Contact: Don Feder, Media Coordinator, World Congress of Families, 508-405-1337, dfeder@rcn.com

MEDIA ADVISORY, Feb. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- The International Planning Committee for World Congress of Families V met in Amsterdam last week to put together a program for the Congress.  Meetings took place at Amsterdam's RAI Convention Centre, also the site of WCF V (August 10-12, 2009).

Sessions were co-chaired by Larry Jacobs (WCF Managing Director) and Simon Polinder (head of the Local Organizing Committee).  Dr. Patrick Fagan of The Family Research Council acted as moderator.

The Congress will include keynote speeches such as: "How Traditional Are Modern Families In The Netherlands?" "The Family As The Fundamental Unit of Society," "The Value of Marriage As The Basis of Family Life," "The Family as The Foundation of Social and Economic Development," "The Future Depends on Human Life," "Effects of Government Policymaking on the Family," and "The Influence of International Law on the Family."

Break-out sessions include titles such as: "The Role of The Family In Overcoming Addiction (Drugs, Gambling and Pornography)," "Demography and Declining Birthrates Worldwide," "Sexuality: Faith, Family and Freedom of Speech," "Barriers to Adoption: National and International," "Human Trafficking," "How Biotechnology Affects The Family (Abortion, Euthanasia and Embryonic Stem-Cell Research)," and "The Family And The Future of Nations."

WCF V will also include a report from Abuja, Nigeria on "World Congress of Families Dialogue of Civilizations" (June 4-7).  Like past Congresses, WCF V will be guided by the "Natural Family" philosophy, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948.

Jacobs commented: "We're delighted that World Congress of Families V will be in Amsterdam this coming August.  Our last Congress (WCF IV) was in Poland, a religious and socially conservative country.  Now we are raising the World Congress of Families banner in a part of Europe where the 'natural family' and religion are viewed as roadblocks to development and progressive society.  Our challenge is to communicate our message and data that proves that the 'natural family' is best for children and society.  In doing so, we will challenge the efforts of the European Union and the left to deconstruct the family."

The International Planning Committee included representatives from the following organizations: The Dutch Local Organizing Committee, World Congress of Families, Human Life Int'l, Europe  (Poland), New Generation Church (Latvia), Focus on The Family, Family Research Council, Tradition, Family & Property, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, United Families International, Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, Institute of Family Studies (Poland), European Forum for Human Rights And Family (France), GrassTopsUSA, Georgia Family Council, Pakistan Family Forum, HarzteOir (Spain), The Institute for Family Policies (France), REAL Women of Canada, Dutch Association of Large Families, Alliance Defense Fund, Human Life International and Concerned Women for America.

For more information on World Congress of Families, visit www.worldcongress.org or www.worldcongress.nl.  To register for World Congress of Families V go to: www.worldcongress.org/WCF5/wcf5.reg.mem.htm.  To schedule and interview with World Congress of Families Managing Director, Larry Jacobs, contact Communications Director,  Don Feder, 508-405-1337 or dfeder@rcn.com.

The World Congress of Families (WCF) is an international network of pro-family organizations, scholars, leaders and people of goodwill from more than 60  countries that seeks to restore the natural family as the fundamental social unit and the 'seedbed' of civil society.  The WCF was founded in 1997 by Allan Carlson and is a project of The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society in Rockford, Illinois (www.profam.org).  To date, there have been four World Congresses of Families - Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004) and Warsaw, Poland (2007).  A fitth World Congress of Families will be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, August 10-12, 2009.