Beijing hosts 2014 International Family Day Commemoration Meeting

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2014-06-15

May 15 is the International Day of Families. The United Nation has named the theme for this year’s event: “Families Matter for the Achievement of Development Goals.” China’s theme for this year’s International Day of Families is “Health for Everyone, Happiness for Each Family.”

In order to better promote this year’s theme and the awareness of family development, the 2014 International Family Day Commemoration Meeting was held in Beijing on May 14. The meeting was jointly held by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, All-China Women's Federation and other relevant ministries. Vice-Chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee Liu Xiaofeng attended the meeting and delivered the keynote speech.

Gu Xiulian, director of the China National Committee for the Wellbeing of Youth, and Wang Zhongyu, president of the China Population Welfare Foundation, launched two projects, the Chinese Children Security project and “New Family Initiative - Family Development Capacity Building” project. Li Bin, minister of the National Health and Family Planning commission (NHFPC), and Deisi Kusztra, president of the World Family Organization, gave speeches at the meeting.

Wang Peian, vice-minister of the NHFPC, launched the Chinese Family Development Report 2014. Zhao Donghua, vice-president and member of the secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation, as well as other officials attended the meeting.

Liu Xiaofeng stressed in his speech that families are the foundation of society and the core of civilization. He said families play an important role in eradicating poverty, protecting women and children's rights, promoting gender equality and stimulating social development.

Over the past three decades, the income of Chinese families has increased continuously, and the health, education and social security of all family members have been upgraded, Liu said.

Liu emphasized that as Chinese society changes rapidly, Chinese families also face many changes, including the trend of the nuclear family and multiple-types of non-traditional families, which require the attention and support of the entire society.

He said that it is important to build the development capacity of Chinese families, which requires international cooperation. Through working with overseas counterparts, China can understand better the new challenges facing families and contribute more to the progress of human society.

Li Bin pointed out in her speech that China is a developing country with the largest population and the most families in the world. Because of this, the Chinese government has attached great importance on family development. Since the founding of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, significant progress has been made in terms of deepening the reform of the medical and health system, improving family planning policies and adjusting basic public health service projects. The commission will pay more attention to the fundamental position of families and their development demands, increasing support to families in poverty and improving family development capacities.

More than 200 people, including representatives from the World Family Organization, National Health and Family Planning Commission, the National Committee for the Wellbeing of the Youth as well as other organizations, scholars and reporters, attended the meeting.