The very successful series of World Congress of Families is continuing in high gear.
At a meeting held in Washington D.C. at the end of July, an international selection committee chose Amsterdam, the Netherlands as the location of the next World Congress of Families, to be held August 10-12, 2009. The Congress will be held at the RAI centre (http://www.ibc.org/cgi-bin/displaypage.cgi?pageref=1008) which can accommodate as many as 4000 delegates in one hall, with smaller rooms available for breakout sessions of from anywhere from 100-700 people.
Amsterdam has over 300 hotels and approximately 110 within 20-25 minutes of the RAI – most are four and five star, but there is also a wide range of budget hotels, as well as youth hostels.
Amsterdam is a prime tourist destination, with 40 widely known museums, as well restaurants, shopping and historical sites, like the Anne Frank House.
Why Amsterdam?
Although all the above amenities are very nice (and essential), they are not the real reason that Amsterdam was selected for the next World Congress V. Rather, the selection committee decided that it was now time to go to the very heart of liberal Europe since that country has taken the lead role in the destruction of the family over the years. It has done so by its liberal laws which have legalized drugs, prostitution, and same-sex marriage as a result of the loss of religious faith. The Netherlands is now a tragic nation. However, there is hope. A coalition government has recently been elected in the Netherlands which includes conservative and faith supporters. They are valiantly, slowly but surely, turning the situation around, supported by a budding Dutch pro-family movement.
These courageous individuals want the World Congress of Families to be held in Amsterdam to strengthen their efforts. We are very happy to do so by being there at such a crucial turning point in the history of the Netherlands.
What the World Congress of Families Achieved
There have been four World Congress of Families: Prague, the Czech Republic in 1997; Geneva, Switzerland, 1999; Mexico City in 2004 and Warsaw, Poland in 2007.
These Congresses have made a remarkable impact. They have been like a light shining in a dark night, holding firm to fundamental principles of life and family which, hopefully, is leading the world out of its dark tunnel of self-destruction.
The World Congress of Families has made an impact on nations because:
It is an excellent vehicle for networking and building new alliances;
It has overcome many religious divisions and contributed meaningfully to greater pro-family unity;
It has given rise to a good deal of paranoia among the opposition, anti-family forces!;
It has won greater visibility for the pro-family cause world-wide;
It has articulated a natural family worldview, which is a powerful tool for the future;
It has launched a union of pro-family parliamentarians;
The WCF has established itself as a key “leadership” gathering for pro-family NGO’s, scholars and political figures;
It has created a “spirit” that has been infectious (in the right sort of way!); and
The WCF has strengthened pro-family unity in some counties, such as the Czech Republic, Mexico and Poland.
In addition, these World Congresses have directly led several countries, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, for example, to strengthen their pro-family policies.
Please participate in the World Congress of Families in Amsterdam in August 2009 and help to turn the page of history in both that country and Europe.
As they become available, further details on the Congress will be included in future issues of REALity. |
