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INTERNATIONAL FORUM FOR CHILD WELFARE
PRESIDENT’S UPDATE
October, 2007
Since my last update in May, there have been several significant developments and events that should be of interest to our members.
WorldForum2007
By all accounts, WorldForum2007 was a resounding success. 250 delegates
from twelve countries of the continents of Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia
and the Americas gathered together for this 3 day event which was
organized around key themes related to the Millennium Development
Goals. Our congratulations go to the chief organizer, T.K. Mathew
and the staff of Deepalaya who along with the India Alliance for Child
Rights were exceptional hosts. Most memorable, were the children who
are participants in the various inner city programs that are offered
by Deepalaya. Their presence and talent brought a special spirit to
our proceedings throughout the event and, no doubt, remain most prominent
in the memories of those who attended.
A series of interesting and engaging panels brought speakers from
around the world to focus on such areas as eradication of poverty,
child mortality and HIV/AIDS, promotion of gender equality, government’s
role and global partnerships. Of special significance was a youth
panel which reinforced the importance of youth engagement in the achievement
of the goals. A series of sight visits to observe various child and
youth programs of prevention, treatment and education in high risk
communities within Delhi was a very powerful experience for all delegates.
Most significantly, at the end of the WorldForum2007, all delegates
unanimously supported a Delhi Declaration which will help to strengthen
IFCW’s communications and strategy at a global level. This declaration
will be particularly helpful and supportive of our work and engagement
through various NGO sub committees of the United Nations. The declaration
reads as follows:
Preamble
We the NGO leaders, child rights activists and educators representing
organizations from Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, West Indies,
India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, United Kingdom,
and the United States of America participated in the 18th Annual WorldForum 2007 organized by Deepalaya in collaboration with the India
Alliance for Child Rights and International Forum for Child Welfare.
The theme of this forum was – “Millennium Development
Goals and their Implications for Children”.
We call on Government, Civil Society and Corporate World to come
together in partnership to act and ensure that targets of the Millennium
Development Goals are met specifically as they impact our children.
We call on the people of the world to look at their cultural practices
and begin to do away with those practices that cause harm to women
and children and deny our young people a voice.
1. We shall exchange information and ideas on the programmes planned
and implemented for the development of women and children as well
as for the achievement of MDGs, with all stakeholders within and outside
the respective countries;
2. We shall partner with all stakeholders within the respective countries
as well as similar stakeholders in other countries to plan, implement,
evaluate and take timely action to achieve the set targets;
3. We shall collaborate with the International Forum for Child Welfare
and other child focused international organizations, the problems
being faced in the achievement of the set goals, as well as any new
perspective gained, for appropriate lobbying and advocacy;
4. We commit to this declaration made on the 24th August 2007, at
the 18th WorldForum 2007, to ourselves and the entire humanity.
General Assembly
A very successful annual meeting of all IFCW members was held on August
23 at the InterContinental Hotel in New Delhi. While the resources
and infrastructure of the IFCW is limited to the capacity of its membership,
it is clear that the past year has been one of consolidation and growth.
Our treasurer, Sharon Osborne, provided a comprehensive report for
the past year which spoke to the solid foundation upon which we continue
to build. Sharon and her staff at Children’s Home Society are
to be commended for their volunteer leadership and support in ensuring
all financial systems and our audit results were in good order. Alan
Davis, our founding President and long time member, Mary Ellen Rood,
provided a plan for capturing the history of IFCW. They were applauded
for their strong leadership in helping to reconstruct the developmental
milestones and events that have occurred over the past two decades
to bring the IFCW to its present form. Elections were held and two
members, Niresh Ramklass and T.K. Mathew were acclaimed as Members-at-Large
to round out the Executive Committee of the IFCW as follows:
1. Bruce Rivers, President (Chief Executive, Community Living Toronto,
Toronto, Canada)
2. Eeva Kuuskoski, Vice President (Secretary General Mannerheim League
for Child Welfare, Helsinki, Finland)
3. Sharon Osborne, Treasurer (President/CEO, Children’s Home
Society of Washington, Seattle, USA
4. Elba Montalvo, Secretary (Executive Director, Committee for Hispanic
Children and Families, Inc., New York, USA)
5. T.K. Mathew, Member-at-Large (Chief Executive, Deepalaya, New Delhi,
India)
6. Niresh Ramklass, Member-at-Large (Chief Executive, Cape Town Child
Welfare Society, South Africa)
7. Ray Dean Salvosa, Member-at-Large (Managing Director, Consuelo
Zobel Alger Foundation, Manila, The Philippines)
8. Catriona Williams, Deputy President (Chief Executive, Children
in Wales, Cardiff, Wales)
9. Mauri Upanne, Deputy President (Executive Director, Central Union
for Child Welfare, Helsinki, Finland)
New Members
One of the key strategic priorities over the past two years has related
to membership recruitment and retention. We are delighted to report
that significant progress has been made in this area and we are very
pleased to welcome and introduce a number of new members to our organization
including:
CARF International, Canada – Voting Member
Raksha M. Bhayana, Canada – Associate Member
Roxana Amini, USA – Associate Member
Anglicare Victoria, Australia – Voting Member
Indian Council for Child Welfare, India – Voting Member
Action for Self Reliance & Alternatives (ASRA), India –
Voting Member
Little Angels High School, India – Voting Member
ASHA Deep Foundation, India – Voting Member
Trimurti, India – Voting Member
WorldForum2008
At the end of the meeting in New Delhi, our Deputy President, Catriona
Williams took the podium to announce the location for WorldForum2008.
The City of Cardiff, in Wales, the United Kingdom has been approved
by the Executive Committee as the location for next year’s event.
Catriona provided delegates with an exceptional audio visual presentation
on the venue and spoke to the conference focus of early intervention
and prevention. WorldForum2008 is expected to take place mid September
with further detail coming your way over the next weeks and months
with regard to a call for papers and related information. This upcoming
event promises to provide IFCW members with an exceptional opportunity
to exchange best practice, research and
build partnerships with global and European delegates. Stay tuned!
Finally, please keep in touch. We have further developed our website
and will be launching new features for the members only section that
will provide you with the opportunity to dialogue on various issues
of interest. I can be reached through the president’s email
address or directly as below.
Respectfully submitted,
Bruce Rivers
President
International Forum for Child Welfare
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