Welcome Message

It is our great pleasure to invite you to the Asian Family Summit to be held on August 19 – 22, 2018 in Hong Kong.

The idea of an Asian Family Summit was first mentioned in the “The Way Ahead” of the publication produced by the Consortium of Institutes on Families in the Asian Region (CIFA) in 2014 to commemorate the 20^th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family promoted by the United Nations. Since then, CIFA has established formal contacts with the United Nations, resulting in the presence of its representatives at the 5^th Regional Symposium in November 2016 and Exchange Program of 3A Project in June 2017. To further strengthen the linkage and foster closer collaboration with the United Nations in the efforts to advance family well-being, CIFA took the initiative to invite key stakeholders in Hong Kong, including the Faculty of Social Sciences (FOSS) of The University of Hong Kong (HKU), the Family Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and the Social Welfare Department of the HKSAR Government to co-organise the Asian Family Summit in 2018. It is also a special occasion to celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of CIFA as a regional hub in family work.

The Summit aims to provide a platform for public, private, academic/professional sectors and the civil society to map out an Agenda For Action in Asia for the well-being of families and to echo the international efforts in working on the 2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development as promulgated by the United Nations. To be in line with the 2030 Agenda, the Summit has chosen “Sustainable Development & Family Well-Being: Agenda for Action in Asia” as its main theme. Subthemes relating to key issues faced by families have been carefully chosen, with a wider perspective of viewing family and the larger system. In the deliberations, emphasis will be placed on policy formulation, service development, good practice, and partnership.

The Organising Committee has put up a full and exciting programme containing three keynote speeches, four plenary sessions, four concurrent sessions, poster presentations, and the Final Round Adjudication of the Wofoo 3A Project 2018, to be preceded by the Family Well-Being Expo and followed by agency visits and post Summit workshops. There will also be hospitality activities for participants to meet each other in more relaxed atmosphere, establish acquaintance for future linkage and collaboration, and to enjoy the bustling life of Hong Kong. We are also excited about the innovative idea of the Family Well-Being Expo which will be open to the public, providing an opportunity for integration of families with multi-generations, ethnic origins and ability/disability to participate in interactive activities and acquire information and knowledge on family wellness. In doing this, we hope to heighten community awareness, while offering families a day of fun.

We are grateful to all members of the Organising Committee and the various committees as well as the Secretariat for heading up the enormous preparatory work to make the Summit a reality. With their unfailing efforts and thoughtful input, we expect the Summit to be a substantial, relevant and fruitful one for all of the participants.

You are cordially invited to come and exchange your expertise, experiences and ideas to achieve the motto of “Converging Professional Wisdom for Family Well-Being”. It is hoped that with shared mission and in partnership, we can work together to formulate effective policies and innovative measures to cope with different family challenges, enhance family functioning and contribute to the world efforts in actualising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Hong Kong welcomes you with open arms! Please mark your diary for the Asian Family Summit and join us for this exciting event. We are sure, with your active participation and support, the Asian Family Summit will be a successful one for all who share the common dream of advancing family well-being and proud to be a part in the endeavour. It will as well be a memorable summer highlight to celebrate a key milestone in the development of CIFA.