On Sunday May 14th
2017 the UN International Day of Families was celebrated at the Vienna HQ of
the Unification movement by UPF, the Womens’ Federation and the Family
Federation. The topic given by the United Nations for this year was “Families,
education and well-being”.
American Native Indian Elder Reuben Silverbird made
the beginning with an Indian Blessing melody on the flute after expressing his
special appreciation for all the mothers present as this day was also the
Mother’s Day. Elisabeth Cook read texts form the autobiography of Rev. Moon
about the peace-building value of intercultural families. Then Mrs. Szlezak, who herself represents an
intercultural family – she from Brazil and her husband from Austria, and has
raised four boys in Austria, made a point that there are only good mothers and
shared her thoughts about a mother’s love.
The second speaker was Mag.
Xiaoyan Wang, trained in Chinese medicine and a teacher of Chinese language.
She spoke about the Chinese family system and its values, especially about the
so called Chinese “Tiger mothers” who would do everything to make their
children successful. The third speaker was Peter Haider who shared his
experiences of a Blessed family in raising their children. He highlighted the
human experiences of love as a child, as a brother or sister, as a partner in
marriage and as a parent until finally we become grandparents. By experiencing
these different kinds of loving relationships, we become the embodiment of the
purpose of our creator.
Finally an “Ambassador of
Peace” award was given to Dr. Nasir Khan, a professor in the field of education
from Pakistan. The celebration was closed with a prayer of Blessing. The
“Vienna Peace Choir” contributed with songs, creating a beautiful atmosphere.
More than 200 persons participated, among them Ambassadors of Peace and leaders
of NGOs. We could feel heaven’s blessing on this day. Everybody was then
invited to share lunch together.
The
International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year. This
year’s observance focuses on the role of families and family-oriented policies
in promoting education and overall well-being of their members. In particular,
the Day is to raise awareness of the role of families in promoting early childhood
education and lifelong learning opportunities for children and youth.
The
Day highlights the importance of all caregivers in families, be it parents,
grandparents or siblings and the importance of parental education for the
welfare of children. It focuses on good practices for work-family balance to
assist parents in their educational and caregiving roles. Good practices from
the private sector in support of working parents, as well as youth and older
persons in the workplace are also highlighted.
The
Day also aims to discuss the importance of ‘knowledge and skills needed to
promote sustainable development, including among others, through education for
sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender
equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship
and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to
sustainable development’ (SDG4, target 4.7).
See also:
Spiritualität und Familie - Basis für eine nachhaltige
Zukunft
“Families Matter for the Achievement of Development Goals”
The Role of the Family in Advancing
Social Integration and Intergenerational Solidarity