Holding a solemn meeting and opening an exhibition in the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus, timed to coincide with the International Day of the Family

International Day of Families is celebrated annually on May 15th. The establishment of this day was announced at the UN General Assembly in 1993. The United Nations has expressed deep concern that such an important unit of society as the family in many countries is steadily weakening and losing its social orientation. In the early 1990s, the number of divorces around the world increased dramatically, and the percentage of people who reached the age of 30 and never married increased. The beginning of the demographic crisis took place in the 1990s, which led to the fact that the death rate in some countries for many years significantly exceeded the birth rate. According to leading sociologists, even now the institution of the family is under threat, which can negatively affect the development and progress not only of individual countries, but of the whole world. The main purpose of establishing the family support day was to draw the attention of the general public to the numerous problems and difficulties of the institution of the family and to find the best solutions for the fastest way out of the crisis.

There are more than 2.6 million families in our country. The family as the main element of society has been and remains the guardian of human values, culture and historical continuity of generations, a factor of stability and development. Thanks to the family, the state grows stronger and develops, the well-being of the people grows. In Belarus, the state provides great assistance and support to large families, orphans and children left without parental care. Marriage as a union of a man and a woman, family, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood are under the protection of the state. All these foundations of the institution of the family are enshrined in the fundamental law of the Republic of Belarus – in Article 32 of the Constitution.

Every year in our country a number of events dedicated to Family Day are held. This year was no exception. On May 15, in the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus, a solemn meeting of the archive’s labor collective was held, at which congratulations were heard from the leadership of the archive, the trade union organization and the primary organization of the NGO “Belarusian Union of Women” (BUW).

On the eve of the holiday, the NGO “BSZH” of the archive announced a creative competition, which was based on the hobbies of the families of our employees. On the opening day of the exhibition, it was a pleasant and touching moment to see the creative works of the children of our employees, mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, which were preserved in families. Among the works are paintings, crafts, knitted toys, embroidery, painted works, etc. The results of the competition will be summed up on June 1, Children’s Day. Each participant of the competition will be awarded with special prizes prepared by the trade union committee of the National Archives.