International Year of the Family : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

The General Assembly,

Guided by the resolve of the peoples of the United Nations to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, with a view to the creation of conditions of stability and well-being, which are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations between nations,

Guided also by the relevant provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Declaration on Social Progress and Development, according to which the widest possible protection and assistance should be accorded to the family,

Bearing in mind the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and recalling that by its resolution 42/125 of 7 December 1987 it endorsed the Guiding Principles for Developmental Social Welfare Policies and Programmes in the Near Future, which called for social welfare policies to give greater attention to the family,

Welcoming the entry into force on 2 September 1990 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the successful conclusion of the World Summit for Children, held in New York on 29 and 30 September 1990, in particular the adoption of the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children and the Plan of Action for Implementing the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children in the 1990s,

Recalling its resolutions 42/134 of 7 December 1987 and 43/135 of 8 December 1988 on the need to enhance international co-operation in the field of the protection of and assistance to the family, as well as Economic and Social Council resolutions 1983/23 of 26 May 1983, 1985/29 of 29 May 1985 and 1989/54 of 24 May 1989,

Recalling, in particular, its resolution 44/82 of 8 December 1989, in which it proclaimed 1994 as the International Year of the Family and requested the Secretary-General to prepare a draft programme for the preparation for and observance of the Year,

Confident that the Year will offer a unique opportunity for mobilizing efforts, particularly at the local and national levels, to highlight the importance of the family, promote a better understanding of its functions and problems and strengthen national institutions to formulate, implement and monitor policies in respect of the family,

Aware that for the Year to be successful and for its impact and practical efficiency to be maximized, adequate preparation and the widespread support of all Governments, specialized agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and the public are required,

Recognizing the efforts made by Governments at the local and national levels in carrying out specific programmes concerning the family, in which the United Nations may have an important role to play, and in raising awareness, increasing understanding and promoting policies that improve the position and well-being of the family,

Stressing the significant role that non-governmental organizations may play in the preparation and implementation of the programme for the Year,

Taking into account its decision 35/424 of 5 December 1980 and Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/67 of 25 July 1980 concerning guidelines for international years and anniversaries,

1.         Takes note of the note by the Secretary-General, prepared in pursuance of its resolution 44/82;

2.         Welcomes the designation by the Secretary-General of a Co-ordinator for the International Year of the Family and the establishment of an organizational secretariat for the Year within the Social Development Division of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat;

3.         Invites Governments to contribute resources, including staff, to the organizational secretariat;

4.         Affirms that the major activities for the observance of the Year should be concentrated at the local and national levels and assisted by the United Nations and its system of organizations, with a view to creating among Governments, policy-makers and the public a greater awareness of the family as the natural and fundamental unit of society;

5.         Invites all Governments, specialized agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned, as well as interested national organizations, to exert all possible efforts in the preparation for and observance of the Year and to co-operate with the Secretary-General in achieving the objectives of the Year;

6.         Appeals to the Governments that have not yet done so to make known to the Secretary-General their views on the preparation for and observance of the Year in order to ensure an adequate basis for formulating the programme for the Year;

7.         Requests the Secretary-General to finalize a draft programme for the preparation for and observance of the Year and to submit it for consideration by the Commission for Social Development at its session in 1991 and by the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session;

8.         Requests the Commission for Social Development to give priority consideration at its session in 1991 to the draft programme for the Year;

9.         Invites the Commission for Social Development to ensure that all plans, programmes and activities related to the family accord with the concept of equality between women and men as expressed in the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, and with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and to ensure the incorporation of the principles relating to policies aimed at fostering equality between women and men, as outlined in the report of the Secretary-General, into the programme for the Year;

10.       Requests the Commission for Social Development to inform the Commission on the Status of Women on the preparations for the Year;

11.       Invites all States to take prompt action to establish national mechanisms, such as co-ordinating committees, to prepare for, observe and follow up the Year, in particular for the purpose of planning, stimulating and harmonizing the activities of the governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations concerned with the preparation for and observance of the Year;

12.       Requests the Secretary-General to establish a voluntary fund for the preparation for and observance of the Year and invites all States and interested organizations to contribute to that fund;

13.       Also requests the Secretary-General to continue taking specific measures, through all the communication media at his disposal, to give widespread publicity to the activities of the United Nations system in the area of family issues and to increase the dissemination of information on the family;

14.       Further requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session on the progress made in the preparations for the Year, and to include therein recommendations and comments made by the preparatory and co-ordinating bodies for the Year;

15.       Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-sixth session the item entitled "International Year of the Family".