Proclamation 6634

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

Families are fundamental to the lifeblood and strength of our world. They are the nurturers, caregivers, role models, teachers, counselors, and those who instill our values. Generation upon generation have first experienced love through family bonds. We all must work toward the goal of preserving these ties, society's most valuable resource. In recognition of the vital links that connect us, the United States joins with other members of the United Nations in proclaiming 1994 as the International Year of the Family.

By honoring families, we are acknowledging the crucial role that they play in developing the character of our collective communities—on the local, national, and global levels. The fabric of the United States and the world is woven together from many diverse ethnic and cultural family threads. Each family's unique traditions and teachings blend together to build the very foundation upon which we, as an international family, have grown and will continue to grow.

The family is the central core from which we prepare our children to assume the positions of leadership that will take us into the next century. By proclaiming 1994 as the International Year of the Family, we rededicate ourselves to today's families and tomorrow's leaders. As the changing world presents new and different challenges to both nations and individuals, the family's role must always be to ensure unconditional love and acceptance. We must sustain and support our families so that they can continue to survive and prosper.

The International Year of the Family seeks to raise awareness of family issues by addressing and reinforcing national family policies and programs. Additionally, the International Year of the Family strives to improve public and private partnerships related to family issues.

The United Nations, in designating 1994 as the International Year of the Family, emphasized that "families, as basic units of social life, are major agents of sustainable development at all levels of society and that their contribution to that process is crucial for its success."

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim 1994 as the International Year of the Family in the United States. I call on all Americans to observe this year with appropriate programs and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighteenth.

William J. Clinton