Lead Papers 

Pavlova argues that only after pursued reforms it is possible to revive families in Russian Society. Only after education in the spirit of moral principles it is probable to revive new family, new family relationships, new family psychology, new traditions. World history of Society development evidently showed connection between family and spiritual level of mankind development. Undoubtedly, this stage of formation is the next one for Russia and there’s no other way out.

This conference is about managing and measuring sustainable development. Sustainable development has two fronts - sustainable production and sustainable consumption (McGregor). Sustainable consumption addresses the demand side while sustainable development addresses the supply side. The demand side focuses on consumers'choice of goods and services to fulfil basic needs and improve quality of life while the supply side focuses on the economic, social, and environmental impact of production processes. Production is concerned with making sure that resources used to make goods and services consumed by families can be replenished in such a way that reduces the burden on the Earth's carrying capacity and does not impact negatively on intra and inter-generational equity. Sustainable consumption is concerned with decisions made by citizens in their consumption role. It is the fulfilment of basic human needs without undermining the capacity of the environment to fulfill the needs of present and future generations. Sustainable consumption encompasses sustainable management of resources, considerations for the natural environment and societal processes of change, the promotion of human dignity, quality of life and the perspective of interdependence referring to the interplay between people and environment and the relationships between economies, nationally and internationally.

It is proposed (McGregor) here of extending the idea of sustainability to be a moral and ethical state, as well as an economic and environmental state, wherein sustainable consumption patterns respect the universal values of peace, security, justice and equity within the human relationships that exist in the global village. Put more simply, not only should consumers be concerned with the impact of their decisions on the environment but also on the lives and well-being of other people. Since one of the key functions of families as a social institution is to engage in production (selling their labour in return for wages) and consumption (using those wages to buy goods and services), the roundtable would examine the role of families as they impact sustainable consumption and development. To embrace a moral and ethical perspective, the family's function of production and consumption has to be discussed in relation to its other key functions , especially (a) socialization of children into adult, roles and (b) social control of family members so they are responsible contributing members of society.

An analysis (McGregor) of the formulas used to measure the GESDI and the GSDP show the key components of quality of life, spiritual pathways, family stability, social justice, consumption, human rights, living standards, responsible citizens, and healthy families. I see this roundtable as a great opportunity to expand on what these aspects of the indicators mean and how we collectively understand them in relation to world sustainable development.

Comments and Recommendations from Participants (by name and address)

Family is the smallest unit of a society. It is the template for a child to receive formation and reformation. It is the first contact a child has with the external world. Happenings in a given society are traceable to family upbringing.

Contemporary African setting has two major types of family vis: Nuclear family and extended family.

Nuclear family includes father, mother and children while extended family has father, mother, children and also embraces in-laws, uncles aunties and so on.

All the forms of family expressed come from either a monogamous setting or a polygamous setting. Monogamous setting simply means one man one wife while polygamous setting sets no limit to the number of wives a man can have. Polygamy is seen as an index of wealth, strength, affluence and greatness. This is delusion and its acceptance it becoming low in modern African setting. Loss of support for polygamy is as a result of sudden understanding on the part of the entire populace. Polygamy could be an open room for oppression, suppression, brutality and wickedness in most cases. The negative impact comes out so strong despite all religious admonition against them. In most cases the man lives on a false pedestal that has a semblance of strength, vigor, wealth, affluence and greatness. In modern time, there seem to be a concerted fight or advise against polygamy, it is even losing credence in religious circle.

Resources needed for up-keep of the family are limited. The man supposed to be the breadwinner of the family, has limited assess to resources and so he needs tact to be able to sustain the family within the carrying capacity of his resources. Several times, he is over-stretched and results in schism within his family system. Only favoured family members enjoy the fullness of life at the expense of other family members. Overtime, this phenomenon has bred, hatred, strive, enmity and envy. Conflict and violence result when these unwholesome conditions could not be tolerated within the family setting. Several homes have been broken as a result; several children who are supposed to be the glory and future of the nation have been made outcasts and this is one of the major causes of some the social menace we experience in developing world and even in developed world where polygamy is rarely practiced, but other cardinal features of enviable and formidable family are completely lacking.

Children reared under this condition tend to have jaundiced view of life due to the wrong side of life in which they live. They see life as an arena for hit and run, open display of strength for suppression, oppression, greed, resource acquisition without any recourse to the normal rule of life live and let live.

Concert of sustainability is, meeting today's needs and living enough for tomorrow. This is very hard to achieve in a place where greed, wickedness, strive, oppression is the order of the day in a family set-up.

Families of any form or kind; nuclear, extended; polygamy or monogamy should create an enabling environment that emphasizes good global ethics, morals, customs and social values of trust, kindness, love, tolerance, and other virtues.

Families can organize themselves into groups that foster community development. This appears to be the best form of participation in governance, a strong and laudable move towards sustainable development.

All cultures and nations value the family as an important social unit. The family is the basic social unit of The Global Community (or Earth Community or Earth Society). 

Members of The Global Community organization appreciate all people's cultural and religious perspectives on family planning. We are promoting tolerance for their beliefs and practices. We want to cooperate on a global scale in making the world a better place for our children and their families.

The 'role of families', with its cultural and ethical aspects, is a complicated issue for policymaking. A global intercultural dialogue on rights and responsibilities of individuals and societies regarding decisions about sustaining Earth can be very timely. We will keep this dialogue open as there is so much more to discuss. The 'role of families' is a very important issue. It includes a vast domain of fundamental questions that are concerned with human aspects. For instance, "What decisions should be taken about human reproduction? " 

Concerning 'human reproduction', the World Population Plan of Action says that " all couples and individuals have the basic right to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information, education and means to do so." A couple has the right of freedom of decision - a natural right - and the right to fertility-regulation services - a social right. Both rights raise questions about ethical issues. We have here conflicting ethical issues and implications: the individual's right of free decision and society's goals and responsibilities. 

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control." The couple has the responsibility to take fertility decisions. Society has the right to balance its members basic natural rights and social rights and may have to impose limits on their natural rights in order to improve the quality of life of the people. Such an action would have to be conducted with respect of the dignity and worth of the human person. Social incentives and disincentives, and ethical pressures may all influence the decisions of the couple. 

Family planning and family decision-making includes all those areas of reproduction where couples exercise responsible choice as oppose to leaving the outcome to chance. Couples decide responsibly about questions such as:

• Shall we have children? When? How many? Which sex?

• Seeking treatment if infertile.

• Requesting prenatal diagnosis of genetic disease; terminate an affected pregnancy.

Every society has its ethical vision of human reproduction. The Global Community organization has the responsibility to develop a universally based vision of human reproduction that can be  superimposed upon the ethical vision. 

Our species is threatened of extinction unless we all behave and conduct our lives responsibly. The Global Community organization has taken the role of a unique and universal society that represents the best possible values for the survival of our species and of all life on Earth. We are the new Earth Community or Earth Society. We must work together and discuss how best family planning can take into account ethics and human values within the global context of the survival of all life on Earth.

We are asking if there are universal ethical principles. Are there universal ethical principles applicable to reproduction and family planning? We have before us many principles that tell something about the issue:

• The principle of justice: all persons within a given society deserve equal access to goods and services that fulfill basic human needs.

• The principle of individual liberty: individuals have the freedom of decision and action, to the extent that their actions do not interfere with the rights of others.

• The utilitarian principle: morally right actions or policies are those that result in the greatest number of people.

These principles help us in understanding the extent of the issue. Furthermore, all life on Earth has a problem of survival.