Pro- family leaders from over 50 countries will be converging on the city of Amsterdam for the fifth World Congress of Families.

The Congress, which will meet on August 10-12, features pro-family leaders, activists, scholars and officials from five continents.

"We're delighted by the way national representation is shaping up at World Congress of Families V. Delegates will be coming from 11 African states, and from as far away as Venezuela, South Africa, Moldova, Pakistan and Australia,” Larry Jacobs, Managing Director of the World Congress of Families, told the Christian Newswire.

Jacobs noted: "The broad national representation at WCF V demonstrates that the issues we'll discuss - including abortion, marriage, declining birth rates, child-care vs. home care, education (including home- schooling), Internet pornography, the exploitation of women and children, threats to the family from radicals and multi-national organizations, and the role of faith in sustaining families - are universal, touching families in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. A challenge to the family somewhere is a challenge to families everywhere."

One of the most widely discussed topics at the Congress will be declining birthrates, with several notable scholars scheduled to give key presentations.

Barry McLerran, producer of the landmark documentary "Demographic Winter," will be among them.

"That the issue of drastically falling birthrates will play such a prominent role in World Congress of Families V recognizes the movement's growing concern about this crisis-in-the-making,” McLerran said. “Winning the battle on life issues or the preservation of marriage will be hollow if humanity quietly slips into Demographic Winter, which threatens both the family and the very foundation of civilization."

Philip Longman, internationally renowned scholar and author of The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity And What To Do About It" will also be at the Congress and is scheduled to give a plenary-session speech titled "Demography And Family: Lessons for Developing Nations."

Thus far, the countries which will be represented in Amsterdam include (in alphabetical order): Angola, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, Colombia, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Croatia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malawi, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and Zambia.

For more information on World Congress of Families V, go to www.worldcongress.org

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