International Federation for Home Economics--United States (IFHE-US)
Mission, Aims and Resolutions
What is IFHE and IFHE-US?
I.F.H.E. stands for International Federation for Home Economics. It was
founded in 1908 in Switzerland. IFHE is an International Non Governmental
Organisation (INGO) in consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC,
category 2 - FAO - UNESCO, operational relations - UNICEF) and with the
Council of Europe.
The IFHE Constitution, modified effective July 1996, provides for a national
country coordinating body in each country. The International Federation
for Home Economics-United States (IFHE-US) has been organized for this
purpose.
The purpose of the IFHE-US is to serve as the coordinating pivot for all
US individual and organizational members of IFHE, including AAFCS and
others, to promote the mission and work of IFHE. This includes: 1) working
internationally with IFHE headquarters, IFHE units in other countries,
other FCS related NGO's and United Nations agencies, and the IFHE projects;
and 2) working domestically with all United States member organizations
and US individual members of IFHE to facilitate and increase opportunities
for global involvement, whether conducted internationally or locally through
IFHE-US.
Mission and Aims
The following Mission and Aims are those of IFHE. As an affiliate of IFHE,
IFHE-US incorporates these statements as their Mission as well.
The mission of the I.F.H.E. is to provide an international forum for home economists to develop and express the home economics concerns for individuals, families, and households at the United Nations and among other international non-governmental organisations whose interests parallel those of home economics.
The ultimate goal of the Federation is the improvement of the quality of everyday life for individuals, families and households through the management of their resources.
Its Aims shall be:
1. to promote human rights and the universal values of households and families as environments within which individuals are assisted to reach their full potential and to acknowledge their global interdependence,
2. to promote awareness that :
a) families and households are the prime nurturing environments for every human being, and that
b) mental, physical, psychological and emotional family well-being is the basic infrastructure for all other forms of social and economic development,
3. to emphasise the social, economic and environmental impact of the management of the every day life of individuals, families and households,
4. to promote the concept of families and households as operating within a larger social, economic and physical environment with a myriad of exchanges between individuals and these larger environments on a daily basis,
5. to press for a recognition of the need for education for home and family life in all of the above areas for all age levels and in all societies,
6. to develop positions on issues within the focus and expertise of home economics and to emphasise the importance of these at the local, regional and international levels,
7. to support and cooperate in action taken by other organisations in respect of social issues of concern to the membership and the focus of IFHE,
8. to support research in areas relevant to home economics (individual, household and family issues related to the satisfaction of physical and psychological needs) which expand the understanding of the ecological view of individuals, families and households in the larger environment,
9. to keep members informed by means of publications, study courses, congresses and an information and records service.
Resolutions
The Expanding Role of Home Economics (2000)
Resolution on proposal for an International Year of Food Security (2000)