INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES

Family is the most important thing in the world - Princess Diana

Family life is full of major and minor crises, the ups and downs of health, success and failure in career, marriage, divorce and all kinds of discrepancies. Its beauty is tied to individuals with their unique personalities, places as well as events engraving both memories and histories.

It is difficult to imagine anything more nourishing to the soul, than the companionship offered by family. Family quarrels have a total of bitterness unmatched by others. Yet, it happens that they also have a kind of tang, pleasantness beneath the unpleasantness, unspoken compassionate which based on mutually tacit understanding; that any limb you climb out on will still be there later for you to climb back.

Family gives everyone the feelings of worth which can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is unwrap, and rules are flexible.

Each year, May 15th is observed worldwide as the International Day of Families. In 1993, the UN General Assembly proclaimed this date to be an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic, and demographic processes affecting families. The United Nations Programme on the Family stresses the importance of having healthy and happy familial relationships.

As for year 2014, the celebration of International Family Day whose theme emphasizes on ‘Families Matter for the Achievement of Development Goals’, will be merrier than before as this year marks its twentieth anniversary.

In favor of this year theme, we, at World Assembly Youth (WAY), believe that family is a vital foundation of any individual’s positive development that will lead to overall betterment of societies. Interestingly, the education field recognizes the significance of family as children's first place of learning institution. This recognition is also expressed in first goal of Education for All (EFA) which emphasizes on expanding early childhood care and education which mainly obtainable from family. WAY, with the support of all the stakeholders and member organizations, will continue to achieve ideas among the youth of all countries and address the family matter issues that directly and indirectly affect them.

In line with that, WAY group has even contributed in writing one of the many articles published in a book pertaining to Family Futures, in person of Ediola Pashollari, Secretary General of WAY, titled as ‘the Role of Youth in Strengthening Inter-Generational Solidarity within the Family’, which focuses on enabling situations where generations view each other in a progressive way. This book was published under UNDESA/DSPD to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2014. The digital edition of the book can be found at http://digital.tudor-rose.co.uk/family-futures/family-futures.zip.

Together with this year International Day of Families, we reiterate our encouragement to young people to embrace the importance of family especially its role in Education and Achievement of Development Goal. It is undeniable that family is the 'basic core' of our society. We are all part of one and some of the most important developing years of our lives are spent growing up with it.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES!