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic is also wreaking havoc on families, often depriving
children of their parents, leaving grandparents to care for children.
“During this time of ongoing change, we need to build an environment that
sustains and supports families, while reinforcing the opportunities for
fulfilment that a positive family life provides,” he concluded.
The Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Thoraya Ahmed
Obaid, said one of the most dramatic transformations is urbanization with nearly
half of all people living in cities compared to less than 15 per cent a century
ago. The numbers of children attending school, especially girls, has risen and,
as a result, there are more and more women participating in the formal
workforce, she added.
“Today, UNFPA calls on communities and nations to actively discourage child
marriage and to promote secondary education, gender equality and economic
opportunities for young women and men,” she declared. “UNFPA also calls on
governments to increase investments in sexual and reproductive health.
“Today, millions of children are orphaned each year because their mothers die
from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, or from AIDS. Surely, we can do
better. Many lives could be saved, and families strengthened, if the
international goal of universal access to reproductive health were
achieved.”
15 May 2006 –
The United Nations today marked the International Day of Families with calls
to adapt to the profound social changes taking place and appeals to discourage
child marriage and promote secondary education and gender equality.