Inauguration of Cibefam
Focus Costa Rica
Enfoque a la Familia opens the Ibero-American Center for Family Studies
With great expectations and after a long wait, Enfoque a la Familia inaugurated the Ibero-American Center for Family Studies (CIBEFAM in Spanish) on April 9th, 2008, at the Radisson Hotel in the city of San José, Costa Rica.
The main objective of CIBEFAM is to promote the family as an irreplaceable agent for social and economic development of the Latin American countries. The main areas the Center will cover will be: research and specialized studies on family subjects, publication of studies and analyses, development of training activities and discussion forums, guidance and consulting services for law, projects and public policy within legislative and governmental arenas.
The key note speakers during the inauguration event were Dr. Alejandro Orozco, the Mexican Vice minister of the Family and Mrs. Patricia Anaya, Family Diagnostics Secretary of Mexico, who presented the results of a diagnostic of the Mexican family and its impact on Mexican public policy, as well as the decisions made from a family and community perspective.
These Mexican representatives labor for the National System for the Integral Development of the Family in Mexico (DIF in Spanish) expressed their desire to partner with Enfoque a la Familia in order to develop joint research studies about the Latin American Families in order to publish and promote the findings found about the state of the Hispanic families.
Among the Costa Rican government personalities that attended this event were several congressmen and their advisors, the Director of the Social Aid Office of the President, an ex President of Costa Rica, the Constitutional Attorney General, the Children Affaire Secretary, the mayor and vice mayor of the city of San Jose and the mayor of Moravia, (City where the new CIBEFAM offices will be located) and also a representative from the Inhabitants Ombudsmen Office.
Academic and non governmental organizations were also present in this event. Among the attendees were the Regional Academic Coordinator of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO in Spanish), the Director of the Political Sciences School of the University of Costa Rica and the Project Director for the Arias Foundation for Peace. The event also welcomed international representatives such as the President of the Latin American Parliament Human Rights Commission, a delegate from the Embassy of Honduras, First Consul of Nicaragua and the Ambassador of Ecuador.
Several guests mentioned their interest for the data and perspectives presented in the conference in order to analyze them and send them to other Inauguration of CIBEFAM at the Radisson Hotel. organizations who might be interested in this data.
Some of them also mentioned that after listening to the case of Mexico they agree that the strengthening of the family should be a top priority within the political agendas of the nations of the region. The President of one of Costa Rica’s most preeminent political parties expressed his interest in receiving advice from CIBEFAM in order to build a political agenda and of governmental issues with a family perspective.
The ambassador of Ecuador mentioned she would like CIBEFAM to offer its advice to the Ecuadorian government especially in this moment where they are in the process of creating a new constitution; she considered that the information about the influence of a family perspective on public policy presented during the activity was of vital important and should be the starting point for the creation of laws that promote the development of social justice in the Latin American nations and the well-being of the Hispanic families.Enfoque a la Familia also hosted a special afternoon gathering at the new CIBEFAM offices where Tom Minnery, Focus on the Family Public Policy Vice President and Peter Brandt, Senior Director for Government and Public Policy were asked to lead the ribbon cutting celebration.
During the celebration Tom Minnery congratulated Enfoque a la Familia for the opening of this center and led a consecration prayer for the new offices and the CIBEFAM personnel. He also expressed what a milestone this is for Latin America and how it will be a key center for the training and assessment of politicians, legislators and Hispanic leaders so they may be able to create and execute legislations that favor the development of the Hispanic families from a Latin American perspective.
Enfoque a la Familia gives all the glory, the honor and praise to God for what He has done throughout these years and for the people who came before them, investing their lives for the Latin American families.
This is without a doubt the result of a joint effort that was born in the hearts of a few people long ago and has grown to become the fulfilled dream of many and also signifies a new era for Enfoque a la Familia.
Let us pray and ask that the justice, provision, wisdom and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will always be upon us, our children and our children’s children!