Accra, 14 May, 2014- May 15 each year is the internationally recognised day for celebrating families and acknowledging their many contributions to society. The International Day of Families in 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994 to raise awareness of the importance of families, promote knowledge of socio-economic and demographic trends affecting families and stimulate efforts to respond to the challenges faced by families.

UNFPA Ghana in collaboration with Global Family Care will observe the day with an inter-family dialogue on the theme “Families Matter for the Achievement of Development Goals: Re-defining the Role of the Ghanaian Family for holistic Development”. The event which will be held at the UNFPA Conference room, Cantoments, Accra, will have in attendance Stakeholders who have been drawn from different backgrounds such as traditional authorities, legislature, judiciary, religious leaders, young people and political leaders.

Twenty years ago, at the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, the world community recognized that families, in their various forms, should be strengthened and enjoy comprehensive protection and support.

In the last 20 years, we have seen remarkable shifts in the composition of households, with a rise around the world in the number of people living on their own, and more women who head households. The 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family as well as the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which emphasized the role, rights, composition and structure of the family, is an excellent opportunity to recognize this basic unit of society. It also affords us the opportunity to review the approaches and policies that are friendly to all families and will help combat poverty, advance gender equality, ensure work-family balance, and promote intergenerational solidarity.

Above all, people – particularly women and girls – must be able to freely, safely and responsibly choose the paths their lives take, as they move from education to employment to household and family formation. When women and girls are educated and healthy, when they are able to make their own choices, when they and their partners have the information and means to plan their families, those families are better off, their communities are stronger, and we are all closer to the sustainable future we seek.

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Media Contact

Doris Mawuse Aglobitse/ Email:aglobitse@unfpa.org