In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of World Family Year, global participants at the World Family Summit unanimously backed the Sanya Declaration on Wednesday.

The declaration urges the UN to include family perspectives in its five-year review of Millennium Development Goals, and for all countries to include them in their national development strategies.

The summit, held in Sanya in south China's Hainan Province, discussed 11 topics concerning family issues and goals.

"We are very positive the UN will take the declaration into full consideration,'' said Deisi Noeli Weber Kusztra, president of the World Family Organization (WFO).

China has vowed to fully endorse the declaration, Zhang Weiqing, minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC), said at the closing ceremonies.

He said by the end of this year, China will have a total population of 1.3 billion, with 374 million families.

"We are suggesting that international organizations, governments and various non-governmental organizations should form a more robust partnership in promoting the healthy development of families,'' said Zhang.

And he echoed other signatories, noting that governments should welcome civil society organizations and families in general to participate in the formulation and implementation of family-focused policies and programs.

The Sanya Declaration includes a number of commitments from 127 WFO members to integrate family-related issues, including gender equality, AIDS prevention, poverty alleviation and environmental protection.

For example, it urges governments to enhance political commitments and ensure sufficient resources to care for and support people with HIV/AIDS.

It also encourages the participation of young people in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating adolescent programs, in particular programs that focus on sexual and reproductive health education.

NPFPC Vice-Minister Zhao Baige said it is a big success for the declaration to recognize the importance of reproductive health in family development, something that is firmly backed by the government.

The next World Family Summit will be held in Brazil.

(China Daily December 9, 2004)