PROGRAMME AND BACKGROUND NOTE
The world is still falling short in its promise and commitment to ensure the right to a safe childhood. Poverty is a prominent and agreed international measure of family living standards. It can be used to monitor how families fare now, and due to its comparability across countries over time, it is a power-ful outcome measure for detailed policy evaluations of the success of government efforts to support families, which facilitates lesson-drawing between countries in terms of what works.
The IFFD Briefing has been held at the UN Headquarters in New York for the past five years during the Session of the Commission for Social Development. As usual, the IFFD Family Awards were presented during the event to the persons or entities distinguished by the promotion of family values during the past year.
SPEAKERS
| · Mr. Abdulrahman Al-Hamadi, Deputy Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations. |
| Opening remarks … |
| · Mr. Mario Armella, World President of the International Federation for Family Development. |
| Opening remarks … |
| · Dr. Maissa Shawky, Deputy Minister of Health and Population of Egypt. |
| Dr. Maissa Mohamed Shawky is Deputy Minister of Health and Population of the Arab Republic of Egypt. She is also Professor of Public Health at Cairo University, and has headed dozens of official research projects focusing on women, children, and the elderly, many of which were done in collaboration with the World Health Organization, and has published dozens of articles. |
| She delivered her speech through the following video: |
| Presentation … |
| · Ms. Kinga Joó, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (European Union). |
| Mrs. Kinga Joó is a member of the Member of the European Economic and Social Committee in the Various Interests Group. She is also Vice-President of the Hungarian National Association of Large Families. She was the rapporteur for the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – An EU Agenda for the Rights of the Child (7 December 2011)’. |
| Presentation … |
| Opinion of the EESC … |
| · H. E. Roberto Ciambetti, President of the Consiglio Regionale del Veneto (Italy). |
| His Excellency Roberto Ciambetti was elected President of the Regional Council of Veneto in 2015. Family Alliances, already adopted in various countries, were included in the policy of Veneto with the approval of the National Plan for the Family. These are local networks set up with the social, economic and cultural stakeholders that, in collaboration with the institutional level, promote in the local communities policies that respond to the needs of families. |
| Presentation … |
| · H. E. Michael Farrugia, Minister of Family and Social Solidarity of Malta. |
| The Honourable Michael Farrugia has worked for 31 years as doctor, 21 of which he has served as a Member of Parliament. He was first elected to Parliament in 1992 and served as Minister of Health, Elderly Care and Family Affairs during the 1996-1998 administration. Mr. Farrugia has put a lot of effort in family public policies. As a result, Malta not only has a consolidated social benefits system that supports those with low incomes; in addition, many good practices are provided through the Foundation for Social Welfare Services. |
| Remarks … |
| · Moderator: Ignacio Socias, Director of International Relations of the International Federation for Family Development. |
| Ms. Donna Butts, Executive Director of Generations United. |
| Ms. Butts has over 35 years of committed and productive work with non-profit organizations, including Covenant House, the YWCA and National 4-H Council. Under her leadership, Generations United has been the catalyst for policies and practices, stimulating cooperation and collaboration among generations, evoking the vibrancy, energy and sheer productivity that result when people of all ages come together. Its mission is to improve the lives of children youth and older people through intergenerational collaboration, public policies, and programs for the enduring benefit of all. |
| The Award was presented by Mr. Daniel Perell, United Nations representative of Bahai International Community, global organizing partner of the NGO Major Group and Chair of the NGO Committee for Social Development. |
| Laudatio … |
| National Population and Family Development Board, Ministry of Women, Family and Com. Dev. of Malaysia. |
| The National Family Policy, in effect since 2010, focuses on a holistic approach to family wellbeing; the consideration of the family as the most fundamental unit of society; the empowerment of each family member; the guide to practice good moral and family values; the effort to strengthen intergenerational links; the culture of gender equality; the increase in the commitment and social responsibility of all parties to implement family-friendly policies and programmes; the implementation of family wellbeing programs; and the commitment to promote social responsibility of all parties. |
| The Award was presented by Ms. Renata Kaczmarska, UN Focal Point on the Family, and was accepted by Dato Maryam Mas Jacob Thomas, Chairman of the Board. |
| Laudatio … |
| Ministry for the Family and Social Development of Malta. |
| Malta not only has a consolidated social benefits system that supports those with low incomes; in addition, health care and education for everyone is available free of charge and many good practices are provided through the Foundation for Social Welfare Services. It includes the National Agency for children, families and the community, the National Agency for disabilities and another agency that workd in the field of drug and alcohol abuse and compulsive gambling, and to provide service in health promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Through Home Based Therapeutic Services, the action to eradicate poverty and social exclusion is organized by providing specialised and intensive therapeutic services to multi-stressed families in the community |
| The Award was presented by Mr. Abdelrahman Al-Hamadi, Deputy Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, and was accepted by His Hon. the minister Michael Farrugia. |
| Laudatio …
GALLERY (click on a pic to see it in high definition): |
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