Note No. 5667

                                                                  16 May 2001

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS

FAMILY STRUCTURE, ROLE OF VOLUNTEERS TO BE FOCUS OF 17 MAY PANEL DISCUSSION

MARKING INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES

Leaders from large volunteering organizations in the United States will discuss the reshaping of family structure and the role volunteers can play in building social capital, at a panel discussion to be convened at United Nations Headquarters on Thursday 17 May in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.  The discussion is being held to mark the International Day of Families.

Panel Discussion

To open the discussion, the Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Odile Frank, will welcome the audience and read a statement by Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Panellists include Carmine Magazino, the Managing Director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America –- the largest youth mentoring organization in the United States; Perdita Huston, the author of “Families as We Are:  Conversations from around the World”, a new book that explores the lives of four generations of families from 13 countries through interviews and photographs; a speaker from the Points of Light Foundation -- a non-profit organization that promotes volunteerism through its network of over 500 volunteer centres.

The International Day of Families, observed on 15 May, is celebrated worldwide to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to mobilize positive action on their behalf.  Volunteers contribute significantly to the welfare of countries and quite often work in tandem with families at the grassroots level to improve the well-being of neighbourhoods and communities.  The theme for 2001, “Families and Volunteers –- Building Social Cohesion”, was suggested in view of the fact that the year 2001 was proclaimed as the International Year of Volunteers, and provides the opportunity to highlight the contributions of families and volunteers in enriching community life.

In his message for the Day, Secretary-General Kofi Annnan said, "both families and volunteers seek to overcome these challenges through cooperation and mutual aid.  Their good works are imbued with a sense of trust, responsibility and duty to others. Their example helps to sustain democracy and promote peace."

                                    - 2 -                         Note No. 5667

                                                                  16 May 2001

Powerful demographic and socio-economic forces are reshaping family structure.  Populations and families are ageing; households are changing in size and composition; people are waiting before getting married and are having children later in life; and women are bearing fewer children and living longer, leaving increasing numbers of older women widowed, alone and without support during their later years.

Volunteers play an important role at the community level by providing services which contribute to social and economic development.  In addition to their social contribution, volunteers have also made a sizeable economic impact on societies.  Activities that are carried out by volunteer organizations would otherwise have to be funded by the public sector.  In countries where the work of volunteers has been studied, it is estimated that it contributes between

8 per cent and 14 per cent to the gross domestic product.  According to the United Nations Development Programme, last year in the United States alone, services provided by volunteers were worth an estimated $225 billion, and the time they shared with others was equivalent to over 9 million full-time jobs.

The event is sponsored by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in association with the Department of Public Information, the United Nations Volunteer Programme and the New York Non-Governmental Organization Committee on the Family.

Representatives of non-governmental organizations, permanent missions and the accredited press are invited to attend.

For further inquiries please contact:  Mr. Amr Ghaleb, Chief, Family Unit, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Tel:  212-963-3238, Fax:  212-963-3062,  e-mail: ghaleb@un.org or Yasmin Padamsee, Department of Public Information,

Tel: 212-963-7704, Fax: 212-963-1186, e-mail: padamsee@un.org.

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