2nd International Family Conference
Union of NGOs of Islamic World organized 2nd International Family Conference on 24- 25 January 2015 in Istanbul in cooperation with Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Policies with the participatio...
Union of NGOs of Islamic World organized 2nd International Family Conference on 24- 25 January 2015 in Istanbul in cooperation with Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Policies with the participation of more than 500 guests composed of ministers, members of parliament, academicians, nongovernmental organization delegations and experts on family issues. Focused on the problems faced within the family and solution proposals, the theme of the Conference was “Family As An Interaction Network Between the Individuals in Changing World: Mercy, Grace, Courtesy and Sharing”.
The conference was also supported by Turkish Prime Ministry Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (aka TIKA) and the ministerial level session was held to focus on Existing and Future Policies in Family Axis in Islamic countries after scientific and academic presentations in first two sessions of first day in the Conference. In second day of the Conference, workshops were organized under 8 different titles and the experts depicted the problems prevailed within the family institution and the projects were proposed for the solution of the respective problems.
In opening session of the Conference held with the participation of Mrs Aysenur Islam, Turkish Minister of Family and Social Policies, Att. Ali Kurt, UNIW Secretary General, underlined the following:
Esteemed Minister of Family and Social Policies, esteemed ministers participating from various countries, esteemed members of the parliament, esteemed Governor, esteemed Mayors, distinguished protocol members, ladies and gentlemen,
Welcome to 2nd International Family Conference organized by Union of NGOs of Islamic World. You honoured us with your participation.
Thanks to Allah (cc) Almighty who have created us from Hz Adam and Eve, a father and a mother and who made us spouses to each other.
May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Hz Muhammad who advises us establishing marriages and families saying “Get married and populate; I will certainly be proud of the magnitude of the Ummah in afterlife.”
Since 1st Family Conference held in Bandung (Indonesia) in 2011, we have organized many local and international workshops on family matter. We have gathered the experts of the issue from different realms of Islamic world.
As a fruit of all respective efforts, we are targeting to raise the awareness to put a light on our family policies through 2nd Family Conference and workshops to be held tomorrow.
In first day of the Conference, the participants will deal with theme “Family As An Interaction Network Between Individuals in Changing World” within framework of “Mercy, Grace, Courtesy and Sharing”.
In second day of the Conference, we will organize a very important workshop event where will analyse and discuss the justice between the parties in axis of family; basic concepts and misconceptions, chronic problems, role of legislation, war and clashes, media and art in stability of the family, approach to the woman and family policies in BM concept, family matters in Islamic law and national laws.
UN has been studying on woman, family matters and prevention of violence against women since year 1970. Woman Rights Conferences, Cedaw Convention, Pekin Conference, Beijing+5 UN Special Session, Istanbul Treaty and similar international activities legitimize different relations, emphasizes social inequality and they unfortunately include some provisions that are problematic for us. In spite of agreement in some basic measures, we still sign the provisions that are not suitable for us. Why cannot we prevent inclusion of such provisions in treaties?
As UNIW, we have organized 2nd International Family Conference and international workshops in the same area. We will focus on different aspects of the family under 8 different titles” Emphasizing the need for assessment of family concept within the framework of our values, Secretary General Mr Kurt thanked to the ministers, deputies, political party leaders and guests participating from different countries for their participation to the conference.
Excellency Aysenur Islam, Turkish Minister of Family and Social Policies noted as follows:
“As Minister of Family and Social Policies, I start my words repeating my belief that family is the foundation of the society. Known to us, this work is not a cliché to me; instead, it is the expression of the truth.
Family institution is both producer and transferor of infrastructure that is common values, required to be a society, to share a harmonious, stable and peaceful life.
Moreover, being a social security and social service authority, the family is a non-alternative authority where economic, social, psychological and psychical needs of any kind are met from birth to the death of the human being.
Due to these features, the State that is upper organization of the society requires existence of a powerful family institution. If the family weakens, the gap created may be filled only with high cost investments and it is impossible to produce the same results.
However, it is known that economic, social and cultural transformations of modern times have resulted with some changes in family structure causing loss of some functions and while undertaking some other new functions. Still, the family institution continues to preserve the importance and value in today’s society.
Our family policies are for ensuring the family to fulfil respective basic functions. It is obvious that the policies to be developed have legal, social, cultural and economic aspects each of which is of equally important.Sometimes, the negligence in an area makes all other efforts null and void turning the family into a problem generating structure instead of problem solving structure.
Moving from this fact, we attach great importance to developing and implementing integrated family policies considering each dimension concerning the family.
We must not forget our cultural heritage has finest and most elegant samples and facilities of justice, fairness, mercy, tolerance and trustworthiness and we must not have any doubt that this heritage is the unique source of hope not only for us but also for the entire humanity.
The final declaration read at the end of Conference provided a road map of UNIW for family issue and the Conference decided establishment of International Family Institution proposed to gather the organizations and experts working on family in the world to maintain these efforts on corporate and sustainable level.
