International Conference on
Demography and the Culture of Relationship between Couples
(Budapest, 27-29 May 2021)
Conference motto:
“The demographic crisis can only be solved by healing the crisis of family life”
Conference organisers:
Family Science Alliance, Batthyány Society of Professors, European Family *Science Society
The three-day-long international conference was held on the first day in the Lobby of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary, and the presentations were also available via the Internet. The second and third days of the conference were held online only. During the three-day-long conference, nearly 60 presentations were given in English or in Hungarian. Simultaneous interpretation was provided. Speakers represented eight countries: Hungary, USA, Poland, Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine and Poland.
The opening speech was given by the Rector of the University of Veterinary Medicine, who is also the President of the Batthyány Society of Professors and the President of the Family Science Association. This was followed by an opening presentation by the Minister for Family Policy and by further presentations of church leaders of five historic denominations of Hungary on the culture of relationships and demography.
After introductory and assessment speeches of the leaders of the public and church sectors, presentations by Hungarian and foreign experts followed for two and a half days. Each professional session was always followed by a round table discussion with the speakers of the respective session.
The afternoon of the third day was dedicated to the presentation of good practices in the field, in order to make them more receptive by public education, media and churches and more accessible to the younger generation.
At the end of the three-day event, a major international project in the making was presented.
The conference was organised in the light of a growing intensity of serious crises in our countries and in the demand of a broad-based collaboration for crisis management among professionals from the academic, public and religious world.
The conference, with the help of invited speakers, aimed to show that with the right knowledge and guidance, individuals can create and maintain a happier and healthier family life. To achieve this in the lives of more people, a broad and effective collaboration between the public, academic, civil and religious sectors would be of great benefit.
In order to effectively reduce and then eliminate the demographic crisis in the long term, and to ensure the healthy well-being of individuals and the prosperity of society, it is essential to promote the values set out in the conference message and to overcome misconceptions that are harmful to individuals and communities.
More than 800 people from 48 countries registered to attend the conference, with 150-200 Hungarian and 50-100 foreign viewers following the presentations each day, and more than 1700 people watching the presentations on video during the weekend after the conference.
The conference proceedings are available:
The conference programme, videos and extracts of the presentations, as well as videos of the roundtable discussions are available on the main website of the Family Science Association in Hungarian and English (https://csaladtudomany.hu).
The materials are recommended for professionals, teachers, church workers, young people and families, i.e. all those involved in the field of relationships, marriage, family and demography.
The presentations are listed on the website in alphabetical order of the speakers’ names. The videos are generally 20-30 minutes in length.
If you do not have access to the presentations, or if you notice a quality error, please contact info@csaladtudomany.hu.
