BREAKING THE POVERTY CYCLE “STRENGTHENING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES”

ROUND TABLES ON 18/19 NOVEMBER 2010

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

SOS Children’s Villages is active both in Europe and worldwide, through programmes targeting children without parental care or at risk of losing this care, but what most people know about our organisation is the SOS family model. The Quality4Children project, presented in the European Parliament in June 2007, highly contributed to broadening the image that partners, both NGOs and institutions have of the work we do to ensure quality care for children.

In November 2010 in Brussels, we want to show that we not only promote and ensure quality for children in care, but also for families, to prevent family separation.

To make best use of the existing framework, policies and tools at the European Union level, we will organise two separate round tables, with different geographic focus:

Thursday, 18th Nov:        EU member states and EU candidate countries

Friday, 19^th Nov:              EU external relations and development cooperation

OBJECTIVES

1. To present the work of SOS Children’s Villages to support families and communities to provide adequate care for their children (in Europe and worldwide), to main stakeholders at the EU level, highlighting the following:

Ø     SOS as a voice for children at risk of losing parental care

Ø     SOS as a player in the field of development policy and child rights

Ø     SOS taking participatory, inclusive and sustainable approaches

2. To raise awareness on the need to strengthen families and communities to combat poverty and prevent family separation, in the framework of the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children

3. To develop partnerships between representatives from SOS and  key stakeholders active at European and national/ country level.

PROMINENT PARTNERS AND SPEAKERS

President of SOS Children’s Villages International

Mr Kutin will participate in the event that will take place on Friday, 19^th November.

European Commissioner for Development

Mr Piebalgs expressed his support and has been invited to participate in the round table on Friday, 19^th November.  

EU Presidency

Mr Courard, representing the European Council on issues related to poverty in the framework of the Belgium Presidency of the European Union will participate in the  round table organised on Thursday, 18^th November.

European Parliament

The events will be chaired by Ernst Strasser and Richard Howitt, Members of the European Parliament.

LANGUAGE

The events will be held in English. If there is sufficient demand for other languages, translation could be organised.